As of late February 2026, Inter Milan have established themselves as the overwhelming favourites to claim the Serie A title, holding a ten-point lead over AC Milan and an even more commanding advantage over the other contenders. Yet the season has been defined not just by Inter's domestic dominance but by a series of dramatic reversals, controversies, and institutional upheavals that have reshaped the landscape of Italian football heading into the final stretch of the campaign.
Inter's superiority in Serie A has been emphatic. A 5-0 demolition of Sassuolo, a composed 2-0 victory at Lecce, and a pulsating 3-2 Derby d'Italia win over Juventus — sealed by Piotr Zielinski's 90th-minute goal — underlined the depth and tactical cohesion that manager Cristian Chivu, who is close to signing a contract extension, has built. However, their European ambitions were extinguished in stunning fashion when Norwegian side Bodø/Glimt completed one of the Champions League's most remarkable upsets, eliminating the previous season's runners-up with a second-leg win at San Siro. The shock exit, combined with a calf injury to Lautaro Martínez, introduced a note of vulnerability into what had otherwise been a near-flawless domestic campaign. Paradoxically, the early Champions League exit may now free Inter to concentrate entirely on the Scudetto, reinforcing rather than undermining their title credentials.
Juventus's season, by contrast, has unravelled at speed. Between late January and late February, the club suffered five defeats in six matches — including a 3-0 Coppa Italia loss to Atalanta, the Derby d'Italia defeat, and a humiliating 5-2 aggregate elimination from the Champions League by Galatasaray. A 2-0 home defeat to Como completed a catastrophic sequence. Manager Luciano Spalletti retained board backing despite the results, but internal tensions were visible: a reported confrontation between Spalletti and Kenan Yıldız following a substitution, disciplinary bans for sporting director Comolli and director Chiellini after the Inter derby, and contract renewal talks reportedly contingent on transfer activity all pointed to an institution under strain. The January loan signing of Randal Kolo Muani from PSG and Yıldız's contract extension to 2030 offered some grounds for optimism, as did the prospect of signing Leon Goretzka on a free transfer from Bayern Munich, but the rebuilding project clearly has not yet matured into a genuine title challenge.
Napoli's campaign has followed a more ambiguous trajectory. Antonio Conte's side showed resilience — a dramatic 3-2 win at Genoa, a 96th-minute Romelu Lukaku winner at Verona — but also fragility, with a Coppa Italia penalty shootout exit to Como, a 2-1 defeat at Atalanta, and a 2-2 draw with Roma leaving them in third place. Conte publicly vented frustration over injuries and what he characterised as an inadequate transfer window, and the Italian Football Federation opened disciplinary proceedings against him for alleged remarks directed at a match official. The Panchina d'Oro award for the fifth time confirmed his standing as one of the game's elite coaches, but the question of whether Napoli can sustain a title challenge — rather than merely compete for a top-four finish — remains unanswered. The injury burden and squad depth concerns Conte has flagged appear to be genuine structural constraints.