Antonio Conte announced on May 24, 2026, that he will step down as Napoli head coach following the club's 1-0 home win over Udinese in the final Serie A match of the season [1, 2, 3, 4, 5]. The 56-year-old Italian led Napoli to the Serie A title in his debut 2024-25 season but saw the team finish second this campaign, 11 points behind champions Inter Milan [1, 2, 5].
Conte cited internal squad friction and difficulties integrating new January signings as key reasons for his decision to leave. "I saw too much poison, too much malice. The moment you can no longer do things with ease is a step backwards for me," he said [1, 3, 4, 5]. He added, "I failed at one thing in Naples: I was unable to bring everyone together."
Conte informed club president Aurelio De Laurentiis about his decision approximately a month ago. "I rang the chairman a month ago... and told him, 'Given the friendship we share, I feel that my time here is coming to an end.' The decision was mine," Conte said [1, 3, 4, 5].
The match that marked Conte's farewell saw striker Rasmus Hojlund score the winning goal in the 23rd minute [1, 3, 4].
De Laurentiis blamed injuries to key players such as Scott McTominay, Kevin De Bruyne, Romelu Lukaku, and Giovanni Di Lorenzo for Napoli's failure to defend the title. "Without the injuries, we would have been the champions," he said [6, 7]. Conte disagreed, insisting Inter Milan earned their triumph regardless of Napoli's setbacks. "Inter deserved to win the league, with injuries or not," he stated. "If we want respect, we have to give it." [6, 7]
Conte is reportedly a frontrunner to become the next Italy national team coach but denied any certainty about his future. He advised the Italian federation to consider Pep Guardiola for the role instead [1, 2, 5].
Conte joined Napoli in July 2024 and immediately delivered the club's first Serie A title under his management during the 2024-25 season [1, 2, 3, 4, 5]. Napoli will now search for a new manager ahead of the 2026-27 season.
