In a post-match press conference held immediately following Napoli’s final Serie A fixture of the 2025-26 season Sunday in Naples, Italy, veteran head coach Antonio Conte has officially confirmed he will step down from his role at the southern Italian club, bringing an end to a two-year tenure that delivered a historic Scudetto to the club. The 56-year-old, who is currently the top favorite to take the vacant head coaching position of the Italian men’s national team, first led the Azzurri between 2014 and 2016, and a return to the international fold remains a widely speculated possibility for the highly decorated tactician.
The announcement came directly after Napoli wrapped up its season with a narrow 1-0 victory over Udinese, with Conte speaking alongside Napoli club president Aurelio De Laurentiis to make his departure public. He explained that he had alerted the club’s leadership of his decision a month prior, explaining he had come to feel that the collaborative project he joined when signing with Napoli in 2024 had run its natural course.
“I made this decision because at Napoli I failed in one thing: I didn’t bring unity to the environment and so it’s difficult to compete with others,” Conte told reporters Sunday. “I failed because I didn’t unite everyone and I put my hands up. I realize that things cannot be changed. It was an honor, I thank the president and the fans who understood me.”
When Conte first signed on for a three-year deal with Napoli, the club was emerging from one of the most underwhelming defending champion campaigns in Serie A history, having slumped to a 10th-place finish just one season after lifting the Scudetto. Conte quickly turned the club’s fortunes around, guiding the injury-plagued side to an immediate reclaiming of the Serie A title in his first season in charge. This past term, despite consistent roster disruptions from injuries, Napoli still secured a second-place finish in the league standings.
A seasoned winner across top European leagues, Conte’s managerial track record includes Serie A title wins with both Juventus and Inter Milan, as well as Premier League and FA Cup silverware during his time in England with Chelsea. He also spent a full season at the helm of Tottenham Hotspur before returning to Italy to take the Napoli job. During his first stint in charge of the Italian national team, he led an underrated Azzurri squad to a surprise quarterfinal finish at the 2016 European Championship, where the side was eliminated by Germany in a penalty shootout.
The Italian Football Federation (FIGC) is currently searching for a new senior national team head coach, following a cascading wave of resignations last month. The Azzurri failed to qualify for the 2026 FIFA World Cup, marking the third consecutive consecutive World Cup that Italy has missed out on the tournament. The result prompted the resignations of both FIGC president Gabriele Gravina and incumbent head coach Gennaro Gattuso, opening up the top job that Conte is now heavily linked to.
When pressed Sunday about rumors linking him to the national team position, Conte downplayed any confirmed plans, saying all speculation is just media chatter for the moment. “In the past I only said about the national team that if I were the president of the federation I would also include Conte among the candidates,” he explained. “But as of now I don’t know anything about my future. I might well take time out and rest.”