Gianluigi Donnarumma 'cried because of enormous sadness' after Italy missed out on World Cup 2026 following shoot-out loss to Bosnia and Herzegovina

React to this story

Italy captain Gianluigi Donnarumma said he "cried because of the enormous sadness" after the Azzurri missed out on World Cup qualification for the third time in a row following defeat by Bosnia and Herzegovina. The Manchester City goalkeeper is yet to make an appearance at a World Cup but has vowed to restore Italy "back where it deserves to be".

Joyous scenes as DR Congo book World Cup spot

Video credit: SNTV

Gianluigi Donnarumma said he "cried because of the enormous sadness" after Italy failed to qualify for a third successive FIFA World Cup.

The four-time winners were beaten 4-1 on penalties in their play-off final against Bosnia and Herzegovina on Tuesday, after a 1-1 draw.

Italy captain Donnarumma failed to save any of Bosnia’s penalties in the shoot-out as Pio Esposito and Bryan Cristante missed their spot-kicks for the Azzurri.

World Cup

'Intent doesn't matter' - Why was Messi not sent off but Balogun saw red?

05/07/2026 at 10:22

"Last night, after the match, I cried. I cried because of the disappointment of not being able to lead Italy where it deserves to be," Donnarumma wrote on Instagram.

"I cried because of the enormous sadness I'm feeling, along with the entire Azzurri team, of which I'm proud to be captain, and I know you, fans of our national team, are feeling it too.”

It was an emotionally charged evening for Donnarumma, who appeared to have an argument with Bosnia goalkeeper Nikola Vasilj during the shoot-out, with the Italian reportedly damaging his opposite number’s sheet of information.

The Manchester City goalkeeper then had to be held back by his team-mates following the defeat as he looked to confront the Bosnia players.

Donnarumma gets held back by his teammate at full time

Image credit: Getty Images

Despite making his international debut over a decade ago, the 27-year-old is yet to play in a World Cup, with Italy’s last appearance coming in 2014 in Brazil, when they were knocked out in the group stage.

The last time they featured in a knockout game at the tournament was when they beat France on penalties in Berlin in 2006 to lift their fourth title.

Donnarumma said in his post on social media that it will take "a lot of strength, passion, and conviction" to restore Italy "back where it deserves to be".

He added: "Always believe; this is the driving force behind moving forward. Because life knows how to reward those who give their all, without holding back.

"And this is where we must start again. Together. Once again."

Head coach Gennaro Gattuso, who was part of the triumphant team of 2006, was also emotional on Tuesday night as he reflected on the defeat.

"I just finished speaking to the team. I can only thank them, as it had been years since I'd seen the Nazionale play with such heart," Gattuso said.

"It hurts, it really hurts, but we must accept it. I don’t want to talk about referees or anything else, we could’ve scored a second goal and didn’t, we suffered with all those crosses, we gave everything.

"I am proud of them, it hurts to accept this verdict. It will take time. On a personal level, it’s a heavy blow.”

He added: ”When you are in a stadium with the fans pushing, we made a mistake and went down to 10 men, even then we had the chances to score a second goal. The team did what it had to do today.

'People had been asking for an Italy side that cared about the shirt for years. Well, they got that tonight, but the incidents went against us."

Stream the Premier League, men’s and women’s FA Cup, UEFA Champions League, UEFA Europa League, UEFA Conference League and more live on TNT Sports and HBO Max.

World Cup