⚽️🇮🇹 Inter and Juventus bid for world domination!
In this week’s Italian soccer digest, we're looking at big coaching changes at club and international level, previewing the Club World Cup, marvelling at some Francesco Totti magic, and much more.
🆕 The Chivu era begins at Inter!
Cristian Chivu has been named as Simone Inzaghi’s successor at Inter after putting pen to paper on a two-year deal as Nerazzurri coach this week.
🇷🇴 The 44-year-old replaces Inzaghi, who ended his four-year San Siro spell following the UEFA Champions League final and subsequently joined Saudi Arabian side Al Hilal.
📈 Chivu has a legendary pedigree as a former Inter player, having been a part of the 2010 Treble-winning side during his 168 appearances for the club.
💪 After his retirement, Chivu returned to Inter as a youth coach and won the Primavera title in 2022. This season, he joined Parma in February for his first senior coaching role and kept the Gialloblu in Serie A with a 16th-place finish.
🗣️ "I am honored by the opportunity that I have been given,” Chivu said. “I have passion and ambition, and I will transfer this to my players as we must do what a team like Inter deserves, which means going all the way, and fighting to win".
📅 Inter will begin the new Serie A season at home to Torino - more on that below. But before then, Chivu and his players are heading to this side of the Atlantic…
🏆 FIFA Club World Cup kicks off this weekend
A revamped Club World Cup gets underway on Saturday, and there will be two Serie A sides battling to take the trophy in the inaugural 32-team version of the competition.
🌎 Inter and Juventus are flying the flag for Serie A at the tournament, which will be staged across the United States from June 14 to July 13. They both qualified thanks to their UEFA club coefficient ranking over a four-year period from 2021 to 2024.
💪 Juventus is in Group G and faces Al Ain of the UAE at Audi Field in Washington, D.C. on June 18, before taking on Wydad AC of Morocco at Lincoln Financial Field in Philadelphia on June 22. Juve then faces English Premier League giant Manchester City at Camping World Stadium in Orlando on June 26.
👏 Ahead of the tournament kicking off, Juventus announced Igor Tudor will remain in charge for the 2025/26 season after guiding the club to Champions League qualification.
🐍 Chivu’s Inter kicks off its Group E campaign against Mexican side CF Monterrey at the Rose Bowl Stadium in Los Angeles on June 17, before facing Urawa Red Diamonds of Japan and Argentinian powerhouses River Plate on June 21 and 26, respectively - both at Seattle’s Lumen Field.
🔥 The top two teams in each of the eight groups will qualify for the Round of 16. There are some other huge names involved, including reigning European champions PSG, as well as the likes of Real Madrid, Chelsea, and Bayern Munich. Flying the flag for the host nation are Major League Soccer sides Seattle Sounders, LAFC, and Inter Miami.
🗓️ Serie A’s 2025/26 fixtures have dropped!
Ready for more? The new season is still two months away, but you can already mark your calendars for some mouthwatering ties after the full fixture list was released on Friday.
💯 The hotly anticipated opening round on the weekend of August 24 will see the reigning champions of Serie B and Serie A face off when Sassuolo host Napoli. Bologna travels to Roma for a blockbuster clash, while Pisa and Cremonese mark their top-flight returns with trips to Atalanta and Milan, respectively.
🔥 Some important dates to note are the big derby matches. The Derby della Madonnina between Inter and Milan will take place in match weeks 12 and 28, the Derby della Capitale between Lazio and Roma in weeks 4 and 37, and the Derby d’Italia between Inter and Juventus in weeks 3 and 25.
⚡ The 2025/26 Serie A season runs from August 24, 2025, to May 25, 2026, with midweek matches on October 29, 2025, and January 6, 2026. There will be four international breaks - in September, October, November, and March.
📍 You can check out and download the full list of Serie A fixtures right here.
🙌 Juric arrives at Atalanta
Ivan Juric has been appointed as Atalanta's head coach to replace club legend Gian Piero Gasperini - a man whose methods he has intimate knowledge of.
🙏 Juric played under Gasperini at Crotone and Genoa before joining the Italian’s staff at Inter and Palermo when he moved into coaching. The Croatian, who is widely considered a disciple of Gasp and often uses a similar 3-4-3 formation, has signed a two-year contract at the Gewiss Stadium.
💥 Juric has buckets of Serie A experience from his spells with Genoa, Hellas Verona, and Torino, and was most recently at the helm at Roma, before joining Premier League side Southampton.
⭐ “It was a negative year in a sporting sense, but a fantastic one in terms of learning experience,” Juric said. “I feel much stronger than I was a year ago. I worked with great players at Roma, appreciated the Premier League at Southampton, so they were positive for my growth as a coach.”
