Napoli

Naples is one of the oldest continuously inhabited cities in the world and undoubtedly one of the most captivating in the Mediterranean. Founded by the Greeks as Neápolis — 'new city' — more than two thousand five hundred years ago, the city has been successively a Greek, Roman, Norman, Angevin, Aragonese and Bourbon capital, accumulating a historical and artistic heritage of extraordinary density. Its Historic Centre was declared a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1995, and Neapolitan pizza, a gastronomic symbol of global reach, received the same recognition in 2017.

From a sporting perspective, Naples experiences football with an intensity few cities in the world can match. The Stadio Diego Armando Maradona, with a capacity of 54,726 spectators, is the temple where SSC Napoli plays its Serie A matches; the club has won four Scudetti, the most recent being the 2022-23 season, celebrated with unprecedented collective euphoria. The figure of Diego Armando Maradona remains in Naples far more than a sporting idol: he is a symbol of cultural identity and popular pride.

In 2026, ACES Europe designated Naples as European Capital of Sport, the fourth Italian city to receive this recognition after Milan (2009), Turin (2015) and Genoa (2024). The programme includes 56 events across 21 sports disciplines, with special emphasis on sport as a tool for social cohesion and inclusion in the city's historic neighbourhoods. Its active participation in the EWoS 2024 programme — with 8 registered events — anticipates the spirit of openness and dynamism that characterises this candidacy.