Italy's Four Stars — Catenaccio, Baggio, and the Long Road Back

Italy is the second-most successful men’s national team in World Cup history. Four stars sit above the Azzurri shirt: 1934, 1938, 1982, 2006. Every one of them came in a tournament where the rest of the world underestimated what Italy would do under pressure.

1934 & 1938 — Pozzo’s back-to-back

Vittorio Pozzo is the only coach in history to have won two World Cups. Italy hosted the 1934 tournament, beating Czechoslovakia 2–1 in the Rome final. Four years later, they travelled to France and retained the trophy 4–2 against Hungary in Paris. Giuseppe Meazza — the playmaker San Siro is named after — was the generational star of both teams.

1982 — Paolo Rossi’s month

After a 44-year drought, Italy arrived in Spain 1982 having drawn every game of their group. Paolo Rossi had just returned from a two-year ban after a match-fixing scandal and had not scored in his first four tournament games. In the second group stage, he scored a hat-trick against Brazil in one of the most famous matches ever played — Brazil needing only a draw, Italy winning 3–2. Rossi then scored both goals in the semi-final against Poland, and the opener in the final against West Germany (3–1). Three weeks of matches, six goals, a Golden Boot, a Ballon d’Or, and a World Cup title. Coach Enzo Bearzot was suddenly vindicated.

1994 — The penalty miss

Twelve years later, Italy came within one kick of a fourth. Roberto Baggio — the “Divine Ponytail” — dragged an injured Italy through USA 1994, scoring in the round of 16, the quarter-final, and the semi-final. In the Rose Bowl final against Brazil, with the shootout deadlocked, he skied the decisive penalty over the crossbar. The image of Baggio standing, hands on hips, is one of the defining photographs of 1990s football.

2006 — Lippi’s summer

The fourth title came in Berlin. Coach Marcello Lippi had inherited a squad in the middle of the Calciopoli scandal — a domestic match-fixing investigation that threatened to destabilise Italian football entirely. Italy played the tournament as an act of defiance. They beat Germany 2–0 in a brilliant extra-time semi-final in Dortmund and then, in the final, drew 1–1 with France, won the shootout 5–3, and lifted the trophy. Zidane was sent off in extra time. Captain Fabio Cannavaro lifted the cup and won the Ballon d’Or that year.

2018 & 2022 — The missing tournaments

Italy failed to qualify for the 2018 World Cup — the first time since 1958 — after losing a playoff to Sweden. They won Euro 2020 (played in 2021) with Roberto Mancini in charge and Gianluigi Donnarumma in goal. Eight months later, they lost another World Cup playoff to North Macedonia and missed 2022 as well. Back-to-back failures in a country with four stars on its shirt was unprecedented.

2026 — Back, and under Spalletti

Under Luciano Spalletti — a Serie A title winner with Napoli in 2023 — Italy are attempting to return. The squad is no longer a guaranteed top-eight side, and the whole nation is treating the 2026 tournament as a restoration project. Nicolò Barella, Sandro Tonali (back from a long ban), Federico Dimarco and the striking question mark of whoever ends up ahead of the pack up front. Four stars still sit above the crest, and Italy, as usual, will prefer to be underestimated.