With Spain now one step away from Qatar, the list of national teams that have won at least one World Cup and that will take part in the next tournament is almost complete. Almost, since among the world's soccer giants, a historic protagonist remains absent: Italy, once again forced to put everything on the line in the playoffs. An event that, in recent years, has become a labyrinth from which the Azzurri have been unable to emerge. Looking back, the paradox is clear: two decades have gone since the 2006 victory, but the national team has only competed in a few World Cup games. Two first-round eliminations and two straight absences. A progressive withdrawal from the spotlight that persists in fueling the debate regarding the state of our soccer. While Italian tennis is experiencing its golden era and dominating the headlines, the perception is that talent within our country has shifted to other sports. It's not shocking that disciplines go in cycles, but it is surprising how rapidly our football movement has crumbled. Some people joke about ancient curses or beliefs. However, the truth, as always in sports, is far less romantic and far more complex. A study of the World Cup's history reveals how unusual our situation is. The most coveted trophy in world football doesn’t allow much room for surprises: in almost one hundred years, only eight national teams have managed to lift it. All of them, today, are already qualified or virtually so—except Italy, still chasing. The strictness of the competition stands in contrast to the variety evident in the European Championships, where the title has changed hands with far more generosity. This underscores the increasing fragility and near-instability of our trajectory: a once-dominant soccer nation now compelled to depend on play-offs to prevent missing out, for the third consecutive time, on the event with which it has historically associated an important component of its sporting identity. As a result, we find ourselves at another crossroads. Overcoming it would entail returning to a path that had been disrupted for far too long; failure would result in an open wound that would be difficult to treat. Because although it is true that the World Cup consistently upholds tradition, it is equally inevitable that this tradition must, at some point, be reaffirmed on the field. And Italy can no longer afford to delegate history to others.