NAPLES, ITALY — Antonio Conte confirmed on Sunday that he is leaving Napoli after two years in charge, announcing his departure at a press conference alongside club president Aurelio De Laurentiis. The announcement came after Napoli's 1-0 win over Udinese in the team's final match of the season.

Napoli finished second in Serie A in Conte's second season, one year after he led the club to reclaim the Serie A title in his first campaign in charge. He also won the Supercoppa Italiana during the current season.

Conte cited personal reasons for stepping down at the end of the current season, despite having a contract that ran until summer 2027. He decided to step back from his duties more than one month before the end of the season.

"I made this decision because at Napoli I failed in one thing: I didn't bring unity to the environment and so it's difficult to compete with others," the 56-year-old said. "I failed because I didn't unite everyone and I put my hands up. I realize that things cannot be changed ... It was an honor, I thank the president and the fans who understood me."

Conte signed a three-year contract when he was hired by Napoli in 2024, taking over a club that had finished 10th in Serie A the previous season after winning the title under Luciano Spalletti and failed to qualify for any European tournament in the 2023-24 campaign. Napoli signed Scott McTominay and Romelu Lukaku before the 2024-25 season. During his second season, injuries and Champions League commitments affected the club's Serie A performance and prevented Napoli from keeping pace with Inter Milan.

Before the final match, Conte told DAZN: "The President knows what I will do, he knows that since at least one month." At the post-match press conference, he was asked about the possibility of taking over the Italian national team, following the resignations last month of FIGC president Gabriele Gravina and coach Gennaro Gattuso after Italy failed to qualify for the World Cup for a third consecutive time. Conte is one of the leading candidates to fill the role. "In the past I only said about the national team that if I were the president of the federation I would also include Conte among the candidates," he said.

Conte previously steered Italy to the quarterfinals of the 2016 European Championship, where the team lost to Germany in a penalty shootout. He also coached Juventus and Inter Milan to Serie A titles, and had stints at Chelsea and Tottenham in the Premier League.