The Italian Football Federation (FIGC) has officially announced that former 2006 World Cup winner Gennaro Gattuso will be taking charge of the national team. His appointment comes ahead of the upcoming 2026 World Cup qualifiers. The federation decided to sack previous manager Luciano Spalletti following a poor start to the World Cup qualifiers, including a 3-0 opening defeat, and a disappointing UEFA Euro 2024 campaign where Italy were eliminated by Switzerland in the Round of 16.
Gattuso is scheduled to be officially presented in Rome on June 19. His first matches in charge will be in September, when Italy faces Estonia and Israel in qualifiers. Gattuso`s coaching career includes spells at clubs like Napoli and AC Milan, most recently managing Valencia, Marseille, and Hajduk Split.
`Gattuso is a symbol of Italian football,` said FIGC President Gabriele Gravina. `His motivation, professionalism, and experience will be crucial for tackling the upcoming challenges of the national team. Aware of the importance of the goal we aim to achieve, I thank him for his availability and total dedication in accepting this challenge…`
Gattuso`s appointment follows the federation`s decision to dismiss Spalletti last week, prior to Italy`s 2-0 victory against Moldova. Spalletti had taken over the Azzurri in August 2023 after Roberto Mancini stepped down, and his tenure included leading the team through the disappointing Euro 2024 tournament.
Performances did not significantly improve under Spalletti, with Italy losing three of their last four matches, including the 3-0 defeat against Norway in their opening 2026 World Cup qualifier.
Reports indicated that former AS Roma coach Claudio Ranieri was initially approached for the role, but he declined, choosing to continue as an advisor to the Friedkin family, owners of AS Roma. Following Ranieri`s refusal, the FIGC considered other candidates, with Gattuso emerging as a leading contender alongside Stefano Pioli, currently at Al-Nassr and linked with a move to Fiorentina.
