FIGC president confirms active talks with Pep Guardiola over Italy job
FIGC president Giovanni Malagò has confirmed active talks with Pep Guardiola over the Italy head-coach role, while stressing no appointment has yet been announced.
Italian Football Federation president Giovanni Malagò has confirmed that discussions with Pep Guardiola over the vacant Italy head-coach position remain active.
The confirmation on Wednesday, July 22, 2026, moves the story beyond earlier reports that FIGC technical director Paolo Maldini and adviser Leonardo had met Guardiola in Barcelona. Sky Sports, citing Sky in Italy, first reported the meeting on July 20 and later reported Malagò’s public acknowledgment of the talks.
Malagò said the federation considered it important to open dialogue and keep it alive. He also indicated that FIGC could make an exceptional adjustment to its coaching budget if an agreement with Guardiola became possible.
No appointment or agreement has been announced, and Guardiola’s response to the approach has not been made public by the federation. The discussions should therefore be treated as an active recruitment process rather than a completed deal.
Italy are seeking a new senior men’s national-team coach as part of a wider reset. Securing Guardiola, one of the most decorated club managers of his generation, would represent a major change in direction, but the financial terms and his willingness to return immediately to management remain unresolved.
