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Aurelio De Laurentiis
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Aurelio De Laurentiis

Napoli president and film magnate driving Italian football reform after World Cup failure.

Last refreshed: 10 April 2026

Key Question

Is Aurelio De Laurentiis right that Serie A needs to shrink to 16 teams?

Common Questions
Who is Aurelio De Laurentiis?
He is the owner and president of Napoli since 2004, a film producer who rebuilt the club from Serie c and won the Scudetto in 2023.Source: background
Why does De Laurentiis want Serie A to have 16 teams?
He argues fewer teams would raise competitive standards and help Italy qualify for World Cups again, though critics note it would also concentrate broadcast revenue among top clubs.Source: background
How did De Laurentiis take over Napoli?
He bought the club out of bankruptcy in 2004 when it was in Serie c, building it back to Serie A and eventually to the Scudetto in 2023.Source: background

Background

Aurelio De Laurentiis is the president and owner of Napoli, the Serie A club he has controlled since 2004. In April 2026, following Italy's failure to qualify for the 2026 FIFA World Cup — the country's third consecutive absence — he became one of the most prominent voices calling for structural reform of Italian football, demanding that Serie A shrink from 20 to 16 teams to raise competitive standards .

De Laurentiis built his football career on the back of a family film production empire (Filmauro), bringing Napoli back from Serie c bankruptcy in 2004 and subsequently guiding the club to its first league title in 33 years in the 2022-23 season. He is known for unconventional governance, outspoken media interventions, and an adversarial relationship with the Italian Football Federation (FIGC). Under his tenure, Napoli won the Coppa Italia in 2012 and 2014 and became a consistent Champions League participant under coaches including Carlo Ancelotti and, latterly, Antonio Conte.

His reform call carries weight precisely because he speaks from a position of recent success, not failure. But the proposal is also self-interested: a smaller Serie A reduces the number of mid-table clubs competing for broadcast revenue, potentially concentrating income among the established elite. Whether Italian football responds with genuine structural change or another cycle of political manoeuvring will partly determine whether the Azzurri return to World Cup football before 2030.