Roma defender Gianluca Mancini has admitted he is avoiding live coverage of the 2026 World Cup, describing Italy’s failure to qualify as a wound that has not healed. The centre-back revealed he can only manage brief highlights, finding full matches too painful to endure while his national side watches from the outside.
Mancini was part of the squad that suffered a play-off defeat to Bosnia, a result that confirmed Italy would miss the tournament for a third straight edition. He was on the pitch in Zenica shortly before teammate Alessandro Bastoni received a red card that effectively ended the Azzurri’s hopes of reaching North America.
Speaking to Sky Sport, via TuttoMercatoWeb, Mancini did not hide his anguish at the national team’s continued absence from football’s biggest stage. “I can speak as a player who did not achieve World Cup qualification,” he said. “It is a pain, it hurts. I am not watching the matches, I cannot. I watch the highlights, but not the full games. It hurts not to be there.”
The 28-year-old dismissed simple explanations for Italy’s recurring failures. He argued that missing three consecutive tournaments points to deeper, structural issues within the national setup rather than individual shortcomings. “If we have not qualified three times, it is not just a problem of young players, youth sectors and coaches,” he explained. “It is bigger than that. We hope to resolve it in the coming years.”
Champions League return offers solace
While international disappointment lingers, Mancini is channeling his energy into club football with renewed enthusiasm. Roma secured a return to the Champions League after a season in the Europa League, and the defender is eager to finally experience Europe’s premier competition at the Stadio Olimpico.
He recalled celebrating with teammate Bryan Cristante after the decisive final match against Verona, allowing himself to imagine the famous group stage anthem. “I imagined the stadiums, a little tune I have never heard in my career,” Mancini said. “It is beautiful even just to imagine it, I cannot wait to play in the competition.”
The contrasting emotions underline a bittersweet period for the Italy international. As the World Cup continues without the Azzurri for a third consecutive edition, Mancini will turn his full attention to delivering on the European stage with his club, hoping to create new memories to ease the pain of the summer.