Cricket slowly finding a place in football-crazy Italy

None would have pictured this in their wildest dreams, not even those who believe in the stuff of fantasy.

Italy, a football-crazy nation with a rich history, could end up missing the bus to the FIFA World Cup in a year in which its lesser-celebrated cricket team makes its debut on the biggest stage in the T20 blue-riband event — the football side still has to clear the European playoffs.

The Italy cricket team’s assistant coach Kevin O’Brien and player Ben Manenti came up with witty responses when asked about the ‘unthinkable’ unfolding before our eyes. “Hopefully, they (football-team players) might look at the success we have had in the last couple of months and take inspiration,” said O’Brien, tongue in cheek, during a chat here on Monday.

Ben sounded a friendly warning, saying: “The football team might not be in the World Cup, so the fans might have only one World Cup (to follow) this year. So, they better get behind us.”

History suggests that cricket had made its way into Italy centuries ago, before disappearing from the sporting scene. As strange as it may sound, AC Milan, one of the football giants, had been a wing of the ‘Milan Football and Cricket Club’ during its foundation in 1899.

Now, the influx of foreign-born players has helped put cricket back on Italy’s sports map. But O’Brien stressed that the ‘local’ lads too have been shaping Italian cricket.

Jon Jon Smuts of Italy in action during a warm-up match against Canada at MAC Stadium in Chennai on Monday, February 2, 2026.
| Photo Credit:
R. RAGU

“We have five home-based players in the World Cup squad. This tournament is all about giving Italian cricket a proper exposure. Hopefully the people back home get inspired by watching their friends and country play. The federation (Italian Cricket Federation) has invested time and resources to get the grassroots going, which is important. It will take time, but tournaments like this will help push that forward,” said O’Brien.

After all Italian cricket, like Rome, cannot be built – or rebuilt – in a day.