Italy’s cricket team rises as soccer team faltersAPItaly are finally heading to the World Cup — just not in the sport most people might expect. Amid dark times for the country’s storied, but ailing soccer team, some salvation comes in the form of the Azzurri’s unheralded cricketers after their first-ever qualification for a global tournament. A taxi drives past a billboard featuring the ICC Men’s T20 Cricket World Cup trophy outside Eden Gardens in Kolkata, India, on Tuesday. Contrast the national team’s progress in cricket to the regression of their soccer team. In the short term, Italian cricket is ready to enjoy its landmark moment.

Source: Taipei Times February 05, 2026 16:08 UTC