The 2025/26 Coppa Italia final arrives tonight at the Stadio Olimpico, with Inter facing Lazio at 21:00 CEST in a fixture that closes one of the more storied cup campaigns in recent memory. Kick-off in Rome carries an unusual weight: a chance for Cristian Chivu’s Inter to complete a domestic double inside ten days of clinching the Scudetto, and for Lazio to halt one of the strongest teams in Europe at the very last hurdle.
Inter Arrive as Champions, Chasing More
Inter come to Rome with the league title secured and the appetite for more. Their 21st Scudetto was sealed on May 3 with a 2-0 home win over Parma, and the celebrations have not slowed the team down. On May 9, the Nerazzurri travelled to the Stadio Olimpico for the league fixture against Lazio and won 3-0, with goals from Lautaro Martinez, Petar Sucic and Henrikh Mkhitaryan. It is the same venue, the same opponent, and an entirely different competition, yet the warning that performance offered Lazio is impossible to ignore.
Lautaro arrives at the final having already scored a brace in a Coppa Italia showpiece, against Fiorentina on May 24, 2023. Only Hernan Crespo and Julio Cruz, both on three, have scored more goals for Inter in finals of this competition. He has eight goals against Lazio in all competitions for the club, a tally only bettered by his record against Cagliari, Salernitana and Milan. Marcus Thuram and Federico Dimarco have meanwhile produced one of the most prolific output lines in Europe in 2026, with Thuram involved in 15 goals in all competitions and Dimarco in 17.
This will be Inter’s 16th Coppa Italia final, a tally bettered only by Roma’s 17 and Juventus’ 22. They have lifted the trophy nine times. The history between the two clubs in this competition leans Inter’s way: seven wins to five in 18 cup meetings, with six draws.
Lazio’s Road to the Final
For Lazio, simply reaching the final represents a substantial achievement, given the calibre of opponents along the way. Maurizio Sarri’s side entered the competition at the round of sixteen and beat AC Milan 1-0 at the Olimpico, with Mattia Zaccagni scoring the only goal. In the quarter-finals they eliminated reigning Coppa Italia champions Bologna on penalties at the Dall’Ara, following a 1-1 draw in regulation time.
The semi-final against Atalanta produced the run’s defining moment. After a 2-2 draw in the first leg at the Olimpico, the second leg in Bergamo also finished level. In the shootout, goalkeeper Edoardo Motta saved four of five Atalanta penalties to send Lazio through. It is the kind of run that tends to galvanise a squad heading into a one-off final, and Lazio will need every ounce of that momentum tonight.
There is one significant problem in the dugout. Sarri is suspended for the final and will not lead his team from the touchline, a meaningful absence on a night when fine margins and in-game adjustments are likely to matter.
A Repeat of 2000, and What Is at Stake
The last time Lazio and Inter met in a Coppa Italia final was 2000, and the Biancocelesti won it over two legs as part of the only domestic double in their history. Twenty-six years on, the competition has condensed to a single match, but the resonance remains. Lazio have appeared in eleven Coppa Italia finals across their history, winning seven. A first cup since 2019 would be a significant trophy for a club whose recent decade has been built more around derby occasions than silverware.
Beyond the trophy itself, the final has wider consequences. Both clubs have already qualified for the 2026/27 Supercoppa Italiana, which Italian football’s revised four-team format guarantees to the Coppa Italia winner and runner-up. The winner here also enters next season’s competition with the seeding boost of being defending cup holders.
For Inter, the broader context is what makes this final feel different from a routine domestic showpiece. Chivu took charge of a squad fresh from a Champions League final defeat last season and has delivered the Scudetto in his first full campaign. Adding the Coppa Italia would represent a domestic double and reinforce the case that the Nerazzurri remain the most complete side in Italy.
The Match Itself
The Olimpico will hold a capacity crowd, with the final being played as a 70,000-plus sellout in line with previous editions. Tickets have been issued in NFC format only this year, and Rome’s public transport will be free for all ticket holders for the day.
In Italy, the final will be broadcast live free-to-air on Mediaset’s Canale 5. The build-up suggests two contrasting approaches: Inter’s strength in midfield combinations and Lautaro’s persistent threat in the final third against Lazio’s defensive structure and the recent shootout pedigree that carried them past Bologna and Atalanta in the previous rounds.
The single-leg final format means there is no second chance. Extra time and penalties follow if 90 minutes ends level. After a Coppa Italia run that has produced shootouts, upsets and the elimination of the defending champions, ending the competition with one more dramatic night in Rome would feel entirely fitting.
