Italy, the four-time World Cup champion, lost to Bosnia and Herzegovina on penalties in a playoff match on March 31, 2026. The result means the Azzurri have now missed three consecutive World Cups, a streak of futility that would have seemed unthinkable a decade ago.
The last time Italy played in a World Cup was 2014 in Brazil. Since then: three qualification campaigns, three failures. They are now the first former champions to miss three straight editions of the tournament, a particularly painful distinction given that the 2026 edition features an expanded 48-team field.
The penalty miss heard around prediction markets
The decisive match ended 1-1 after regulation, and Bosnia converted their penalties at a 4-1 clip. Prediction markets like Polymarket experienced considerable activity regarding Italy’s qualification, and engagement on Italian qualification contracts reportedly surged as the playoff approached.
The 2026 World Cup remains the most blockchain-integrated major sporting event in history. Kraken was named the Official Crypto Exchange Supporter of the tournament. FIFA’s ticketing infrastructure runs on Avalanche’s blockchain, which has already issued over 100,000 Right-to-Buy tokens for World Cup tickets.
