Italian football has suffered another painful collapse. What is certainly not painful is to visit the 1xBet platform in order to bet on Italian football.

In March 2026, the 4-time world champions failed to qualify for the FIFA World Cup for the 3rd consecutive time after losing a playoff to Bosnia and Herzegovina on penalties. Historically, Italy has represented 3 elements:

• tactical brilliance;
• defensive discipline;
• and competitive pride.

Many other football teams are present at 1xBet, where attractive football bets are always available. For those reasons, what happened to Italy is more than a bad result. It is a national embarrassment and proof of a deeper crisis.

A fallen powerhouse

Italy once stood among football’s greatest powers. The Azzurri won the World Cup in 1934, 1938, 1982, and 2006. A quick football bet is always available at 1xBet on the FIFA World Cup too.

They also lifted the European Championship in 2021. Yet since that triumph at Wembley, progress has stalled. Missing the 2018 World Cup shocked the country. Missing 2022 raised concerns. Missing 2026 confirms that the problem is structural, not accidental. The UEFA Euro is another big tournament available for a quick bet at the football section of 1xBet.

Trying to explain the deeper problems

The reasons are complex but visible. Many experts point to outdated development systems, weak investment in youth players, and an overreliance on older, safer choices. Serie A still has respected clubs, but the league no longer dominates Europe as it once did. Besides wagers on the Serie A, a fast and easy cricket betting can also be made today at the 1xBet platform.

In the 2025-26 season, no Italian club reached the semi-finals of any major European competition, the first such failure since 1986–87. That statistic says everything about the declining level of the domestic game.

Financial issues also play a role. Compared with the English Premier League or Spain’s top clubs, many Italian teams struggle with revenue, modern stadiums, and long-term planning. Several stadium projects remain delayed, even with Italy set to co-host Euro 2032. Without modern infrastructure, growth becomes slower and talent leaves faster.

The consequences have already arrived. Following the World Cup disaster, coach Gennaro Gattuso departed, and FIGC president Gabriele Gravina resigned. Leadership changes may calm public anger, but changing faces is easier than changing systems. With 1xBet there is easy and fast cricket betting, as well as football wagers on football from Italy and other countries too.