Next May’s 2026 UEFA Champions League final will mark 16 long years since an Italian club last lifted the biggest prize in club football. The last Serie A side to complete that feat was Jose Mourinho’s Inter, who cemented their aging squad’s status as all-time greats by beating Bayern Munich in Real Madrid’s Santiago Bernabeu, courtesy of a brace from veteran poacher Diego Milito. That triumph marked the third success in seven years for an Italian club on the grandest stage, but no one has managed to walk in the Nerazzurri‘s footsteps since.
Don’t get us wrong, many have come heartbreakingly close. Juventus reached two finals in three seasons in 2015 and 2017, only to be beaten by Spanish giants on both occasions, firstly by a Lionel Messi-powered Barcelona and then by Cristiano Ronaldo’s Real Madrid. Inter have also been to two finals since, only to be beaten on both occasions, namely by Manchester City in 2023, and then a record-breaking 5-0 drubbing at the hands of Paris Saint-Germain last term.
So, could 2026 finally be the year? Let’s take a look.
Inter Milan’s coach telling his players to put that 1st half behind them 😷 pic.twitter.com/EHOrTPFK0V
— Bovada (@BovadaOfficial) May 31, 2025
Inter
Online betting sites consider last season’s beaten finalists Inter as Italy’s best hope to bring the famous ‘big-eared’ trophy back to Belpaese. The latest live betting odds at Bovada currently consider the Nerazzurri a 25/1 shot to leave Budapest as European Champions next May. And if you think those odds seem quite long to be Italy’s best hope, well, you’d be right.
Italy’s Serie A is considered one of Europe’s ‘Big Five’ leagues, along with the English Premier League, Spanish La Liga, German Bundesliga, and French Ligue 1. All four of those other leagues have teams considered more likely to win the Champions League next term, with England in particular having four separate teams listed as shorter than 25/1. So, while Inter are Serie A’s most likely, they are still very much outsiders.
That being said, the underdog billing won’t bother Inter one bit. In both 2023 and again last term, they found themselves in a similar position, only to upset the odds and reach the final. The first time around, they took full advantage of a favorable draw to knock off Benfica, Porto, and city rivals Milan to reach Istanbul. Last term, they very much ran the gauntlet, beating both Bayern Munich and Barcelona – two teams considered more likely to win the UCL this season – to reach the final.
The vast majority of the heroes from last term remain. Captain Lautaro Martinez remains a reliable source of goals, while Italians Nicolò Barella and Alessandro Bastoni form an incredibly strong spine. They certainly have the ability to go on another fairytale run; the question is whether they have the mentality to run the gauntlet again.
Napoli
Napoli are mighty 50/1 outsiders to win the UEFA Champions League this season, despite them being the reigning champions of Italy and Serie A table toppers once again this term. Last season, much of their domestic glory was built on the back of a staunch defense that simply refused to concede goals. This year, however, more firepower has been added.
Iconic former Manchester City midfielder Kevin De Bruyne has arrived following the expiry of his contract at the Etihad. He has already hit the ground running, providing four goals and two assists in 11 games. Fellow former Manchester man, United, though, rather than City, Rasmus Højlund looks to have put his Old Trafford woes behind him with four goals in seven games since moving to southern Italy.
The Partenopei seem much stronger on paper than they were when they claimed the Scudetto last season, so why the lengthy odds? Well, Napoli have lost two of their opening three Champions League games this season, dropping a 2-0 defeat away at Manchester City on the opening night, as well as a disastrous 6-2 drubbing away at PSV Eindhoven on matchday three. It has to be said, however, that on both occasions, they suffered game-altering red cards, and improving that poor disciplinary record could be the difference between an early exit and a deep tournament run.
Juventus
Juventus are a million miles away from the Max Allegri assembled super team of the 2010s, which reached two finals. Over the course of the last six years, however, the Bianconeri haven’t threatened a similar assault on the crown. Odds of 80/1 suggest they won’t be anywhere near an end-of-season trip to Budapest as well.
Since that last final appearance in 2017, Juve haven’t even made it past the quarterfinals. Last term, their campaign ended in the knockout playoff round after a disastrous display against PSV, and this season hasn’t started much better, with the Bianconeri winless through four. New manager Luciano Spalletti will have his work cut out if the Turin club is to make an impression on the continental stage.
Atalanta
Rounding out the Italian contingent is Atalanta, who are 90/1 outsiders. The Bergamo club’s finest hour came in Europe, albeit in the Europa League, back in 2024, ending Bayer Leverkusen’s hopes of an invincible treble with a 3-0 drubbing in Dublin. Replicating that in the Champions League, however, seems unlikely.
With iconic manager Gian Piero Gasperini now managing Roma, La Dea finds themselves in somewhat of a rebuilding phase. New boss Ivan Jurić is yet to make an impression on his new side, with a 1-0 defeat at Udinese seeing Atalanta plummet down to tenth in the Serie A table. In the Champions League, things haven’t gone any better, sitting in 17th with one win in three games. Bergamo’s finest will simply be happy making it into the knockout round, let alone winning the competition for the first time.