Italian Super Cup to return to two-team format before Christmas 2026

The Italian Super Cup will return to its traditional two-team format and be played before Christmas, Italian Serie A president Ezio Maria Simonelli has announced.

The match will feature Inter, who won both the Serie A title and the Coppa Italia, and Lazio, the runners-up in the Coppa Italia.

The venue and exact date have not yet been confirmed, although the most likely options are Tuesday, 22 December 2026, or Wednesday, 23 December, according to Sport Mediaset.

“The match will be played before Christmas, and there are several proposals regarding the stadium,” Simonelli said in a radio interview.

He added: “We will reveal details of the date and stadium during the next meeting of the Italian Serie A League.”

The Supercoppa Italiana has been played as a four-team mini-tournament during the past three seasons. That competition was staged in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, with the winners and runners-up from Serie A and the Coppa Italia taking part.

From the current season, however, the tournament will return to its previous format, involving only two teams. Inter qualified as winners of both the league and the cup, while Lazio earned their place as Coppa Italia runners-up.

The decision restores the traditional structure of the Italian Super Cup, which had previously been contested in a single match between the Serie A champions and Coppa Italia winners. The expanded format was introduced for the past three campaigns, with four clubs competing for the trophy in Saudi Arabia.

The final is expected to be scheduled shortly after the final Serie A fixtures before the winter break. The last league round before the pause is due to take place on 19 and 20 December, with Serie A scheduled to resume on 2 January 2027.

The return to the two-team format means Inter and Lazio will meet in a standalone final rather than entering a semi-final and final system. Inter’s qualification comes from their success in both of Italy’s main domestic competitions, while Lazio progressed as the losing finalists in the Coppa Italia.

No official announcement has yet been made on whether the match will be held in Italy or at another proposed venue. Simonelli said those details would be communicated after the next meeting of the Italian Serie A League, when the outstanding arrangements are expected to be discussed.

The timing will allow the Supercoppa Italiana to be completed before the end of 2026, with the proposed 22 or 23 December dates falling immediately before the Christmas period.