FIGC president Giovanni Malago insists Italy must not limit themselves simply to World Cup qualification as they aim to get back to the top.

It has been all change at Italy over the last six months after they failed to qualify for a third straight World Cup.

That led to the resignations of Gennaro Gattuso as head coach and Gabriele Gravina as Malago's predecessor.

The Azzurri are now led by Roberto Mancini, who is taking charge for the second time, having led them to the Euro 2020 title last time around, with Claudio Ranieri also serving as technical director.

While Italy have fared better at the European Championships, they have lost at the play-off stage of World Cup qualifying for the 2018, 2022 and 2026 tournaments.

Indeed, they have not played a World Cup knockout stage match since they lifted the trophy in 2006.

And while qualifying for the next World Cup is a priority for Malago, he noted how important it is to also look beyond that goal.

"We haven't played a knock-out match at a World Cup since we played the final against France in 2006," Malago said on La Politica nel Pallone, as quoted by Gianluca Di Marzio.

"Italy shouldn't limit itself to qualification. We need to look ahead, and to do this, we need to build a pathway for youngsters.

"We need to build a strong team and restore confidence in our players after what happened.

"I know full well that we are dependent on a thousand variables, but we must not put ourselves in a situation where a single incident could lead to another bitter crisis.

"There is an unwritten rule for federal presidents; I don't even know if it's right, but if someone fails to achieve the minimum objective, that is, participation in the World Cup, it's right that what my colleagues before me have done is respected."

Italy will name their squad for their upcoming Nations League campaign this week, with Mancini preparing for the first games of his second spell.

They face Belgium on September 25 before playing Turkiye away and at home on either side of a clash with France in the extended international break.