Riccardo Calafiori has revealed that it was too painful for him to watch World Cup matches after Italy failed to qualify for the competition this summer, despite having some of the best players in Europe in their squad. Several of his Arsenal teammates featured in the tournament, and he would have wanted to support them from home. However, the pain of Italy’s absence was so strong that he struggled to watch the matches whenever possible. “Even if you don’t want to watch the World Cup, it’s that big that everywhere you go you still see it on TV, every match.” Calafiori’s comments highlight the emotional impact of Italy’s continued absence from the World Cup.