No Serie A clubs made it to the Champions League quarter-finals in 2023-24, but Italy still has a high chance of seeing five teams involved in the competition next season, while fans are anxiously waiting to see the Azzurri at Euro 2024 in the summer.
Most fans and pundits in Italy were shocked by Inter‘s Champions League exit at the hands of La Liga giants Atletico Madrid in the Round of 16. Not only the Nerazzurri are the runaway domestic leaders and on the verge of winning the 20th title in the club’s history, but they also reached the Champions League Final in 2023, losing to Manchester City with plenty of regrets.
Perhaps, not even Inter expected such an outcome, but Alessandro Bastoni recently tried to see the glass half full for the Nerazzurri: “We regret being eliminated by Atletico, and two years ago, being eliminated by Liverpool was almost seen as an accomplishment. This is already a big change,” the Italian defender said in his latest interview with Gazzetta.
In a season that has seen the Nerazzurri improve in any aspect, everyone thought Simone Inzaghi would have reached the later stages of the competition. However, Inter’s premature Champions League exit, which followed those of Milan, Napoli and Lazio, didn’t affect Serie A too much, given that results in the Europa League and Conference League are giving Italian football a unique chance of having five teams involved in Europe’s elite club competition next season.
Italy has finished among the top two countries in UEFA’s coefficient ranking, which is updated after every European match, in any of the three competitions. With Atalanta and Fiorentina‘s recent qualification for the Europa League and Conference League semis, Serie A will surely have five clubs in next’ seasons Champions League.
With five Serie A teams involved in the 2024-25 Champions League, it’s easy to predict there will be plenty of action for Italian football fans over the next year. On top of European club competitions, Spalletti’s Italy will defend their European champions status in Germany this summer, while Inter and Juventus will be involved in the 2025 FIFA Club World Cup next year.
Aside from Serie A clubs, there are plenty of betting options regarding the upcoming Euros, including through no deposit bonus in the USA and it’s truly unsurprising to see the Azzurri out from the group of favourites, topped by England and France. Italy are often underrated but remain one of the most successful countries in the world with four World Cups, just one short of Brazil, and two European Championships.
Over the next 12 months and counting, Italian football fans can expect plenty of excitement in many different competitions, with top clubs and the Azzurri involved. There will be no month off starting from this summer Euros until the 2025 Club World Cup and beyond.