Friday, April 3, 2026 - Gabriele Gravina has resigned as president of the Italian Football Federation (FIGC) following Italy’s failure to qualify for the World Cup for a third consecutive tournament cycle.
The decision was confirmed after an emergency meeting of the
FIGC general council, held in the aftermath of Italy’s play-off final defeat to
Bosnia and Herzegovina on Tuesday. An election to appoint his successor is
scheduled for June 22.
Gravina had led the federation since October 2018, a period
that included Italy’s triumph at Euro 2020 but was also marked by repeated
failures to qualify for the World Cup, including the 2022 and 2026 editions.
Italy had also missed out on the 2018 tournament prior to his tenure.
Senior figures from across Italian football attended the
emergency meeting, including Serie A president Ezio Simonelli, Serie B
president Paolo Bedin, Serie C president Matteo Marani, amateur league
president Giancarlo Abete, players’ association head Umberto Calcagno and
coaches’ association representative Renzo Ulivieri.
During his time in charge, Gravina oversaw the appointments
of Luciano Spalletti and Gennaro Gattuso as national team head coaches in 2023
and 2025 respectively.
His resignation follows mounting pressure from fans and
officials after Italy’s latest qualification failure. Italy’s Minister for
Sport, Andrea Abodi, said on Wednesday: “it’s evident that Italian football
needs to be rebuilt, and this process must start with a renewal of the FIGC
leadership.”
Attention is now expected to turn to potential successors,
with former CONI president Giovanni Malago among the early names linked to the
role, alongside Giancarlo Abete and Matteo Marani.
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