NEW YORK (UNITED STATES) (ITALPRESS) – An Italy protagonist at the 2026 World Cup from the point of view of the field and a country finally in the vanguard as far as stadiums are concerned. These are the wishes launched from New York, on the sidelines of the event organized by the Lega Serie A, by the new number 1 of the Confindustria del calcio, Ezio Simonelli. It starts with Luciano Spalletti’s national team, which will soon be engaged in the Nations League, but which has as its real big goal, after having witnessed the 2018 and 2022 editions as spectators, to return to play an important role at the 2026 World Cup scheduled in the United States, Canada and Mexico.
“It would be very important, it is what we all hope for, an Italy that finally returns to be a protagonist at the World Cup as it has been in past years,” President Simonelli told ITALPRESS agency. “Obviously it will not be easy, however, I believe that the Italian spirit, the spirit of those who know how to assert themselves at the right moments is what we have to count on. None of us would have ever imagined that in 2021 Italy could win the European Championship, instead with the grit that distinguishes the Italian people, despite not being favorites, we managed to bring home the Cup.”
“The same,” Simonelli continues, “had happened in 2006 in Germany, where we started as underdogs and won the World Cup. I don’t dare to hope that it can happen in 2026 as well, but as they say in Italy hope is the last to die and we count a lot on the strength of Spalletti’s team.” From the field to facilities, another important goal for Italian soccer.
In the United States stadiums continue to be built, in our country there is an incredible struggle, but the will to change things involves a bit of all components, sports and institutional. “We focus a lot on building new stadiums in Italy,” Simonelli explains, “we realize that in order to increase the value of Italian soccer it is essential to have efficient, state-of-the-art stadiums. The average age of stadiums in Italy today is 66 years old, and obviously 66 years ago the needs were not what they are now. We are working with the government and I believe that in this we will get a big hand from Minister Abodi, a very competent person whom I respect very much and who will allow us to overcome the bureaucratic constraints that have slowed everything down so far. Work started on Roma’s stadium in 2013, we are now in 2025 and maybe it is catching on. In 2028 we could play the first games at Roma, it would be a great thing, but it is unthinkable that to achieve something like this would take 15 years.”
Simonelli “We hope for a leading Italy at the upcoming World Cup”
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