Serie A 2025-26 Power Rankings: Napoli to win again, AC Milan return to the Champions League, Como to surprise
The 2025-26 Serie A season will kick off on August 23. Last season Napoli won the Scudetto on the last matchday after an exciting race with Simone Inzaghi's Inter. Everything has changed since then though, and two months later we have a totally different scenario in the league as seven of last season's top ten teams have replaced their managers. Antonio Conte decided to stay at Napoli despite the interest coming from Juventus, as the Bianconeri confirmed Igor Tudor as head coach after he replaced Thiago Motta during the past season. Elsewhere Bologna have extended the deal of Vincenzo Italiano after winning the 2024-25 Coppa Italia. Apart from these three coaches, every other team made some big changes. Inter parted ways with Inzaghi after a disappointing Champions League final defeat and appointed former 2010 Champions League winner Cristian Chivu. Atalanta saw the end of the Gian Piero Gasperini era. He took charge of the Nerazzurri in 2016 but left this summer and joined AS Roma while former Southampton coach Ivan Juric replaced Gasperini. We also have three comebacks as Massimiliano Allegri rejoined AC Milan, Maurizio Sarri was appointed again at Lazio and Stefano Pioli came back at Fiorentina after coaching Al-Nassr for one season. Let's take a look at power rankings ahead of the new season:
Teams that will race to win the Scudetto
1. Napoli
The 2024-25 Serie A champions should be considered the frontrunners to win the Scudetto agan this season as Antonio Conte decided to stay at the club and the roster was deeply improved. Former Manchester City midfielder Kevin de Bruyne joined Napoli as a free agent alongside Noa Lang from PSV, Sam Beukema from Bologna, Lorenzo Lucca from Udinese and Vanja Milinkovic-Savic from Torino making Napoli even stronger. This is a big advantage for Conte and his team, more so since most of their competitors decided to replace their coaches.
2. Inter
The Nerazzurri are coming off a disappointing end of the season where they failed to win a trophy and most notably lost 5-0 in the Champions League final against PSG. Chivu, the new head coach, has little Serie A experience as he only coached 13 games last year with Parma managing to save the team from relegation, but it's difficult to predict if he will be able to bring the club back to success in the short term. For sure, the roster is still strong and competitive, but the lack of experience of the new manager might affect the team's performances in his first full season as Serie A coach.
3. AC Milan
AC Milan can replicate the success of Napoli last year, when under Conte the Azzurri were able to win the title during a season where they were not playing European tournaments. However, it's very different from the Napoli situation last summer as the Rossoneri sold some key players such as midfielder Tijjani Reijnders to Manchester City and Theo Hernandez to Al-Hilal and are still in the phase of rebuilding the team ahead of the new season. Allegri's return to the club, following his 2010-11 Scudetto triumph with the Rossoneri, strongly positions the team for success, hopefully assuring a Champions League qualification.
Teams that will compete for a spot in the European tournaments next season
4. Juventus
The Bianconeri have decided to keep Igor Tudor after replacing Thiago Motta at the end of March and started another cycle at the club, as former sport director Cristiano Giuntoli also left Juventus this summer. The will have to make some changes to the roster before the end of the summer transfer window, but they are in a strong position compared to the competitors to end up in a Champions League spot next year.
5. AS Roma
This is probably the most interesting appointment of the summer in the Italian Serie A as Gasperini decided to leave Atalanta after nine years where he was able to win the 2024 edition of the UEFA Europa League and will start a new chapter at AS Roma. After a disappointing season saved by Claudio Ranieri, who is now serving as an advisor to the Friedkin family, the club's owners, the Giallorossi sought a manager of his caliber to lead them forward. Can Gasperini replicate the success at Roma?
6. Como
Como will be the surprise of the 2025-26 season, if we can call it a surprise. After spending over $100 million this summer to improve the roster, Cesc Fabregas is now ready to shine and bring his project to the next level. The club refused to let the manager join Inter this summer, and they had more reasons to do it. It's now up to Fabregas to show the world why Como can be the next big thing in Italian soccer.
