The president of the Italian Football Federation (FIGC), Gabriele Gravina, submitted his resignation on Thursday after Italy failed to qualify for the 2026 World Cup (June 11-July 19), the federation announced.

"Mr. Gravina informed the members of the federal council that he had submitted his resignation from the mandate entrusted to him in February 2025 and that he had convened an extraordinary elective assembly on June 22 in Rome," the FIGC said in a statement.

Mr. Gravina, 72, had been at the helm of the FIGC since October 2018 and began his third term in February 2025. He is also first vice-president of UEFA and close to the president of the European governing body, Aleksander Ceferin.

Under his leadership, Italy won Euro 2021, but failed to qualify for two World Cups (2022, 2026) and was eliminated from the last Euro in 2024 in the round of 16.

This former business leader and ex-president of a small club in Abruzzo that briefly played in Serie B, had been under pressure since Italy's defeat on Tuesday in the European play-off final against Bosnia and Herzegovina (1-1 aet, 4-1 on penalties).

Initially, in order to preempt calls for his resignation, he convened a federal council immediately after the match against Bosnia to "take stock and evaluate" his actions at the head of the Italian Federation.

But Italian Sports Minister Andrea Abodi had called for his departure the very next day after what the Italian press described as the "third apocalypse" of Italian football.

"Italian football needs to be rebuilt and this process must involve a renewal within the leadership of the FIGC," Mr. Abodi had said.

Mr. Gravina took over the reins of the powerful FIGC (1.5 million members) following the resignation of Carlo Tavecchio, after Italy's failure, beaten by Sweden in the playoffs, to qualify for the 2018 World Cup in Russia.

Mr. Tavecchio himself had succeeded Giancarlo Abete, who had been in office since 2007 and who had left his position after the Nazionale's elimination in the group stage of the Brazilian World Cup in 2014.

The name of Giovanni Malago, former president of the Italian Olympic Committee and of the organizing committee for the 2026 Milan Cortina Olympics, is most often mentioned as a potential candidate to take the helm of an Italian football in crisis.

According to the Italian press, Italy's national team coach Gennaro Gattuso, appointed in June 2025, is expected to resign by June 22, as is the team's general manager, former goalkeeper Gianluigi Buffon.

AFP