Italy has explored the possibility of appointing Pep Guardiola as the next Azzurri coach after missing out on the 2026 World Cup.
ESPN reported that the conversation between Guardiola and the Italian Football Federation (FIGC) lasted only a minute because the current coach only intends to take at least a year off from the football world after leaving Manchester City in May 2026.
Three other national teams have also reportedly contacted Guardiola's camp in recent weeks about the possibility of him taking the plunge into international football.
Each approach has been met with responses that the former Barcelona and Bayern Munich boss is taking a sabbatical.
Even so, several interested parties indicated that they might be willing to wait given that there are no major international tournaments next year.
So far there has been no confirmation of which other countries have contacted Guardiola. The Netherlands are believed to have shown interest after the departure of Ronald Koeman following the defeat in the last 32 against Morocco at the 2026 World Cup.
England have also been repeatedly linked with Guardiola. The stance of the English Football Association (FA) is to retain Thomas Tuchel despite losing the 2026 World Cup semi-final against Argentina although Guardiola may be open to the role in the future.
Meanwhile, the search for a new Italian coach after the resignation of Gennaro Gattuso following the defeat in the 2026 World Cup qualifying playoff against Bosnia-Herzegovina in April 2026 has been hampered for several reasons.
FIGC has chosen a new president, with Giovanni Malago elected to replace Giancarlo Abete on June 22, 2026. Then, former AC Milan defender Paolo Maldini was appointed as the Technical Director of the Italian National Team.
Finally, former Brazil national team player Leonardo was included in a consultant role to help in the search for a manager.
In addition to Guardiola, Andrea Pirlo is also linked with the Italian coaching role although Antonio Conte and Roberto Mancini remain the leading candidates for now.
Italy have missed out on the last three World Cups, including 2018 and 2022. They failed to qualify for the group stage in 2010 and 2014 after winning the trophy for the fourth time in 2006.
They performed better at the Euros, which they won in 2021 under Mancini's leadership.
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