Italy's World Cup qualification campaign has barely begun and already the country is worried about the shocking possibility of failing to reach the final tournament for a third consecutive time after a humiliating defeat by Norway.

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

Italy crashed to a 3-0 loss away to Norway, as the four-time FIFA World Cup champions made a disastrous start to their 2026 World Cup qualifying campaign on Friday, while Belgium had to settle for a draw in North Macedonia.