Does Italian Football Have An Immigration Problem?

 Published 05/12/2026, Substack

For all the reasons assigned to explain the malaise, one seems absent.

I have watched every World Cup from 1978. And one of the revelatory aspects of soccer during the pre-globalization era, was the idea that when you tuned in to watch the games, you would get a flavor of each national side-many of the teams had a certain look and style of play (even if often viewed and described by pundits in a stereotypical way).

This was especially true for Italy. There has always been something akin to a sporting bella figura watching an Italian national side enter the pitch for the anthem and pennant exchange by the captains. The hair, the track suits, the look. And perhaps some of the Azzuri problems may lie in the fact that in the Europe of 2026, it still looks a lot like Vittorio Pozzo’s winning side.

Of all of the big traditional sides, Italy seems to be the slowest in incorporating immigrants of color into it’s national side. They have of course, had black players- Mario Balotelli, Fabio Liverani, and Moise Kean. But clearly and noticeably, France, Belgium, England, Germany, Holland and now even Spain with the Williams brothers and Lamine Yamal, all look different than they did 40-50 years ago.

When I did a Gemini query to get what is the thumbnail take from Italians on the national side’s current problems, this question does not rank:

• Failure of Youth Pipelines: Italian youth academies struggle to produce elite talent, with too few clubs investing in young players, and a lack of U23 teams forcing players into a “loan carousel” rather than developing within the club structure.
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• “Robotic” Youth Training: Youth academies are accused of prioritizing strict tactical discipline over technical skills, creativity, and individual flair until too late.
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• Serie A’s “Dying” Quality: The league is viewed as slower than its European counterparts—characterized by walking/jogging rather than sprinting—and is increasingly populated by lower-quality foreign players rather than rising local talent.
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• Declining Infrastructure & Investment: Many clubs lack modern, owner-owned stadiums, limiting revenue and modernization compared to other top European leagues.
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• No “Blocks” of Players: Fabio Capello noted the loss of the traditional “block” of players from clubs like Juventus or AC Milan, which historically provided unity and immediate chemistry to the national team.
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• Resistant Structure: The FIGC has been criticized for failing to implement significant reforms, such as reducing the number of teams in Serie A or instituting mandatory, effective quotas for Italian youth products.

And when you read polling data that shows 56% of Italians believe immigration levels have been “mostly bad” for the country, making them the most critical population among several Western European countries surveyed, is it fair to wonder if attitudes as expressed in this poll, as well as other polls noting that legal migrants do not share local Italian values and that integration is not successful, are hurting the Italian talent pool? It may not be at the top of the list, but I think it is a fair question to ask, and I’m surprised I don’t see it cited more.

It is important to add that the larger immigration issue is at a boil in all of Europe-Italy is not alone. We still see how quickly racist attitudes return when teams fall short or a player makes a miscue-Saka, Sancho, and Rashford at Euro 2020, showed this side of England to the whole world.

And yes, I know that Italy did win that Euro 2020. But it is still hard not to see the contrast between Italy and the other European countries when it comes to the racial makeup of their national teams. Black-Blanc-Beur in 1998 may have been idealistic, but it was also aspirational. Neri, Bianchi, Arabi? Un’Italia dai mille colori?

La fortuna aiuta gli audaci.