Gianluigi Buffon has resigned from his role as head of delegation for the Italian national team, stepping down shortly after the exit of Gabriele Gravina as president of the Italian Football Federation on Thursday.
Buffon revealed that he had actually decided to resign immediately after Italy’s defeat to Bosnia in the World Cup play-off, but delayed making the decision public after a request from the federation.
“Rassegnare le mie dimissioni un minuto dopo la fine della gara contro la Bosnia, era un atto impellente, che mi usciva dal profondo. Spontaneo come le lacrime e quel male al cuore che so di condividere con tutti voi. Mi è stato chiesto di temporeggiare per far fare le giuste – Thursday, 2 April 2026”
The former goalkeeper said the pain of Italy’s failure to qualify for the World Cup for a third straight tournament cycle weighed heavily on him and led to his decision.
“Now that president Gravina has decided to step aside, I feel free to do what I consider a responsible act, because, although I sincerely believe that we built a lot in terms of team spirit with Rino Gattuso and all his staff, in the little time available to the national team, the main objective was to take Italy back to the World Cup and we did not achieve it,” Buffon explains.
Buffon had been serving as head of delegation since 2023 after retiring from professional football. During his time with the national team, he worked closely with coach Gennaro Gattuso, popularly known as Rino Gattuso, in an effort to rebuild the Azzurri following years of disappointing results.
His resignation comes during a major shake-up in Italian football leadership after Italy failed to secure a place at the next World Cup, a setback that has triggered widespread criticism and calls for change across the federation.
