The World Cup Kicks Off Without Italy
At 20:00 tonight, the biggest World Cup in history kicks off at the legendary Estadio Azteca. Mexico–South Africa opens a tournament that stretches across a continent and across 48 hopeful nations. The whole world is there. Italy, once again, is not.
Yet Italian fingerprints are all over this World Cup. On the touchline, not on the pitch.
Carlo Ancelotti, Fabio Cannavaro and Vincenzo Montella will carry the tricolore into a competition that runs until 19 July, a marathon edition no.23 of the World Cup that also feels like the closing chapter for two giants of the modern game. For Lionel Messi and a generation of stars, this could be the last dance on the biggest stage.
Messi’s Last Charge and Spain’s Bold Claim
Argentina arrive as reigning champions, with Messi still at the heart of it all and still the reference point for an entire dressing room. The captain has already set the tone: “It will be tough to beat us.” It is not bravado, it is a warning. The title holders know the route, know the pressure, know the scars and the glory.
Alexis Mac Allister, now a pillar at Liverpool and a world champion with the Albiceleste, spells out that conviction. For him, Argentina remain the team to beat.
“We know how to do it and we still have Messi, the greatest of all time,” he says. The midfielder even jokes about unfinished business with the ink: he did not get a tattoo of the World Cup in 2022, but in a month, if all goes to plan, he might get two. His bracket is clear in his mind: the semi-finals, he predicts, will feature Argentina, France, Spain and Portugal.
Across the Pyrenees, the confidence is just as strong. Rodri, the metronome of Spain and Manchester City, looks at this enlarged, demanding tournament and sees his national team at the summit.
“The level has been raised, my Spain side are favourites,” he declares. It is a bold statement in a field that includes the defending champions, a star-studded France and a Portugal loaded with talent. Yet it reflects a feeling inside La Roja: a new Spain, hardened by recent disappointments, believes this World Cup belongs to them.
France: A Galaxy of Stars and a Question of Balance
France travel with perhaps the most frightening attacking arsenal of all. Kylian Mbappé leads a frontline that bristles with pace, power and goals. There is quality in every line, depth on every bench seat.
But there is a question hanging over Didier Deschamps’ side: can a squad with so many stars, some say perhaps too many, find the right balance when the pressure rises? On paper, France sit at the top with Argentina. On the pitch, they will have to prove that talent and ego can coexist for seven matches at the highest level.
The data leans another way. The algorithm points to Spain as the team most likely to lift the trophy. The numbers see structure, control, age profiles, depth. The pitch will decide which vision wins.
A Maxi World Cup and a Triple Opening
This edition is bigger than anything that came before it. Forty-eight participants, a tournament stretched in time and space, and even the curtain-raiser reflects that scale.
Tonight brings the first of three opening ceremonies, followed by Mexico–South Africa at the Azteca at 20:00. It is a nod to the new format and the new commercial realities: more teams, more matches, more spectacle.
For Mexico, opening at the Azteca carries a heavy weight of history. For South Africa, it is a chance to spoil the party and stamp their name on a global stage from the very first whistle.
The final waits on 19 July, a distant horizon for squads that have just gathered, for players who still carry the fatigue of a long club season. Between now and then, the calendar offers no mercy.
Italy on the Sidelines, Italians in the Dugout
Italy will watch this World Cup from the sofa again, a painful reality that still stings a football culture built on four stars stitched above the crest. Yet three Italian coaches will be in the thick of it.
Carlo Ancelotti, “our Carletto,” arrives as the elder statesman, the serial winner trusted with another tilt at the game’s ultimate prize. Cannavaro brings the authority of a World Cup-winning captain. Montella, the most attack-minded of the trio, carries the curiosity factor: how will his ideas translate in this unforgiving tournament?
They will not wear blue, but they will carry Italian ideas about defending, about game management, about how to suffer and survive in knockout football. For many in Italy, they will be a surrogate national team.
