Napoli

Napoli are an Italian football club based in Naples, currently coached by Antonio Conte and owned by president Aurelio De Laurentiis. They are at the centre of Italy's post-World Cup reform debate: De Laurentiis used the Azzurri's third consecutive non-qualification to demand Serie A shrink from 20 to 16 teams, a structural change that would reshape Italian football's competitive landscape .

Founded in 1926, Napoli are the dominant club in southern Italy and the only major Serie A club outside the traditional northern triangle of Milan and Turin. After De Laurentiis rescued the club from Serie C bankruptcy in 2004, they rebuilt steadily, winning Coppa Italia titles in 2012 and 2014. Their most significant achievement came in the 2022-23 season under coach Luciano Spalletti, when they won Serie A for the first time in 33 years, ending the long drought that dated to the Diego Maradona era of 1987 and 1990. The appointment of Antonio Conte ahead of the 2024-25 season signalled ambition to remain at the top of Italian football.

Napoli's significance in the current debate extends beyond one club's politics. As southern Italy's standard-bearer in a league increasingly dominated by northern capital and foreign ownership, their voice in structural reform debates carries cultural and regional weight. A smaller Serie A would likely consolidate power further at the top, raising questions about whether the pyramid's base remains viable for Italian player development.