Even though Italian soccer has made quite a few negative headlines in recent months, the race for Champions League spots at least promises pure excitement.
Napoli coach Antonio Conte, who is also being touted as the future national team coach of the Squadra Azzurra—which is failing to qualify for the World Cup for the third consecutive time (!), doesn’t think much of the cycle of Champions League millions. The typically emotional Southern Italian made this clear as recently as early February.
When asked about the futility of soccer as he sees it, the 56-year-old said at the time: “It’s like a dog chasing its own tail. You keep fighting to qualify for these international competitions just to make money. But that money is short-lived, because the more competitions you play in, the more players you have to buy, and the higher the salary costs rise as a result.”
Nevertheless, amid the current chaos involving the TAR intervention and the prostitution scandal, Conte continues to take his role with last year’s Serie A champions seriously; he aims to lead his team back to the Champions League despite a disappointing 2025/26 CL season (30th place)—and holds the best cards in his own hands to do so. After all, with two rounds remaining, the Neapolitans sit in second place with 70 points, behind Inter, who have long since secured the title.
Roma and Como Lurking in the Wings
But nothing is set in stone yet, because behind Napoli (70) sit Juve (68), Milan (67), Roma (67), and surprise club Como (65), which qualified directly for Europe just two years after its promotion to Serie A.
Of these five teams, only three will be confirmed as Champions League participants in a week and a half—two will be left with the Europa League ticket, an unwelcome “Zonk” (a term familiar from the former TV game show “Geh aufs Ganze!”).
The tasks ahead seem manageable for all teams—starting with Napoli, which faces bottom-of-the-table and relegated Pisa (Sunday, 12:30 p.m.) and then has Udine up next. Juve faces Florence and Torino in the derby, while Milan—which has been struggling for weeks under the apparently dissatisfied coach Massimiliano Allegri—must travel to Genoa and will face Cagliari in the final match.
Roma and Como, currently in 5th and 6th place, face tougher opponents here—and must also hope for slip-ups from their rivals. The Giallorossi first face the Derby della Capitale against Coppa Italia final loser Lazio (0-2 against Inter), before traveling to face relegated Hellas. Como, on the other hand, has the more manageable task of facing Parma first, and must finish the season with a match against relegation candidate Cremona—a game that will most likely be a battle for sheer survival in a long-distance duel with the equally threatened US Lecce.
Tied on points—what then?
Since five teams are vying for three Champions League spots, scenarios like a tie on points are also possible. What happens then? Who would come out on top?
It’s quite simple, though there is one difference from the Bundesliga: First, head-to-head results would be used, followed by goal difference in head-to-head matches and overall goal difference (goals scored count more than goals conceded).
