Mancini coached the national team from 2018 to 2023, returning to the Italian national team after failing to qualify for the FIFA World Cup since 2014.
Published July 28, 2026
Italian Football Federation (FIGC) president Giovanni Malago announced on Tuesday that former Italy coach Roberto Mancini will return for a second time as national team manager, while Claudio Ranieri will become technical director.
Mancini will replace coach Gennaro Gattuso, who resigned in April after losing to Bosnia and Herzegovina in the World Cup qualifiers. This is because the four-time world champion was unable to participate in the world-famous tournament for the third consecutive year.
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Mr. Malago announced the appointment during a session of Congress.
“Mancini is the coach,” he said before confirming the decision in a press conference.
“I believed that the best person to be head coach was Roberto Mancini,” Malago told reporters.
Mancini, 61, led Italy to the 2021 European Championship title.
He led the Italian national team in 58 games during his first spell, and at club level he managed Inter Milan, Fiorentina and Manchester City, where he spent three years and led them to their first Premier League title in the 2011-12 season.
Former FIGC technical director Paolo Maldini and his advisor Leonardo resigned from their positions on Monday after Andrea Pirlo, a leading candidate to coach Italy, was blocked from taking over due to ties to a Russian gambling company.
Former Manchester City manager Josep Guardiola was the FIGC’s first choice to coach the national team, but he turned down the job this month.
Mr. Ranieri will succeed Mr. Maldini as FIGC technical director.
The 74-year-old manager, famous for leading Leicester City to a shock English Premier League title in 2016, will oversee the technical management and elite football development of the entire Italian national team.
“I needed someone to share my coaching decisions with, because without that common view, my reasoning would have meant little,” Marago said.
“As a result, today we have a new coach and a new technical director in Italy.”
