Only One Italy Player in Serie A Has Played at a World Cup

A Living Link to Italy’s World Cup Past

After Italy’s heartbreaking elimination by Bosnia and Herzegovina in the World Cup playoff final, a striking statistic has emerged: only one Italian player currently competing in Serie A has ever played in a FIFA World Cup. That player is Inter Milan defender Matteo Darmian, now 36 years old.

The Azzurri were knocked out on penalties in Zenica following a tense 1-1 draw after 120 minutes. Playing with 10 men for over 80 minutes after Alessandro Bastoni’s first-half red card, Italy failed to secure a place at the 2026 World Cup. This marks the third consecutive time the national team has fallen at the playoff stage, having last qualified for a World Cup in 2014.

Darmian is the only active Serie A player who has seen World Cup action, having played every minute of Italy’s group stage in 2014.

Darmian’s 2014 Campaign

Darmian started and played the full 90 minutes in all three of Italy’s group matches at the 2014 World Cup in Brazil — against England, Costa Rica, and Uruguay — under manager Cesare Prandelli. Despite a win over England, Italy finished third in Group D with just three points and failed to advance to the knockout rounds.

Another current Serie A player, Juventus goalkeeper Mattia Perin, was part of the 2014 squad but did not feature in any matches, as Gianluigi Buffon remained the undisputed first choice. As such, Perin does not count among those who have played at a World Cup.

Five other members of that 2014 squad remain active but are no longer in Serie A: Mario Balotelli (Al-Ittifaq, UAE), Salvatore Sirigu (Palermo, Serie B), Ciro Immobile (Paris FC), Lorenzo Insigne (Pescara, Serie B), and Marco Verratti (Al-Duhail, Qatar). Their absence from Italy’s top flight makes Darmian’s presence at Inter all the more historically significant.