Free-agent Mancini poised to reclaim Italy job after Al-Sadd departure

Roberto Mancini is a free agent after publicly confirming his departure from Qatari club Al-Sadd, and the Italian Football Federation (FIGC) is now expected to accelerate talks over returning him to the Azzurri head-coach role that has been vacant since Gennaro Gattuso’s resignation.

In a farewell video posted to his social media channels, Mancini thanked the club’s supporters, directors, and players for their support during a spell in which he guided the side to league success. “Hi everyone, I’m making this video to thank all the Al-Sadd fans who supported us throughout the year and who allowed us to recover so many positions until we won the league,” he said. “Thank you to my fantastic players, both on and off the pitch, and for always giving everything for the team.”

Mancini also used the message to wish the Qatar national team well as they begin their World Cup qualifying campaign. “Good luck to the Qatar national team, who today begins their journey to the World Cup. Thank you so much, you will always be in my heart.”

The Italy position became available after Gattuso stepped down following the Azzurri’s failure to qualify for the 2026 World Cup — a damaging blow for a nation that also missed the 2018 tournament in Russia. The FIGC has been widely reported to be targeting Mancini as the man to oversee a rebuild ahead of the 2030 edition.

Mancini’s credentials for the role are well established. He led Italy to the Euro 2020 title with a victory at Wembley, ending a 53-year wait for a major international trophy, before surprisingly resigning in 2023 to take the Saudi Arabia national team job. That stint ended without the expected progress, and he subsequently moved to Al-Sadd in Qatar.

Despite persistent speculation linking him with a return to the Azzurri bench in recent weeks, Mancini had been characteristically evasive. Asked directly about the Italy job just days before his Al-Sadd announcement, he deflected with a blunt: “Me, Italy coach? Sorry, but I have to go to dinner.”

With that contract now formally concluded, the FIGC faces no further obstacle in opening official negotiations. Whether Mancini’s second stint can replicate the highs of Euro 2020 — and end Italy’s run of World Cup absences — remains the central question hanging over Italian football.