Kimmich disappointed by Italy missing the 2026 World Cup
Quick summary
Joshua Kimmich said he is unhappy that Italy will miss the 2026 World Cup, while reminding Italian football that the country still won the European Championship in recent years. The article also notes Italy's latest World Cup play-off elimination and the resignations of FIGC president Gabriele Gravina and coach Gennaro Gattuso.
Full article
Attributed to original sourceBayern Munich midfielder Joshua Kimmich admits he’s ‘not happy’ with Italy’s World Cup play-off elimination: ‘But you won the European Championship, you can’t forget it.’
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Bayern Munich midfielder Kimmich replied to a question from Sky Sport Italia about the state of Italian football.
Kimmich tells Italy: ‘Don’t forget’ about the Euros
Bayern Munich eliminated Atalanta in the Champions League Round of 16 and will play away at Real Madrid in the quarter-finals tonight.
“Italy have missed out on three World Cups, but in between, you won a European Championship,” Kimmich said via TMW.
“You can’t forget it, we haven’t won it,” he continued.
BUDAPEST, HUNGARY – NOVEMBER 19: Joshua Kimmich of Germany reacts during the UEFA Nations League 2024/25 League A Group A3 match between Hungary and Germany at on November 19, 2024 in Budapest, Hungary. (Photo by Alexander Hassenstein/Getty Images) “In the last decade, we [Germany] have only won one Confederations Cup. Perhaps I’m not the right person to answer this, but obviously, I always hope you play in the World Cup and the Euros. Italy is a great country, with excellent players who I’d love to see at a World Cup, so I’m not happy with how it went.”
Italy have last played in the World Cup in 2014 and have not played a knockout game in the competition since 2006, when they went on to win the title, beating France in the final on penalties.
MUNICH, GERMANY – APRIL 08: Joshua Kimmich of Bayern Munich is challenged by Nicolo Barella of FC Internazionale during the UEFA Champions League 2024/25 Quarter Final First Leg match between FC Bayern München and FC Internazionale Milano at Fussball Arena Muenchen on April 08, 2025 in Munich, Germany. (Photo by Alex Grimm/Getty Images) Brazil, with five titles, is the only country to have won more World Cups than Italy and Germany, both of which have lifted the coveted trophy four times in their history.
Following Italy’s World Cup play-off Final defeat to Bosnia and Herzegovina last week, both FIGC President Gabriele Gravina and Italy coach Gennaro Gattuso have resigned.
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What happened
Joshua Kimmich told Sky Sport Italia that he is disappointed Italy will not be at the 2026 World Cup. He argued that Italy should not forget its recent European Championship success despite missing three straight World Cups. The report frames his comments alongside Italy's long World Cup absence since 2014 and their play-off final defeat to Bosnia and Herzegovina. It also adds that FIGC president Gabriele Gravina and Italy coach Gennaro Gattuso have resigned after the elimination.
Chance analysis
This matters less for club football and more for Italy's national-team outlook, as the elimination and subsequent resignations point to instability around the Azzurri. For prediction systems, the key signal is not Kimmich's opinion itself but the confirmed competitive failure and likely management reset around Italy.
Italy's outlook is negatively affected by missed qualification and immediate leadership upheaval.
Treat the article mainly as evidence of Italy national-team instability after World Cup elimination, not as a direct club-performance signal.