The Italian Football Federation (FIGC) on Saturday named Paolo Maldini as its new technical director, handing the legendary former defender a sweeping mandate to revive the national team after a decade of decline. Maldini, who also becomes president of Club Italia overseeing all national teams, will work alongside Brazilian Leonardo as advisor. The appointments, announced by newly elected FIGC president Giovanni Malagò, mark the first step in a projected overhaul following Italy’s failure to reach the 2026 World Cup — their third successive absence.

Italy has not appeared at a World Cup since a group-stage exit in Brazil in 2014. Subsequent qualifying campaigns ended in failure for 2018, 2022, and most recently 2026, when Gennaro Gattuso’s side lost a European play-off to Bosnia-Herzegovina on penalties in March. Despite winning the European Championship in 2021, the Azzurri’s absence from the global stage triggered political and public outcry, forcing the resignation of former FIGC president Gabriele Gravina. His successor, Malagò, was elected at the end of June with a mandate to restructure the federation, and he immediately set his sights on Maldini as the centrepiece of the project.

Maldini, 58, spent his entire playing career at AC Milan, winning seven Serie A titles and five European Cups, and was capped 126 times by Italy. His post-playing career included a spell as Milan’s technical director, where he oversaw a resurgence that yielded the 2022 Scudetto. Leonardo, a 1994 World Cup winner with Brazil and former sporting director at Paris Saint-Germain and Milan, had previously brought Maldini into the club’s hierarchy. Their reunion at the federation comes as Italy aims to reverse a sustained slide; the duo’s first task is to select a head coach, with former Italy manager Antonio Conte — out of contract after leaving Napoli — and Roberto Mancini, who led the side to Euro 2020 glory before an abrupt exit, among the leading candidates discussed in Italian media.

The four-year accord will extend beyond the senior men’s side, with Maldini granted authority to reshape the entire technical sector, including youth development and the Coverciano coaching school. Italy’s next competitive engagement is the Nations League in September, though the new coach is expected to be in place well before then. The long-term goal, repeatedly stated by federation officials, is to qualify for the 2030 World Cup, restoring Italy to the top tier after a decade of failure. The success of Maldini’s tenure will be measured, ultimately, by whether the four-time world champions can once again compete on the game’s biggest stage.