Italy’s football chief Gabriele Gravina resigned on Thursday after the national team failed to qualify for the World Cup for a third consecutive time, as UEFA simultaneously warned the country could lose hosting rights for Euro 2032 unless major stadium upgrades are delivered.
Gravina, 72, stepped down as president of the Italian Football Federation (FIGC) following a meeting at the federation’s headquarters in Rome. His resignation came a day after Sport Minister Andrea Abodi publicly urged him to quit in the wake of Italy’s latest qualification disaster.
The four-time world champions were eliminated in the play-offs on Tuesday after losing a penalty shoot-out to Bosnia and Herzegovina, meaning they will miss this summer’s World Cup in the United States, Canada and Mexico. It marks another humiliation for one of football’s traditional powerhouses, who also failed to reach the 2018 and 2022 tournaments.
The FIGC confirmed that a vote to elect a new president will be held on June 22. Among the potential candidates is Giovanni Malagò, the former long-serving head of the Italian Olympic Committee and president of the Milan-Cortina Winter Olympics organising committee.
Gravina had initially intended to wait until a FIGC board meeting next week before announcing a decision on his future. However, mounting political pressure and public criticism appear to have accelerated his departure. Abodi said Italian football “needs to be rebuilt from the ground up and that starts with changes at the top of the FIGC.”
The resignation also casts doubt over the future of national team coach Gennaro Gattuso, whose contract expires this summer. Gravina had previously backed the 2006 World Cup winner to remain in charge beyond his current deal.
While Gravina’s tenure included a high point with Italy’s Euro 2020 triumph under Roberto Mancini — when the Azzurri beat England at Wembley after a 37-match unbeaten run — subsequent World Cup failures and a disappointing European title defence eroded support for his leadership.
Compounding the crisis, UEFA president Aleksander Ceferin warned that Italy risks being stripped of its role as co-host of Euro 2032 with Turkey if stadium infrastructure is not modernised. Ceferin described Italian arenas as “among the worst in Europe” and said the tournament “will not be held in Italy” if required improvements are not completed.
Italy must name five host venues by October, with most stadiums dating back to the 1990 World Cup and in urgent need of redevelopment. The warning underscores the broader structural challenges facing Italian football, both on and off the pitch.
