Italy will not be at the 2026 World Cup. For the third consecutive time, the Azzurri failed to qualify, losing on penalties to Bosnia and Herzegovina in the play-off final in March. But Serie A fans will still have plenty to watch when the tournament kicks off June 11 in the United States, Mexico, and Canada.
According to a report by Yahoo Sports citing Gazzetta, 66 players from Italy's top flight received national team call-ups for the tournament. AC Milan leads all Serie A clubs with 10 players headed to the competition. Lazio, Lecce, and newly promoted Monza will have zero representatives.
Milan's contingent is spread across multiple nations. Goalkeeper Mike Maignan and midfielder Adrien Rabiot will represent France. Alexis Saelemaekers and Arne De Winter go for Belgium. Luca Leao and Francisco Conceição join Portugal's squad. Christian Pulisic and Weston McKennie will play for the United States. Santiago Gimenez heads to the tournament with Mexico. And one of the most recognizable names on the list, Luka Modric, will suit up for Croatia at age 40.
Inter Milan sends seven players. The most prominent is Lautaro Martinez, who finished as the 2025-26 Serie A top scorer and will now carry Argentina's attacking ambitions in North America. Marcus Thuram goes for France. Hakan Calhanoglu represents Turkey. Manuel Akanji and Remo Freuler, who plays for Bologna, join Switzerland's roster. Denzel Dumfries travels with the Netherlands.
Juventus contributes six players. Gleison Bremer joins Brazil. Kenan Yildiz, one of the more exciting young players in the league this season, will represent Turkey alongside Calhanoglu. Timothy Weah's fellow American McKennie heads to the tournament, as does Canadian striker Jonathan David, who had a standout season in Turin. Conceição rounds out the Juventus group with Portugal.
Atalanta sends seven players representing seven different countries, one of the more diverse rosters of any club in the league. Isak Hien goes to Sweden, Sead Kolasinac to Bosnia, Charles De Ketelaere to Belgium, Odilon Kossounou to Ivory Coast, Raphael Sulemana to Ghana, Mario Pasalic to Croatia, and Marten De Roon to the Netherlands.
Bologna contributes five players. Moro travels with Croatia, Luis Sinisterra-type Colombian Lucumí with Colombia, Lewis Ferguson with Scotland, Remo Freuler with Switzerland, and Sondre Heggem with Norway.
Como, one of the smaller clubs in the division, still lands three players in the tournament. Nico Paz, the young Argentine who drew attention throughout the season, earned a spot on Argentina's roster. Baturina goes for Croatia and Diao for Senegal.
Meanwhile, the man who guided Napoli to a Serie A title and a second-place finish this past season will not be in charge anywhere come tournament time. Antonio Conte officially departed Napoli after two seasons, confirming the move on social media with a message to supporters. "Two winning years with lots of emotion and passion! Thank you from the bottom of my heart," Conte wrote.
Conte won Napoli's fourth Serie A title in 2024-25 in his first season with the club. This past season, Napoli finished second and also captured the Supercoppa Italiana. He is 56 years old and is considered a leading candidate for the vacant Italy national team head coaching position. Reports have also connected him to offers from Turkey and the Saudi Pro League.
Massimiliano Allegri is set to take over at the Stadio Maradona, a coaching transition that mirrors what Juventus went through in 2014, when Conte left Turin and Allegri stepped in.
The World Cup runs from June 11 through July 19.
