What Norway 3-0 Italy means for Spalletti’s future as head coach | OneFootball

Luciano Spalletti’s job as head coach of the Italy national team is under an increased level of scrutiny following a disastrous 3-0 loss away against Norway in the first match of the 2026 World Cup qualifying campaign, and now a meeting with the FIGC to discuss the situation has been scheduled for next week.

Here is where Spalletti stands after the latest, bitter Italy defeat.

Spalletti’s Italy Record so far

Spalletti is approaching two years in the job of Italy national team head coach, having been appointed on September 1, 2023.

Since then, he has gone on to oversee 23 matches with a record of 1.7 points per game, made up of 11 wins, six draws and six losses.

His reign began two games into the EURO 2024 qualifying campaign. The Azzurri gained automatic qualification by finishing second in Group C, although that was determined on head-to-head record, as Italy finished the group level on points with Ukraine in third.

Spalletti’s time in charge during the qualifying campaign for the EUROs brought three wins, two draws and one loss from six outings.

The final tournament, however, was a sore point, as Italy trudged through the group stages with a 2-1 win over Albania, a 1-0 defeat by Spain and a 1-1 draw with Croatia, which featured a 97th minute Mattia Zaccagni equaliser. The Azzurri would have been knocked out without that late, late intervention.

Italy forward #20 Mattia Zaccagni (C) celebrates with teammates after scoring his team’s first goal during the UEFA Euro 2024 Group B football match between the Croatia and Italy at the Leipzig Stadium in Leipzig on June 24, 2024. (Photo by JOHN MACDOUGALL / AFP) (Photo by JOHN MACDOUGALL/AFP via Getty Images)

The lowest point of Spalletti’s reign came in the form of a lacklustre 2-0 defeat against Switzerland at Olympiastadion in Berlin, which sent the squad packing.

The following Nations League campaign got off to a significantly better start, with back-to-back wins over France and Israel, followed by a 2-2 draw with Belgium and another 4-1 win over Israel in the October 2024 international break.

Despite a 1-0 win over Belgium in November, Italy were beaten 3-1 by France in San Siro in their final match of the Nations League Group Stage, which meant that they finished in second place as a result.

That set up a Nations League quarter-final tie with Germany, who ran out 5-4 victors on aggregate (2-1 in the first leg, 3-3 in the second).

Worst possible start to World Cup qualifying

DORTMUND, GERMANY – MARCH 23: Luciano Spalletti, head coach of Italy looks on during the UEFA Nations League Quarterfinal Leg Two match between Germany and Italy at Football Stadium Dortmund on March 23, 2025 in Dortmund, Germany. (Photo by Stuart Franklin/Getty Images)

Spalletti and the Italy national team are now into a new cycle, heading into the 2026 World Cup. The qualifying campaign got off to the worst possible start, however, in the form of a 3-0 loss to group leaders Norway, who already have a nine-point lead over the Azzurri, albeit having played two games more.

Only the teams that finish top of the group earn direct qualification to the World Cup finals, and with Norway being Italy’s main rival for qualification in Group I, there is already a genuine possibility that the Azzurri head to the World Cup qualification play-offs again.

What Norway loss means for Spalletti’s future

MILAN, ITALY – MARCH 20: Luciano Spalletti, Head Coach of Italy, reacts during the UEFA Nations League quarterfinal leg one match between Italy and Germany at Stadio San Siro on March 20, 2025 in Milan, Italy. (Photo by Alessandro Sabattini/Getty Images)

There have already been calls for the coach’s head after the 3-0 loss to Norway on Friday night. La Gazzetta dello Sport wrote that the ‘most logical’ reaction would be for a change in leadership, while Calciomercato.com is already hypothesising over a potential change in the dugout.

Sky Sport Italia reports that there is now a meeting scheduled between the Spalletti and FIGC President Gabriele Gravina after the Moldova match on Monday to take stock of the situation.

For the time being, there are not expected to be any immediate changes in the national team head coach role, particularly not before the Moldova match, but there are few guarantees thereafter.

Failure to beat Moldova on home soil on Monday would cause even more significant damage to Italy’s chances of qualifying for the 2026 World Cup, and would likely make Spalletti’s position untenable.