Italy's World Cup Shake-Up: Is Inzaghi the Next Boss or Just Rumor?
1 April 2026
Italy's FA weighs coaching future after World Cup setback
Gabriele Gravina, president of the Italian Football Federation, clarified that discussions with Italian coach Simone Inzaghi, the Al Hilal manager, to take charge of the national team in the near term are not official.
The Italian national team endured a heavy blow after losing to Bosnia and Herzegovina on penalties, 4-1, after a 1-1 draw in normal and extra time, in the European playoff final for the 2026 World Cup.
With this defeat, the Azzurri failed to qualify for the World Cup for the third consecutive time after 2018 and 2022, placing the painful setback under the microscope for coach Gennaro Gattuso.
Gravina told the Saudi newspaper Al-Yom that the negotiations with Simone Inzaghi are all false news, and what has been circulated is not true at all.
Simone Inzaghi remains one of the options currently being considered to coach the national team for the World Cup, amid uncertainty over Hervé Renard's position.
Al Hilal are preparing to face Al Taawon in the 27th round of the Roshen Pro League at the Kingdom Arena.
Punchline 1: If this coaching saga were a transfer window, it would be extended indefinitely and still be full of suspense.
Punchline 2: Inzaghi as a national-team coach would be a plot twist so spicy that even the referee would need a VAR review of the rumors.
