World Cup 2023: A Strange Tournament for Italy

At 20:00 tonight, the lights go up at the Azteca and the biggest World Cup in history finally breathes. Mexico–South Africa opens a tournament swollen to 48 participants, stretched across a maxi American stage, and designed to be seen and sold to every corner of the planet.

Everyone is here. Or almost everyone. Italy watch it unfold from the touchline, represented not by a shirt, but by three benches: Carlo Ancelotti, Fabio Cannavaro and Vincenzo Montella. Three flags in suits, three reminders of what the Azzurri used to be on the pitch.

Messi’s hunt for a second crown

The defending champions arrive with the calm arrogance of those who know what it takes. Argentina, still built around Lionel Messi, walk into this World Cup with the trophy under their arm and a target on their back.

“It will be tough to beat us,” Messi has warned. The message is simple: they have the know‑how, the scars, and the greatest player of all time still pulling the strings. Alexis Mac Allister, fresh from his rise at Liverpool, sees no reason to lower the bar. For him, the Selección remain “the strongest”, and the roadmap is already sketched: semi‑finals with Argentina, France, Spain and Portugal.

He never inked the World Cup on his skin in 2022. He jokes that in a month, he might need space for two tattoos. Confidence, not complacency.

France, stars everywhere and a question mark

If Argentina arrive as champions, France land as a constellation. Kylian Mbappé leads an attack that looks terrifying on paper, backed by a squad so deep it risks tipping into excess. La Gazzetta dello Sport poses the doubt: so many stars – perhaps too many?

It is a familiar tension with France. Firepower across the front line, options in every role, and yet the sense that balance, not talent, will decide whether this is a coronation or another near miss. The attack inspires fear. The dressing room must handle the rest.

Spain, the algorithm’s darling

Then there is Spain. Rodri, the metronome of Manchester City and La Roja, does not hide. “The level has been raised, my Spain side are favourites,” he says. The numbers back him up. According to the algorithm, Spain sit above both France and Argentina in the probability tables.

It is a bold claim in a field this crowded, but Rodri embodies the new Spanish spine: less tiki‑taka romance, more control, more steel. If the data is right, this World Cup might belong not to the loudest star, but to the most complete machine.

Yamal, Mbappé and the new wave

Around these established giants, a new generation sharpens its teeth. Lamine Yamal, still a teenager and already a reference point for club and country, steps into his first World Cup with the weight of expectation that once fell on Messi and Mbappé.

Mbappé himself returns not as the prodigy, but as the man expected to dominate the decade. Between them, and the cluster of young talent scattered across Europe’s elite, this tournament promises not just a battle of teams, but of eras.

The Azteca lights the fuse

The first of three opening ceremonies sets the tone tonight, before Mexico–South Africa kicks off at the legendary Azteca. A stadium that has seen Pelé and Maradona now welcomes a new, swollen format and a 23rd edition that will run until the final on July 19.

For Mexico, it is a chance to ignite a home crowd and show they belong in the conversation. For South Africa, it is an opportunity to spoil the party on day one. For the tournament, it is the moment the noise finally replaces the talk.

Italy’s World Cup, from the dugout

Back home, the Italian anthem will not ring out before any group‑stage match. Yet the tricolour will still appear in the technical areas. Ancelotti, the most decorated club coach of his era, chases the one prize missing from his CV. Cannavaro, a World Cup‑winning captain, now tries to transmit that aura from the sideline. Montella, the outsider of the trio, looks to carve his own path on the global stage.

It is a strange World Cup for Italy: absent on the pitch, influential on the tactics board. The whole world is there. The question, once this maxi tournament is over, is whether watching others lift the trophy will finally push Italian football back where it believes it belongs – in the centre circle, not just on the bench.