How many times has Italy missed the World Cup?
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Il world championship in Qatar It's almost here, there's very little time left until the kick-off of this first winter edition. Kick-off on Sunday November 20 with the meeting between Qatar and Ecuador.
Great absentee, we know, is Mancini's Italy, that despite the goals of Insigne and his teammates failed to qualify for the 2022 World Cup. The reigning European champions have failed to qualify for the second consecutive year after 2018. Let's look back at the history of the World Cup to find out how many other times it has happened and whether we are the only ones to have the negative record of absences.
Among the favourites for the final victory, well rated by all the best sites World Cup bets, we find Brazil together with France, Argentina, England and Spain.
Italy at the World Cup
The Men's FIFA World Cup is the world's top football competition and the most followed in the world. Organised by the FIFA (Fédération Internationale de Football Association), saw the first edition in 1930. Since then they have been played 21 editions every four years (suspended only in some editions).
The current holder is the France, winner of the 2018 World Cup in Russia, and the record for victories belongs to Brazil, with 5 trophies in the trophy cabinet. But Italy is no exception. Together with Germany it boasts 4 World Cup wins, followed by Argentina, France and Uruguay with 2. England and Spain close with 1 edition each.
This is the second tournament in a row in which we will not be able to sing the Italian anthem out loud. But it is not the second time that Italy has missed the most important football competition. In the history of the World Cup it happened 2 more times.
Uruguay 1930
The first absence was in 1930 in Uruguay, in the first edition of the world championship. It was a “special” cup, with thirteen participating teams and only four from Europe. There were no qualifiers, but every country affiliated with FIFA was invited to participate.
It had a great response from the South American teams, seven of whom participated, but not so much from the European ones. Some for one reason or another, refused to participate. The World Cup was then won by Uruguay, who beat Argentina 4-2.
Sweden 1958
The World Cup Sweden '58 It was the second time that Italy forfeited. This time, however failed to qualify, missing out on a place in the match against Northern Ireland, losing 2-1 away.
Instead, it was the year of Pelé's consecration, as he won the title of youngest scorer in a World Cup and the youngest world champion in history. At 17 years and 249 days, he lifted the cup in the final against the hosts, scoring twice.
The other teams
But Italy is not the only big team to have missed some editions of the World Cup. The same fate has happened to almost all the strongest teams.
Leaving aside the first edition and the one from '38, when it was hit by the civil war, Spain failed to qualify in 4 editions. In 1954 and 1958, then again in 1970 and 1974.
England decided not to participate in the first edition in 1930 on principle, claiming to be the homeland of football, and subsequently left FIFA, missing the 1934 and 1938 editions. It returned in 1956, and from then on failed to qualify in 1974 and 1978, and again in 1994.
La France, who withdrew from the World Cup in 1950 to protest against the organization of the tournament, he did not qualify in 5 editions. The first time in 1962, then in 1970 and 1974. And also on the occasion of Italy '90 and USA '94.
Argentina, arguing about the choice of playing the 1938 World Cup in France, decided to retire. And he also retired in the 1950 edition. In 1954, however, in the World Cup in Switzerland, he did not participate. It can therefore be said that the only time he failed to qualify was in 1970, in Mexico, in favor of Peru.
La Germany, which was disqualified in 1950 because it was considered, together with Japan, the main responsible for the war, then he always hit the qualification mark, participating in all editions to date. The only other absence, as for other European teams, was in 1930.
And we come to the Brazil, the big favorite of this edition and of almost all editions of the World Cup, after all. It is difficult, when we talk about the green and gold national team, not to think of a probable victory. In addition to the five cups in the cabinet, it has collected 2 silver medals and 2 bronze. But the real record, and it is the only one who can boast it, is the participation in all editions from 1930 to today.
Article published on 17 October 2022 - 16:04
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