🐺 Gasp takes the Roma reins
As for Gasperini? The 61-year-old’s expected move to Roma was confirmed this week when he signed a deal to 2028 in the Eternal City.
💯 Gasperini transformed Atalanta from relegation battlers to UEFA Champions League regulars and Europa League champions during his nine-year spell in charge and arrives in Rome with a reputation as one of Italy’s finest coaches.
💡 His next task is to bring the Giallorossi back to the Champions League following their fifth-place finish in 2024/25 under Claudio Ranieri, who has now moved into an advisory role and was heavily involved in Gasperini’s appointment.
🗣️ Roma’s American owners, Dan and Ryan Friedkin, released a statement hailing the new arrival: “A coach of great experience, personality, and vision,” it read. “His footballing philosophy, deep-rooted culture of hard work, and ability to develop talent align perfectly with the identity and ambitions of AS Roma. We believe he is the right Mister for this moment — and the right leader for what comes next.”
🇺🇸 Cagliari’s North Carolina adventure!
Cagliari represented Serie A at TST in Cary, NC, and reached the Round of 32 of a thrilling competition.
👏 The Isolani came second in their group during the 48-team men’s seven-a-side tournament in North Carolina, before a 5-2 loss to 2023 champions and eventual semi-finalists Newtown Pride in the Round of 32.
💰 The $1 million prize in the men’s tournament went to Bumpy Pitch, who defeated Pumas de Alabama in the final, while US Women claimed glory - and a million dollars - by beating Bumpy Pitch Women in the women’s final.
🗣️ “It was an experience that went beyond the sporting results, electrifying and valid also from a cultural point of view, and for the club’s projects of internationalisation. The seven-a-side football event was hosted on the continent that will soon host World Cups for club and national teams, and which always offers its citizens and visitors a unique approach.” Cagliari said on its website.
🤝 In other Cagliari news, Fabio Pisacane has been appointed as head coach after the club parted ways with Davide Nicola following a 15th-place finish in 2024/25.
💬 Calcio Conversations
Pisa is one of the new arrivals to Serie A this year, and the historic Tuscan city makes for a perfect weekend getaway for fans of soccer, culture, and food.
🤷♂️ What does Pisa have to offer? Pisa’s historic center is packed with delights, but undoubtedly its most renowned site is the ‘Leaning Tower’ and the surrounding Piazza dei Miracoli. Even better for soccer fans, the Arena Garibaldi is just a few minutes away!
🍴 What about the food? Tuscan food is famed around the world, and Pisa delivers on that reputation. From wholesome cecina flatbread to warm bordatino alla pisana soup or the sweet treat torta co' bischeri, there is something for everyone.
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🤯 Social Post of the Week: Totti has still got it!
Did he really just do that?! The great Francesco Totti showed that age really is just a number when he unleashed this simply outrageous missile from the halfway line in a charity match.
🎠 Torino hires Baroni as coaching carousel spins
It has been a busy post-season for Serie A coaching changes, with former Lazio boss Marco Baroni becoming the latest to take on a new role when he joined Torino.
👉 The former Hellas Verona coach led Lazio to seventh in Serie A this season but departed after one year to be replaced by Maurizio Sarri. He was quickly snapped up by Toro, who have appointed the 61-year-old on a two-year deal following the dismissal of Paolo Vanoli.
🤝 In other coaching news this week, Marco Giampaolo departed Lecce after guiding them to safety, while Patrick Vieira committed his future to Genoa with a new contract to 2027.
🔜 The coaching carousel might have seen plenty of action, but there is more to come: Lecce join Parma and Fiorentina on the list of Serie A clubs still on the hunt for a new Mister heading into next season!
🇮🇹 Search for new Italy ‘CT’ is underway
It’s been a dramatic week for the Azzurri after commissario tecnico (CT) Luciano Spalletti announced in a press conference that he had been dismissed following Friday’s 3-0 defeat to Norway.
⚽ Spalletti’s side suffered a setback in its opening FIFA World Cup qualifying match with defeat in Oslo, but bounced back with a 2-0 win over Moldova on Monday.
🤔 Italy failed to qualify for the last two World Cups in 2018 and 2022, and they currently trail 2026 qualifying Group I leaders Norway by nine points, although they have two games in hand.
🎢 Spalletti leaves with a mixed record since taking over as Italy CT in August 2023, with 11 wins in 23 matches. He guided the Azzurri to Euro 2024 qualification, but suffered a Round of 16 defeat to Switzerland at the tournament.
🗣️ Recently-retired Roma coach Claudio Ranieri was the lead candidate for the role but has since ruled himself out of the running. “I’m grateful for the opportunity, it is a great honor, but I have reflected on it and decided to stay in my new role with Roma [as a senior advisor],” Ranieri said.
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