Fiorentina released an official announcement on Saturday, confirming that Stefano Pioli will serve as the first team coach from now on. The two parties signed a three-year contract, which will expire on June 30, 2028.

With the signing officially completed, Pioli returned to Florence after six years. He coached Fiorentina from 2017 to 2019, with a total record of 27 wins, 25 draws and 22 losses.

Regarding Pioli's return, Fiorentina chairman Rocco Commisso said: "I am very happy that Stefano Pioli is in charge of the Fiorentina first team. From the first words we exchanged, I found that he has noble personality qualities and a desire to fight for this club and this city. He is very familiar with Fiorentina and has established a deep emotional connection with it."

"I, my family and the entire Fiorentina club wholeheartedly welcome Stefano back and wish him all the best in his new journey with the Viola."

The 59-year-old Pioli has coached many teams including Salernitana, Modena, Parma, Grosseto, Piacenza, Sassuolo, Chievo, Palermo, Bologna, Lazio, Inter Milan, Fiorentina, AC Milan, etc., and led Milan to win the Serie A championship in the 2021/22 season. He has moved to Saudi Arabia since September 2024 and served as the head coach of Riyadh Victory.

However, Pioli failed to continue his past success at Al-Hilal. Despite having a number of stars such as Cristiano Ronaldo, John Durán, Sadio Mané, and Aymeric Laporte, Al-Hilal only ranked third in the Saudi League last season under Pioli, and even lost to Kawasaki Frontale in the semi-finals of the Asian Champions League. As the results did not meet expectations, he was eventually fired as head coach by Al-Hilal last month.