Serie A

What is Serie A?

Serie A is the top division of Italian men’s football, 20 clubs playing 38 matchdays for the scudetto. It is organised by Lega Serie A — the Lega Nazionale Professionisti Serie A, formed in 2010 when the top flight split from the old Lega Calcio — under the Federazione Italiana Giuoco Calcio. Since 2024–25 it has been sold as Serie A Enilive after its title sponsor, the Eni fuel brand that replaced TIM.^[1] [2]

How does it work?

A double round-robin decides the champion, who enters the Champions League league phase; a tie for first place, or for the last safe place, is settled by a one-off playoff at a neutral venue. The bottom three are relegated to Serie B, whose top two come up directly with a third promoted through playoffs. For 2026–27 Venezia, Frosinone and Monza were promoted and Cremonese, Hellas Verona and Pisa relegated; the season runs from 22 August 2026 to 30 May 2027.^{[1] [2] [4] [7]}

Since when does it exist?

Italy has crowned a champion since 1898, but the modern competition dates from 1929–30, when the regional groups were replaced by a single national round-robin under the name Serie A. Juventus hold the record with 36 titles; Inter’s 2025–26 title was their 21st, clinched on 3 May 2026 with a 2–0 win over Parma. The 2010s belonged to Juventus, with nine straight championships to 2019–20; since then the title has alternated among Inter, Milan and Napoli.^{[2] [3] [4]}

Champions of the last ten seasons.

Why does it matter?

Italy was second in UEFA’s men’s association ranking on 28 December 2025 (92.124 points), behind only England, and its 2025–26 season drew 11,680,772 spectators, an average of 30,739. The FA’s Governing Body Endorsement criteria list Serie A in Band 1, the top tier of foreign leagues for work-permit purposes — a status that matters when a player’s Serie A minutes are the evidence.^{[4] [5] [6]}