Supercoppa Italiana: Final in Riyadh, champions vs cup winners

The Supercoppa Italiana, at least for one night, rediscovers its original identity. On Monday evening in Riyadh, with kickoff at 8:00 PM and exclusive live coverage on Mediaset networks, the grand final will see Napoli and Bologna face off: the Italian champions on one side and the Coppa Italia winners on the other.

Supercoppa Italiana, Bologna “satisfies” Conte: a final with no invitees, in Riyadh it’s a clash between the Scudetto and Coppa Italia

The Supercoppa Italiana, at least for one night, rediscovers its original identity. On Monday evening in Riyadh, with kickoff at 8:00 PM and exclusive live coverage on Mediaset networks, the grand final will see Napoli and Bologna face off: the Italian champions on one side and the Coppa Italia winners on the other. No “invitees,” no shortcuts tied to the new format. Exactly what Antonio Conte had demanded after the semifinal.

Conte’s jab and the response on the field

After the win over Milan, Conte did not hide a hint of controversy: “We are here not by invitation, but because we earned it.” A statement that sounded like a direct criticism of the expanded Supercoppa format, designed to involve four teams instead of just the two holders of the main titles.

Bologna, by defeating Inter in the other semifinal, effectively proved the Azzurri coach right. In the Riyadh final, there will be neither the league runners-up nor the Coppa Italia finalist: only the two teams who, according to the historical logic of the competition, had every right to be there, will reach the final act.

A return to the origins of the Supercoppa

It is a symbolic return to the spirit with which the Supercoppa Italiana was born at the end of the 1980s: Scudetto versus Coppa Italia. A format that had already reappeared in the 2023 edition, played in January 2024, the first with the four-team format. On that occasion, the final was between Inter, Coppa Italia winners, and Napoli, Italian champions, with the Nerazzurri winning 1-0 thanks to a goal by Lautaro Martinez in stoppage time.

The outcome of the 2024 edition, played last January, was different: Milan, second in the league, eliminated Juventus, the Coppa Italia winners, and then won the trophy with a sensational comeback in the derby against Inter. A precedent that further fueled the debate about “invitees” and the sporting legitimacy of the new format.

Napoli and Conte, chasing a third triumph

Now Napoli and Bologna are playing for the second title of 2025. For the Azzurri, it would be their third Supercoppa Italiana in history, after those won in 1990 and 2014, both in single matches against Juventus.

It would also be the third for Antonio Conte, who has already lifted the trophy twice as Juventus coach: in 2012 against Napoli and in 2013 against Lazio. A fact that further strengthens his status as a coach accustomed to winning knockout matches.

Bologna and Italiano, a historic first

For Bologna, on the other hand, the final in Riyadh represents an absolute first, as it does for Vincenzo Italiano. The coach confirms himself as a “man of finals”: this will be his fifth in two and a half years, after those in the Coppa Italia and Conference League in 2023 with Fiorentina (both lost), the second Conference League final in 2024 (also lost), and the Coppa Italia final won with Bologna last season.

Now there is the chance to write a new page in history. No invitees, no shortcuts. Only titles against titles, just as Conte likes it and, for one night, as the Supercoppa Italiana likes it too.

No “invitees,” no shortcuts tied to the new format. Exactly what Antonio Conte had demanded after the semifinal.