Pep Guardiola has turned down the opportunity to take charge of the Italy national team, according to people familiar with the discussions.
The Italian Football Federation confirmed this week that technical director Paolo Maldini and federation president Giovanni Malagò had held talks with Guardiola about succeeding Gennaro Gattuso, who stepped down as head coach in April following Italy’s failure to qualify for the World Cup.
Sources with knowledge of the conversations, speaking anonymously to protect the relationships involved, said the talks never gained real traction and that Guardiola ultimately declined the role.
Maldini also revealed that the federation had approached Brazil’s head coach, Carlo Ancelotti, about the position, describing the federation’s outreach as part of an ambitious project aimed at two of the sport’s most accomplished managers. Ancelotti remains under contract with Brazil through 2030.
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Guardiola left Manchester City at the conclusion of the 2025-26 season after a decade in charge, a run that produced six Premier League titles, three FA Cups, five League Cups and a Champions League triumph in 2023. He has never coached at the international level, building his reputation instead through club spells at Barcelona and Bayern Munich.
According to Fabrizio Romano, Andrea Pirlo (former Juventus and Sampdoria manager), is now the odds-on favorite to become the Italian team manager after rejections from Carlo Ancelotti and Guardiola.
Italy’s absence from the 2026 World Cup came after a penalty shootout loss to Bosnia and Herzegovina in the European playoffs, a result that led to the departures of both Gattuso and federation president Gabriele Gravina. Former Italy captain and goalkeeper Gianluigi Buffon also stepped down from his post as head of delegation.
🚨🇮🇹 Italian Federation approached Andrea Pirlo today over head coach role for the next four years.
He’s now clear favorite to take over and become new Italy head coach.
Pep Guardiola and Carlo Ancelotti both turned down the approaches. pic.twitter.com/Pkl65OR7Ra
— Fabrizio Romano (@FabrizioRomano) July 24, 2026
