Spalletti-Gravina meeting scheduled after Italy-Moldova World Cup qualifier

Italy national team head coach Luciano Spalletti and FIGC President Gabriele Gravina will sit down for an in-depth review after the next World Cup qualifier against Moldova, following a 3-0 thumping away against Norway on Friday night, according to reports from multiple outlets in Italy. 

Italy’s hopes of qualifying for the 2026 World Cup took a big dent in their first qualifier of the campaign, which ended in a 3-0 loss to Norway after first-half goals from Alexander Sorloth, Antonio Nusa and Erling Haaland. 

As Italy are one or two matches behind every other team in Group I, there is already a nine-point gap between Italy and Norway in the standings. Only the team that finishes at the top of the group will qualify directly for the World Cup. Second place will have to settle for a place in the play-offs. 

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According to reports from La Gazzetta dello Sport (via Calciomercato.com), CT Spalletti and FIGC President Gravina already spoke immediately after the 3-0 loss to Norway in Oslo. The FIGC chief reportedly reconfirmed that all focus must be on the Moldova qualifier on Monday for the time being. 

According to updates from Sky Sport Italia, there will be an in-depth meeting between the head coach and the federation after the Moldova match at the start of next week, in order to discuss the project under Spalletti thus far. 

Sky claims that the relevant parties will discuss their respective futures and the best possible route to qualify for the 2026 World Cup.