Italy Will Miss Third Straight World Cup

Picture of the FIFA World Cup Trophy, which presented to the champions of the World Cup tournament.

This story is not an April Fool's trick. 

Italy, once one of the elite teams in football/soccer, lost a penalty kick shootout yesterday to Bosnia-Herzegovina.  

Just a few years ago, Italy managed to win the Euro tournament, in 2020. Yet, they shockingly missed the World Cup just two years earlier, in 2018. Then they followed up that highly impressive Euro title by missing the World Cup in 2022.

But a third straight time seemed highly unlikely. First of all, they were surely going to be fired up. Secondly, FIFA expanded the number of teams participating in the World Cup tournament from 32 to 48. so really, this time, no way that Italy misses for a third time, right?

Yet here we are. Italy, one of the most decorated international sides in the world, will miss the World Cup tournament for a third time. It seems impossible, but that is the reality. This will be yet another World Cup without the Italian side participating.

Now, they earn the dubious distinction as the only former World Cup champion to miss the World Cup tournament three times in a row.