Italy’s Coaching Shakeup: Conte or Allegri to Lead the Reboot After World Cup Exit
2 April 2026
The Azzurri miss the World Cup for the third consecutive time, and calls for a radical change are mounting.
Gennaro Gattuso’s days as Italy coach appear numbered after a catastrophic failure to qualify for World Cup 2026, with two heavyweight names emerging as his successor.
The Azzurri lost to Bosnia and Herzegovina on penalties in the European playoff final, leaving the team out of the World Cup for the third time in a row, the first such occurrence in history.
The hours after the game were marked by tense, heated discussions in Italian football, with calls for a drastic overhaul and decisive action.
According to Gianluca Di Marzio of Sky Sports, Gattuso’s tenure appears finished, and Gianluigi Buffon, the national team manager since 2023 who often acted as a liaison between players and the federation, is also expected to depart.
Di Marzio added that with Gattuso leaving, two heavyweights are tipped to take the job: Antonio Conte and Massimiliano Allegri.
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Conte already has prior experience with the national team, having led it from 2014 to 2016, while Allegri remains an experienced name at the highest levels.
It is unlikely either would reject an official offer.
Yet a contract with the federation could be a hurdle: Conte is currently under contract with Napoli, and Napoli president Aurelio De Laurentiis does not seem ready to release him; Allegri, meanwhile, has been in Milan since last year as part of a long‑term project.
The federation’s next steps remain to be seen, and both Conte and Allegri would face logistics, from club commitments to release clauses, before any formal approval.
Meanwhile, supporters and pundits joked that the biggest risk is picking a coach who turns out to be a better speaker than a strategist.
Punchline 1: If Conte can’t fix the team, maybe he can fix the headlines—either way, the press will be entertained.
Punchline 2: Allegri’s playbook? More coffee breaks, fewer crosses, and a trophy-shaped coffee mug on the desk as morale booster.
