Own goals. Uncharacteristic defensive lapses. General disorder. But lots of attacking flair. If the idea in hiring Gennaro Gattuso to replace the fired Luciano Spalletti was to restore order and discipline to Italy’s under-pressure squad there’s still plenty of work to be done.

As four-time World Cup champions, Italy has missed the last two World Cup finals since the 2014 tournament in Brazil. Despite the expansion of the European qualifiers to 16 spots, the path to qualification remains challenging for the Azzurri.

ITALY boss Gennaro Gattuso was involved in an ugly post-match spat after the World Cup qualifying goal-fest against Israel. The Azzurri ran out 5-4 winners in a pulsating match in Hungary on

The Davis Cup World Group tie between Canada and Israel will be played in a closed venue without fans this weekend due to safety concerns.

The comeback victory of 5-4 against Israel has given Italy's campaign towards the 2026 World Cup a breath of fresh air: a crucial success, but not yet decisive. The situation in the group remains

FIFA have banned one nation from participating in the 2026 World Cup. Despite calls from some people, that country is not Israel. Over the course of the qualification cycle, several nations have either been temporarily suspended or withdrawn entirely. Yet, as it stands, only one country is barred outright from the showpiece tournament.

The coach of Israel’s national soccer team says he is “standing behind my country” amid calls for the squad to be suspended from international competition because of the war in Gaza.

Mustapha Ramid, Morocco’s former justice minister, has called on FIFA to ban Israel from the upcoming World Cup 2026