7. Fiorentina
Former AC Milan and Al-Nassr manager Stefano Pioli made his comeback at Fiorentina where he was the head coach from 2017 to 2019 and there are now a lot of expectations around this team especially after keeping a player like Moise Kean this summer. Fiorentina are expected to improve the performances of the last season, when they ended up in sixth place and qualified for the UEFA Conference League.
8. Bologna
There will be even more pressure this season for Bologna, after qualifying for Champions League soccer two years ago and then winning the Coppa Italia under Vincenzo Italiano's management last season. It's difficult to predict if they can make that extra step now, but they signed experienced players like Ciro Immobile and Federico Bernardeschi to improve at the international level.
9. Atalanta
The Nerazzurri will likely suffer a bit after the farewell of a key figure such as Gasperini. The club decided to appoint a manager who could go in a similar direction and Juric worked many years with the same Gasperini both as a player and as a manager. However, it's s risky decision considering Juric failed at both AS Roma and at Southampton during the 2024-25 season. He won't have much time available to show he can take this role.
10. Lazio
Despite the comeback of Maurizio Sarri, one of the best managers in Serie A, Lazio's transfer business was deeply affected by some financial issues that couldn't improve the roster this summer. This is why it's difficult to say if Sarri's abilities alone can bring the team back to Europe at the end of the season.
In the middleTeams that shouldn't be worried about relegation
11. Torino
They have not able to qualify for European tournaments in recent years, but at the same time they never really risked or were involved in the relegation race. We don't expect something different this season despite a new experienced manager like former Lazio boss Marco Baroni.
12. Udinese
Udinese had a quiet, normal season under the new coach last year Kosta Runjaic after a much more challenging one and this is why they now need to continue in this way, while also managng some exits such as their main striker Lorenzo Lucca who left and joined Napoli this summer.
13. Genoa
It's a similar situation to the ones of Udinese and Torino, as Genoa started a new cycle last year when Patrick Vieira was appointed as the new manager to replace Alberto Gilardino over the last season. For them, it's probably too early to aspire for a qualification in the European tournaments.
Fight to avoid relegationTeams that will race to avoid the relegation in the second division
14. Parma
The Italian club made one of the most interesting but also risky decisions and appointed former assistant to Mikel Arteta at Arsenal Carlos Cuesta as the new head coach to replace Chivu who joined Inter this summer. Cuesta, 29, became the youngest manager in the history of Serie A and it's almost impossible to predict how he will perform in his first year as professional first team manager.
15. Cagliari
Cagliari have a strong experience and managed to keep their spot in the first division over the years despite some changes in both management and roster and this season they are trying it differently as Cagliari promoted the former U19 manager and former defender Fabio Pisacane as the new head coach.
16. Sassuolo
Sassuolo are back in Serie A after only one season in the second division, and considering their financial potential, it's difficult to think they won't be able to keep their spot in Serie A after losing it. We can now consider Sassuolo as one of the most consistent teams in the league and they are now back.
17. Hellas Verona
Hellas Verona were able, thanks to the incredible job of the former and current manager, to keep their place in the league despite some big financial issues of the former ownership. On January 2025 the club was acquired by an American fund that will try to consolidate their position in the coming years and this is great news for the fans and the team.
18. Cremonese
Despite appointing a new coach like Davide Nicola who is considered one of the best when it comes to avoiding relegation, it looks like they need to drastically improve the team in the last month of the summer transfer window if they want to have any chance.
19. Lecce
It will be much more difficult for Lecce to keep their spot in the first division this year, especially because they replaced their coach again and appointed former Venezia boss Eusebio Di Francesco who replaced Marco Giampaolo at the club. Looking at the roster, it might also be affected by the last weeks of the summer transfer window, with some key players expected to leave before the deadline.
20. Pisa
Pisa are back in Serie A after more than 30 years, but the team doesn't look like it can survive compared to the competitors. They definitely need to add some experienced Serie A players to the roster before its too late.
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