Complete failure. Napoli become first Italian champions in 12 years to be knocked out at Champions League group stage

Antonio Conte sets another unwanted Champions League record.
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Complete failure. Napoli become first Italian champions in 12 years to be knocked out at Champions League group stage Photo by Francesco Pecoraro/Getty Images
28 jan 2026 15:00
Champions League
SSC Napoli Chelsea
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Tough times for Napoli.

Details: After yesterday's defeat to London's Chelsea in the 8th round of the Champions League, it became clear that Napoli failed to qualify for the Champions League playoffs, finishing as low as 30th place in the group stage.

Napoli are the reigning Italian champions, which makes this result even more humiliating. The last time the Scudetto holders failed to make it out of the Champions League group stage was in the 2013/14 season, and that team was Juventus from Turin. Back then, the "Bianconeri" finished third in a group with Real Madrid, Galatasaray, and Copenhagen.

Remarkably, Juventus were then managed by Napoli's current coach — Antonio Conte.

In this season's Champions League campaign, Napoli managed to win only 2 out of 8 matches, which wasn't enough even to grab a playoff spot.

Reminder: Inadequacy: Napoli fans launch hunt for Chelsea supporters. The violence escalates to stabbings...

Kenley Ward Kenley Ward Dailysports's expert
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