Luciano Spalletti’s job as head coach of the Italy national team is under an increased level of scrutiny following a disastrous 3-0 loss away against Norway in the first match of the 2026 World Cup

Italy will kick off their 2026 World Cup qualifying campaign on Friday (2:45 pm ET), trying to qualify for their first World Cup in 12 years, with a trip up north to take on Norway.

Norway stunned Italy with a 3-0 win on Friday, handing the visitors a humiliating start to their World Cup qualifying campaign.

Italy were dealt a 3-0 blow by Norway at the beginning of their 2026 World Cup qualification campaign on Friday night, which has already brought a genuine risk of missing out on direct qualification

Four-time FIFA World Cup winners Italy have failed to qualify for each of the last two editions of the tournament, while they have now lost successive qualifiers for the first time in their history

After a quarter of a century of near misses and heartbreak, Norway’s rout of Italy in their World Cup qualifier has reignited the country's hope of a return to international football’s biggest stage.There was little doubt that Norway were the better team on Friday as they easily dominated Italy in Oslo,

Today, the Azzurra returns to action against a rival that will be anything but easy: Erling Haaland’s Norway. Due to the Nations League action, Spalletti’s team has not yet been able to make their debut, but two matchdays have already been played. In other words, it’s time to bounce back.