Gabriele Gravina has stepped down as president of the Italian Football Federation, two days after Italy failed to qualify for the 2026 FIFA World Cup, confirming an end to nearly eight years at the head of Italian football.
Italy’s elimination came via a penalty shootout defeat to Bosnia and Herzegovina in the World Cup play-off final, making it a third consecutive absence from the tournament for the four-time world champions.
The humiliation in Zenica triggered immediate calls for his head from across Italian football.
Sports Minister Andrea Abodi led the charge, saying Italian football needed to be rebuilt from scratch and that the process had to start with new leadership at the FIGC.
Lazio president Claudio Lotito went further, filing a formal petition in the Italian Senate demanding Gravina’s resignation.
Gravina had led the FIGC since October 2018, and the resignation was confirmed at an emergency council meeting attended by senior figures from across Italian football, including Serie A president Ezio Simonelli and representatives of the players’ and coaches’ associations
His tenure carried a significant contradiction. He oversaw Italy’s triumph at Euro 2020 but also presided over failed World Cup qualification campaigns in both 2022 and 2026, leaving a legacy split almost perfectly between the highest point Italian football has reached in a generation and its most embarrassing recurring failure.
Gravina’s exit is expected to pull coach Gennaro Gattuso down with him, though the former AC Milan midfielder had said immediately after the Bosnia defeat that he was not interested in discussing his future.
As revealed by BBC Sport, the residential election is scheduled for June 22, with Italian football now facing the task of finding leadership capable of dragging the Azzurri back to relevance before another generation passes.
