Roberto Mancini named Italy coach after Pirlo candidacy collapses
Roberto Mancini, 61, has been named Italy's head coach by federation president Giovanni Malagò, returning to the role four years after his 2023 resignation. The appointment follows the collapse of the federation's preferred candidate Andrea Pirlo, whose ties to a Russian betting firm sparked opposition, and the subsequent resignations of technical director Paolo Maldini and team advisor Leonardo.
Roberto Mancini has been appointed as Italy's head coach, according to Italy Football Federation president Giovanni Malagò, returning to the role four years after his resignation in August 2023.
Mancini, 61, takes over a team that missed out on a third consecutive men's World Cup after losing to Bosnia-Herzegovina in an April playoff. His appointment follows a chaotic coaching search that saw multiple high-profile candidates either withdraw or decline the position.
Andrea Pirlo, the federation's leading candidate, withdrew his candidacy after facing loud opposition over his ties to Russian betting firm Fonbet, which he became a global ambassador for in October 2025. Federation chief Malagò stated he was completely unaware of Pirlo's collaboration with Fonbet before taking his stance against the candidacy. The rejection of Pirlo triggered the resignations of technical director Paolo Maldini and team advisor Leonardo on Monday, after Maldini had held the position for just 16 days. Both had backed Pirlo for the coaching role. Claudio Ranieri will become Italy's new technical director, according to ESPN's reporting.
Other prominent managers reportedly turned down the offer: Carlo Ancelotti and Pep Guardiola both declined the position, per ESPN.
Mancini led Italy to the European Championship title in 2021 during his previous tenure as head coach between 2018 and 2023. However, his earlier stint ended in failure when Italy failed to qualify for the 2022 World Cup, a major shortcoming for the national team. Since resigning in August 2023, Mancini took over Saudi Arabia's national team two weeks later before most recently managing Al Sadd in Qatar.
Mancini will now enter a ramp-up period as Italy prepares for its next competitive cycle. The contract terms and length of his appointment were not specified in the federation's announcement.
Gennaro Gattuso, who resigned after the April playoff loss, had been the interim head coach following Italy's World Cup failure.
Mancini, who led Italy to the 2021 European Championship but failed to qualify for the 2022 World Cup, replaces an interim structure after Gennaro Gattuso resigned following Italy's April playoff loss to Bosnia-Herzegovina that cost the team a third consecutive World Cup appearance.
Mancini's return restores a known quantity to a federation fractured by internal dispute, but his 2022 World Cup qualification failure remains his most significant mark on the role. Watch whether his appointment accelerates Italy's rebuild before the 2026 World Cup, and whether the federation's technical structure settles under Ranieri's leadership.
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