Italy: Antonio Conte Speaks Clearly About a Possible Return to the National Team
While Spain and Argentina were playing in the 2026 World Cup final, Italy was witnessing the final act of a tournament for which it had qualified without even knowing the name of its head coach. Following Paolo Maldini’s arrival at Casa Italia, one of the most talked-about names has been Antonio Conte. The former Napoli coach—where he won a Serie A title, just as he did at Inter after his championship runs with Juventus—wanted to set the record straight, however, regarding the prospect of returning to the national team following his stint that ended at Euro 2016.
“I haven’t been contacted about returning to the national team,” Conte said in response to a specific question posed to him in the ‘DAZN’ studios. “I’m very happy with the two years I spent at Napoli. But I’m also happy to be able to rest and watch soccer while waiting to see what situations and developments arise over the course of the year,” added the Salento-born coach.
Conte’s comments come at a time when the FIGC is undergoing a major restructuring. The new federation president, Giovanni Malagò, has appointed Paolo Maldini as Technical Director and president of Club Italia, with Leonardo serving as an advisor. It falls to the former Rossoneri captain to identify the new head coach, the successor to Gennaro Gattuso and his interim replacement, Silvio Baldini. This decision must be made quickly, considering that the national team is set to begin its Nations League campaign on September 25, when it will face Belgium at the Stadio Olimpico in Rome in a group that also includes France and Turkey.
In addition to Conte, the list of candidates for the Azzurri’s head coaching position has turned out to be more extensive than expected. In recent weeks, Roberto Mancini, Pep Guardiola, and Andrea Pirlo have also been linked to the national team. Pirlo, in particular, seems to have gained ground in recent hours: the 2006 World Cup champion, who currently coaches a team in Dubai following stints with Fatih Karagümrük and Sampdoria, is reportedly the candidate Maldini has identified as ideal to usher in a new era for the Azzurri. The two played together for eight seasons at Milan, and the FIGC’s technical director considers him a modern coach, endowed with vision and personality.
On the financial front, however, Conte’s position appears complicated by external factors. According to leaks, Al-Ittihad has reportedly offered the Salento-born coach a contract worth 20 million euros net per year—a figure five times higher than what the FIGC would be able to offer. This is a gap that would be difficult for the Federation to bridge; with Roberto Mancini, however, they would have a more financially sustainable option, with the Jesi-born coach willing to accept around 2 million per year, even though his name doesn’t particularly excite Serie A clubs, which are still annoyed by his abrupt departure from the national team in 2023 to join Saudi Arabia.
Meanwhile, the position vacated by Conte on the Napoli bench has already been filled: Massimiliano Allegri has signed a three-year contract with the Neapolitan club, committing himself to Aurelio De Laurentiis’s team through June 30, 2029. This move definitively frees the Lecce-born coach from any club commitments, theoretically making it easier for him to take the helm at Napoli should Maldini decide to approach him despite his recent statements.
