Italians woke up in astonishment on Friday, March 25 after their national soccer team failed to qualify for the World Cup for only the second time in 60 years.
Italy also failed to qualify for the 2018 World Cup after losing to Sweden in a two-legged playoff the previous November.
They were beaten 1-0 by North Macedonia in a play-off semi-final to qualify for the tournament, which takes place in Qatar from 21 November.
Missing two straight World Cups is an unprecedented low point for the four-time champion, especially just months after winning Euro 2020.
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