Gennaro Gattuso exploded into the headlines this weekend and not because of tactics. Italy’s coach was visibly furious even before his side were hammered 4-1 at home by Norway, a defeat that condemned the four-time world champions to the precarious, one-off lottery of play-offs for a place at the 2026 World Cup. For a manager who watched his country miss the finals in 2018 and 2022 after play-off shocks, the sting of another near-miss felt painfully familiar.
What Gattuso said
Gattuso’s gripe was blunt: a strong qualifying record shouldn’t be punished by a format that forces successful teams into knock-out roulette. He pointed to Italy’s six wins from eight games and compared Europe’s route unfavourably with South America and Africa, questioning why confederations with fewer teams get proportionally easier paths to the finals. “The system needs to change in Europe,” he said, underlining a frustration that runs deeper than a single result.
Sorting fact from flare
Some of Gattuso’s historical references were shaky — tournament formats and past runner-up rules aren’t always as he described — but that doesn’t erase the underlying ache.
UEFA now fields 54 nations fighting for just 16 European slots, versus South America’s 10 nations for six automatic berths. Increasing entrants and a crowded calendar have forced UEFA into compact four- and five-team groups, meaning one slip-up can be decisive. Italy were top seeds but lost both fixtures to a rising Norway — by an aggregate 7-1 — and that cold scoreline is what ultimately undid them.
Confederations compared
The numbers complicate the outrage. South America’s qualifying looks generous on paper; 60% of teams qualify directly, but the continent’s teams are, on average, higher-ranked and more evenly elite than most other confederations. Africa’s nine spots include several established powerhouses that merit finals football.
Asia’s increased allocation, however, stands out: relatively few top-50 teams there compared with the number of automatic places awarded, which fuels European grumbling about balance and merit.
Verdict: fair gripe, slim sympathy
Gattuso tapped into a real tension: expanded tournaments and reallocated places force a trade-off between global representation and strict sporting merit. His frustration is understandable — especially given Italy’s recent history with play-offs — but his spotlight misses the full picture. Europe’s crowded strength, a squeezed international calendar, and the physics of group design all make a tidy fix hard to find. The system may be imperfect, and Europe might feel short-changed, but Gattuso’s fury reads as equal parts legitimate complaint and the sour taste of another painful elimination.
