Atalanta became the sole Italian club to advance to the Champions League last 16, while Juventus exited after extra time against Galatasaray. This outcome has sparked debate about Serie A's standing in European football. Despite recent eliminations, Italian teams have reached eight European finals in the past five years.
The Champions League league phase saw the Serie A champions fail to progress, with the current league leaders, 10 points ahead, eliminated by Bodo/Glimt. Two Italian teams exited in the play-off round this season, following three last season. Eliminations came against teams from Belgium and the Netherlands in 2025, and Norway and Turkey in 2026. Former players such as Ivan Perisic, Noa Lang, Victor Osimhen, and Jens Petter Hauge contributed to these upsets against their old league.
Headlines described the situation as a “disaster,” amid concerns for Italy's national team play-off against Northern Ireland next month. Atalanta secured advancement against Dortmund, while Juventus scored three goals to force extra time with Galatasaray before losing. Italian clubs started last season's league phase as UEFA coefficient leaders with five teams and have made eight European finals in five years.
The national team won the Euros in 2021, and youth squads claimed under-17 and under-19 European titles, reaching the Under-20 World Cup final. Inter suffered a 5-0 defeat to PSG in the Champions League final, their third in five years, overshadowing earlier knockouts of Bayern Munich and Barcelona. Jose Mourinho criticized referee Anthony Taylor after Roma's 2023 Europa League final loss on penalties. Fiorentina fell in stoppage time in the Conference League final to West Ham.
Roma won the 2022 Conference League against Feyenoord, and Atalanta took the 2024 title against Bayer Leverkusen. Napoli faced an injury crisis under Antonio Conte, missing Romelu Lukaku and Kevin De Bruyne, though they reached the quarter-finals two years ago. Inter's coach Cristian Chivu is in his first major role. Juventus and Atalanta changed coaches three times in 2025, with Juventus dealing with an underwhelming squad from past transfers.
Specific incidents affected outcomes: Inter lost to Atletico on a stoppage-time corner and to Liverpool on a penalty, despite high expected goals against Bodo. Juventus suffered injuries to Gleison Bremer and red cards to Juan Cabal and Lloyd Kelly. Goalkeeper Michele Di Gregorio's form declined. Emerging talents like Francesco Pio Esposito, Marco Palestra, and Giovanni Leoni offer promise, as noted by former Milan midfielder Cristian Brocchi: “I didn’t want to hear people saying Italy doesn’t produce players.”
Italian clubs have outperformed expectations given economic constraints, with progress in stability and foreign investment. Co-hosting Euro 2032 with Turkey will drive stadium improvements.
