Roberto Mancini will stay on as Italy coach despite the team’s failure to qualify for the World Cup again. Italy, which won the European Championship only eight months ago, lost to North Macedonia 1-0 in the playoffs on Thursday and will now miss a second straight World Cup. The previous failure led to the dismissal of coach Gian Piero Ventura and the appointment of Mancini.

However, the Italian soccer federation this time has decided to stick with the coach who revitalized the national team and led it to the Euro 2020 title. The 57-year-old Mancini was given a contract extension through 2026 in May. “We need to start again,” Mancini said Monday. “I talked to the president, we’re in agreement on everything … we’ll have time to discuss what we need to improve.