Gianluigi Buffon Announces Resignation as Head of Italy's National Team Delegation

Legendary former goalkeeper Gianluigi Buffon has announced his decision to resign from his position as head of the Italian national team delegation. This announcement comes in the wake of Italy's defeat in a crucial playoff match for the 2026 World Cup qualification against Bosnia and Herzegovina.

Buffon shared his decision on his official Instagram page, indicating that this choice was made immediately after the team failed to achieve its primary goal of qualifying for the 2026 World Cup. He expressed deep personal feelings about the situation, reflecting on the emotional weight of the loss.

“Resigning just a minute after the final whistle of the match against Bosnia was an urgent, deeply personal decision for me. Just as spontaneous as the tears and the pain in my heart, which I know I share with all of you,” Buffon wrote. He also mentioned that he had been asked to wait so that everyone could calmly consider the situation.

“Now that President Gravina has decided to step back, I feel free to do what I believe is an act of responsibility. Despite my sincere belief that together with Gennaro Gattuso and the entire staff we managed to create a strong spirit and team in that very short time, the main goal was to return Italy to the World Cup. And we failed. It is right to leave the person who will come after us the full freedom to choose the person they consider best for my position,” he emphasized in his statement.

Earlier, the President of the Italian Football Federation, Gabriele Gravina, also announced his resignation. This decision came amid the team’s poor performances, which saw them fail to qualify for the 2026 World Cup following a shocking defeat to Bosnia and Herzegovina in the playoff final. As a result, Italy will miss its third consecutive World Cup.

The last time the Azzurri participated in a World Cup was in 2014, when the team, under the management of Cesare Prandelli, failed to advance from the group stage. Since then, Italy has not participated in the World Cup playoffs, a streak that has lasted since 2006, when the team won the trophy.

Italy's national team has won the FIFA World Cup four times—in 1934, 1938, 1982, and 2006. Only Brazil has more titles, with five victories. Recently, it was reported that the Italian national team has set a unique negative record by failing to qualify for the World Cup three times in a row.

UEFA President Aleksander Čeferin also commented on Italy's failure to qualify for the 2026 World Cup, pointing to those responsible for the situation. According to media reports, the head coach of the Italian national team, Gennaro Gattuso, plans to leave the team following the failure to qualify for the 2026 World Cup. Two main candidates to take over as the new coach for Italy are Antonio Conte and Massimiliano Allegri, who currently manage Napoli and AC Milan, respectively.