Market Moves: Juve Close in on Dibu Martínez
While the world looks to the Azteca, the transfer market refuses to pause.
At Juventus, the focus is on the goal. Emiliano “Dibu” Martínez has moved a step closer to Turin. The Argentina and Aston Villa goalkeeper has accepted a three-year deal with a salary cut that amounts to 4.2 million less per season compared to his current level. It is a significant concession from a world champion.
Now the negotiation shifts fully to Aston Villa. The English club are asking for 15 million. Juventus, with director Giovanni Manna’s replacement setup headed by Cristiano Giuntoli and with Comolli’s stance at around five, will have to bridge that gap. The distance remains, but the player’s yes changes the landscape.
Besiktas, meanwhile, have stepped forward for Michele Di Gregorio. The domino effect is clear: Juve’s choice in goal could reshape the market for several Italian keepers.
Torino are also active between the posts. The club are pushing for Wladimiro Falcone, with Abate backing the move. Lorenzo Montipò remains the alternative. Talks will accelerate once Lecce appoint a new sporting director, with Ugresic one of the names in the frame.
Inter Strengthen the Spine
Inter continue to build from a position of strength. After moving for defender Oumar Solet, they are closing in on a second reinforcement: Ivan Provedel.
An agreement with the Lazio goalkeeper is in place, and the meeting with his agent went well. It is a move that reinforces the most delicate position on the pitch and gives Simone Inzaghi another reliable option.
On the renewal front, Bastoni’s agent has been clear: “Ale is happy at Inter.” A simple line, but an important one for a club that wants to keep its core intact while adding depth. The name Reggiani has also emerged as an idea, another piece in a squad that aims to stay competitive on all fronts.
Milan and Modric: One More Chapter?
In Milan, a different kind of negotiation is taking shape. Luka Modric, the Croatian maestro whose career has defined a decade at Real Madrid, is at a crossroads.
Real have put a role as director on the table for him, a path into the club’s hierarchy once he hangs up his boots. Modric, though, is not ready to close the book on his playing days just yet. Before deciding, he wants to talk to the new coach, Oliver Glasner, and understand where he fits in the German’s plans.
Milan are watching closely. The idea of Modric in red and black, guiding a young midfield with his vision and rhythm, is tempting. For now, it is a conversation, not a done deal. But the fact that Modric has not simply accepted Madrid’s offer keeps the door ajar.
Movements Across Italy and Beyond
The market hums elsewhere too. Nico is close to securing Alexander Sørloth, a move that would add physical presence and goals up front. At the same time, Ruggeri has admirers at Atlético, another Italian name drawing interest from La Liga.
Marcus Thuram looks Premier League-bound. His departure would mean more money for Kolo Muani, another piece in the puzzle of a summer that promises heavy movement among forwards.
There has also been contact with Jhon Lucumí, a defender whose profile fits several Italian clubs searching for solidity at the back. Cagliari, for their part, have put Gaetano on the table, trying to shape a squad capable of staying up and growing.
River Plate tested the waters with a 9 million offer for Simeone, but the proposal was rejected. The message is clear: some players will not leave on the cheap, not even in a market this frantic.
A World Watching, a Summer Turning
Tonight, the cameras will pan across the Azteca, the anthems will ring out, and Mexico–South Africa will write the first line of a World Cup that promises drama, controversy, and new heroes.
Messi chases one last coronation. France wrestle with their galaxy of stars. Spain embrace the pressure of being called favourites. Portugal, with their own constellation of talent, lurk in the bracket Mac Allister has already drawn in his mind.
Italy, absent on the pitch, will live this World Cup through the eyes and decisions of Ancelotti, Cannavaro and Montella, and through a transfer market that could reshape Serie A before the new season kicks off.
When the final whistle blows on 19 July, will the story still belong to the old kings, or will this maxi World Cup finally crown a new ruler of the game?
