Italy FA president confirms talks with Guardiola for national team job

Italy Football Federation (FIGC) president Giovanni Malago has confirmed the federation has opened talks with Pep Guardiola over the vacant Azzurri head coach role, following a shock playoff defeat to Bosnia and Herzegovina that ended denied Italy entry into the 2026 World Cup.

Speaking on Italian programme Vivavoce on July 22, the day of his election as FIGC president, Malago said: “Exceptions have been made that, for example, concern the name that is so present these days: Pep Guardiola.”

Sporting director Paolo Maldini and advisor Leonardo travelled to Barcelona over the weekend to meet Guardiola in person and gauge his interest in reviving the four-time world champions.

Malago added: “This is by no means a lack of respect towards other candidates, with whom discussions have already begun, and adding another name would in no way detract from the process.”

“There are also financial and budgetary considerations. In the short to medium term, to say that we'll have to tighten our belts is an understatement,” he said.

Guardiola, who has managed continuously since taking charge of Barcelona in 2008, ended a decade at Manchester City in June 2026 after a spell at Bayern Munich in between.

Italian officials hope to tempt him with a project built around the 2030 World Cup, though a sabbatical before his next job remains a real possibility.

The four-time world champions have failed to qualify for the last three World Cups and are desperate to forge their way back to the tournament.

Should the Guardiola pursuit fail, former Azzurri boss Roberto Mancini, who won Euro 2020 with Italy, and Andrea Pirlo remain the leading domestic alternatives. “If we are evaluating a specific profile, those names certainly fit within our criteria,” Malago said.

A Guardiola appointment would extend a wider trend of elite coaches taking foreign national jobs, following Carlo Ancelotti's move to Brazil and Thomas Tuchel's appointment with England.