Italy 2026 World Cup: Gabriele Gravina resigns as head of the Italian Football Federation

In a further blow, Uefa President Aleksander Ceferin has warned Italy could lose its role as co-host of the European Championship in 2032 unless the country upgrades its football infrastructure.

Italy is set to host the tournament with Turkey but its lack of modern stadiums has drawn criticism, with a number of clubs struggling to upgrade their grounds, often because of disputes with public authorities.

The country’s football federation has until October to put forward five stadiums to Uefa, the European governing body, to host Euro 2032 matches.

“Euro 2032 is scheduled and will take place. I hope the infrastructure will be ready,” Ceferin told Italian publication Gazzetta dello Sport.

“Otherwise, the tournament will not be played in Italy.”

Ceferin, who had given his backing to Gravina before the news of his resignation was made public, said the former FIGC president was not to blame for the nation’s lack of stadium regeneration.

“Perhaps it is Italian politicians who should be asking themselves why Italy has some of the worst football infrastructure in Europe,” he said.