Italy won't be at the 2026 World Cup. Three consecutive absences for a four-time winner isn't a blip — it's structural collapse, and a Serie A funding crisis that has hollowed out Italian youth development deserves most of the blame. But while the Azzurri watch from home, the league they play in will still have serious representation in North America this summer.
Several Serie A-based players arrive at the tournament as genuine contenders to lift the trophy. Here's who matters.
Martinez, Leao, Pulisic: The big three
Lautaro Martinez is the headline name. Inter Milan's striker has 36 goals and 11 assists in 75 appearances for Argentina — numbers that make him central to the reigning champions' bid to go back-to-back. He's been sidelined since a calf injury in a Champions League tie in February, but is expected back before the tournament. At 28, this could be the World Cup where he steps fully out of Messi's shadow. Argentina are already near the top of the outright market, and Martinez being fit is a big part of why.
Rafael Leao is a more complicated story. Five goals and seven assists in 43 Portugal appearances is a thin return for one of the most physically gifted wide players in Europe. He's been managing fitness problems and recently returned to Portugal to seek independent medical advice — not exactly ideal preparation. If he arrives at the World Cup at 90%, he'll be useful. If he arrives at 75%, Portugal have better options. The next few weeks of the Serie A season will tell you more about his odds of starting than anything Portugal's coaching staff says publicly.
Christian Pulisic heads into the tournament as a co-host and hasn't scored for the United States in eight games — a career-high drought stretching back to late 2024. Mauricio Pochettino will start him regardless. Recent defeats against Belgium and Portugal have made that faith look increasingly one-directional. The US face Paraguay, Australia and Turkey in the group stage; none of those fixtures are guaranteed wins, and if Pulisic doesn't find form before the knockout rounds, the pressure on Pochettino becomes existential.
McTominay's Scotland and the players who missed out
Scott McTominay has been one of Napoli's better signings of recent years, and his transformation since leaving Manchester United in 2024 has been remarkable. His goal in the 4-2 win over Denmark — the one that sent Scotland to their first World Cup in decades — is already the stuff of national legend.
Whether it translates into tournament progress is another matter. Scotland's group contains Brazil and Morocco. Haiti is the winnable game; the other two are not. McTominay's ability to balance defensive work with forward runs gives Scotland their best chance of pulling something out of those fixtures, but it's a long shot.
Also worth noting: Como's Nico Paz and Máximo Perrone are both in contention for Argentina's squad, adding further Serie A flavour to what looks like the strongest team in the competition.
Italy's Serie A contingent — the players who would have represented the Azzurri — now join the growing list of top-flight talent watching this World Cup from the couch. Three consecutive absences for a nation that still considers itself a football superpower isn't a run of bad luck. The financial gap between Serie A and Europe's wealthiest leagues is real, it affects youth development, and it shows up in results like a penalty shootout loss to Bosnia & Herzegovina. The Serie A stars at this World Cup will be flying other flags.
