<p>Gennaro Gattuso has delivered a blunt assessment of what another World Cup failure would mean for him personally, and it involves leaving his homeland for good.</p> <p>The Italy manager's stark comments come as the Azzurri face the very real prospect of missing a third consecutive <a href="https://www.sportsbet.com.au/betting/soccer/world-cup/mens-world-cup/fifa-world-cup-2026-outrights-7009197">FIFA World Cup</a>, a nightmare scenario that would represent the darkest period in the nation's storied football history.</p> <p>Despite thrashing Israel 3-0 in their latest qualifier, Italy find themselves in second place in Group I, trailing Norway and staring down the barrel of yet another playoff gauntlet. For a four-time world champion, it's a humbling position that has Gattuso contemplating drastic measures.</p> <p>"I must thank the Federation, the President, and [Gianluigi] Buffon," Gattuso said after the Israel victory. "I didn't think the team would score 16 times, but it's their merit. I have very little."</p> <p>But, there is a problem: if qualification fails, Gattuso plans to distance himself geographically from the inevitable fallout. "I'm already living quite far away, but I'd go even further," he admitted, speaking only half in jest.</p> <h2>The Weight of History</h2> <p>Italy's absence from the 2018 and 2022 World Cups remains a raw wound for a nation that considers football part of its cultural DNA. Those consecutive failures marked the first time since 1958 that the Azzurri missed the tournament – and they did it twice running.</p> <p>The 2018 heartbreak came via a playoff defeat to Sweden, a shock that reverberated through Italian football. Four years later, North Macedonia delivered another stunning blow in stoppage time, extending Italy's exile despite the team having won Euro 2020 just months earlier.</p> <p>Now, with the 2026 tournament expanded to 48 teams and qualification theoretically easier, the pressure has only intensified. Another failure would be nothing short of catastrophic.</p> <h2>Norway Stand in the Way</h2> <p>Italy's path to automatic qualification requires overtaking Norway, who currently top Group I with a perfect record. The Scandinavians have been the surprise package of the qualifying campaign, and they'll visit Italy on the final matchday holding all the cards.</p> <p>With a superior goal difference of +10, Norway need only avoid defeat to clinch top spot. Italy, meanwhile, must win and hope their own goal difference – currently respectable but not overwhelming – holds up if things get complicated.</p> <p>Finishing second means playoffs, and Italian fans know all too well how those can go. The playoff format has twice proven Italy's undoing, and Gattuso's side would face a nervous two-legged tie against another runner-up for the right to reach North America.</p> <h2>Gattuso's Impossible Task</h2> <p>The former AC Milan midfielder took charge with Italy's reputation at rock bottom. His appointment came with understanding from the federation that rebuilding would take time, but time is one commodity Italian football fans aren't willing to grant when it comes to World Cup qualification.</p> <p>Gattuso has overseen an attacking transformation, with Italy netting 16 goals across their qualifying matches. But pretty football means nothing if it doesn't deliver results, and second place – regardless of the performance metrics – represents failure for a nation of Italy's pedigree.</p> <p>His self-deprecating comments about fleeing the country might draw laughs, but they reveal the crushing pressure managers face in this role. Roberto Mancini departed after the Euro 2020 triumph, unable to get through the qualifying complexities that followed. Gattuso inherited that mess, and now he owns it.</p>