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Serie B
Serie B
Country Flag of Italy Italy
Confederation UEFA
Founded 1929
Number of teams 19
Promotion to Serie A
Relegation to Serie C
Levels on pyramid 2
Domestic cup(s) Coppa Italia
UEFA cup(s) UEFA Europa League
(via winning Coppa Italia)
Current champions Frosinone (2022-23)
Most successful club Genoa
Atalanta (6 titles each)
TV DAZN
Website Official website
Football current event 2023-24

The Serie B, currently named Serie BKT for sponsorship reasons, is the second-highest division in the Italian football league system after the Serie A. It has been operating for over ninety years since the 1929–30 season. It had been organized by Lega Calcio until 2010, when the Lega Serie B was created for the 2010–11 season. Common nicknames for the league are campionato cadetto and cadetteria, since cadetto is the Italian name for junior or cadet.

Serie B was composed of 20 teams until the 2002–03 season. It was enlarged to 24 teams for the 2003–04 season due to legal problems relating to Calcio Catania relegation. The league reverted to 22 teams for the 2004–05 season, while Serie A expanded from 18 to 20 teams.

During the regular season, each team plays 42 games – two games against every opponent. In Italian football, a true round-robin format is used. In the first half of the season, called andata, each team plays once against all its opponents, a total of 21 games. In the second half of the season, called ritorno, each team will play the same teams in exactly the same order, the only difference being that a home game played in the first half will be an away game with that same team in the second half, and vice versa.

Since the 2006–07 season, the Serie B champion is awarded the cup Ali della Vittoria (Wings of Victory). The trophy is 63 cm high and weighs 5 kg. Its structure represents the wings of the goddess Nike, the goddess of victory, holding a cup similar to an olympic flame.

Serie B matches are usually played on Saturday. After one year where all games were played on Saturday, the league is again scheduling one game that is played on Friday called anticipo (the advanced game) and one game that is played on Monday called posticipo (the post-dated game). The league also plays on several Tuesdays to fit in all 42 games. The league also plays on Sunday if Serie A is off.

Promotion and relegation[]

At the end of the season, three teams are promoted to Serie A and four teams are relegated to the reformed Serie C (formerly Lega Pro Prima Divisione). The top two teams are automatically promoted. If the 3rd-placed team is 10 or more points ahead of the 4th-placed team, it is automatically promoted too, otherwise a playoff tournament determines the third team that will be promoing in the 2013–14 season, anywhere between two and six teams within a "playoff margin" of 14 points from the 3rd-placed team will enter the playoff tournament. Under the new playoff format, up to three rounds may be required. The final two rounds are two-legged ties, while opening round matches (if required) are single legs hosted by the higher-ranked team. If a tie is drawn at the end of regular play (one or two matches, depending on the round), extra time is played. If the two teams are still tied after thirty minutes, the higher classified team advances.

In the relegation zone, the three last-placed teams (20th, 21st and 22nd) are automatically demoted to Serie C. If the 18th-placed team is 5 or more points ahead of the 19th-placed team, then the 19th-placed team becomes the 4th and final team to be demoted, otherwise the conditions for a playoff more commonly called playout exist.

If the playout is necessary, the 18th and 19th-placed teams are paired in a two-legged series with home-field advantage in the 2nd leg going to the 18th-placed team. The team with the higher aggregate score remains in Serie B while the loser becomes the fourth team relegated to Serie C. If an aggregate tie exists at the end of regulation play of the 2nd leg, the 18th-placed team is saved, and the 19th-placed team is demoted.

Serie B clubs[]

2023–24 members[]

Team Home city Stadium Capacity 2022–23 season
Ascoli Ascoli Piceno Stadio Cino e Lillo Del Duca &0000000000011326.00000011,326 12th in Serie B
Bari Bari Stadio San Nicola &0000000000058270.00000058,270 3rd in Serie B
Catanzaro Catanzaro Stadio Nicola Ceravolo &0000000000014650.00000014,650 Serie C Group C champions
Cittadella Cittadella Stadio Pier Cesare Tombolato &0000000000007623.0000007,623 15th in Serie B
Como Como Stadio Giuseppe Sinigaglia &0000000000013602.00000013,602 13th in Serie B
Cosenza Cosenza Stadio San Vito-Gigi Marulla &0000000000020987.00000020,987 17th in Serie B
Cremonese Cremona Stadio Giovanni Zini &0000000000015191.00000015,191 19th in Serie A
Feralpisalò Salò and Lonato del Garda Stadio Leonardo Garilli[lower-alpha 1] &0000000000021668.00000021,668 Serie C Group A champions
Lecco Lecco Stadio Euganeo[lower-alpha 2] &0000000000018060.00000018,060 Serie C Play-off winners
Modena Modena Stadio Alberto Braglia &0000000000021151.00000021,151 10th in Serie B
Palermo Palermo Stadio Renzo Barbera &0000000000036365.00000036,365 9th in Serie B
Parma Parma Stadio Ennio Tardini &0000000000022352.00000022,352 4th in Serie B
Pisa Pisa Arena Garibaldi – Stadio Romeo Anconetani &0000000000014000.00000014,000 11th in Serie B
Reggiana Reggio Emilia Mapei Stadium – Città del Tricolore &0000000000021525.00000021,525 Serie C Group B champions
Sampdoria Genoa Stadio Luigi Ferraris &0000000000033205.00000033,205 20th in Serie A
Spezia La Spezia Stadio Alberto Picco &0000000000011968.00000011,968 18th in Serie A
Südtirol Bolzano Stadio Druso &0000000000005539.0000005,539 6th in Serie B
Ternana Terni Stadio Libero Liberati &0000000000022000.00000022,000 14th in Serie B
Venezia Venice Stadio Pier Luigi Penzo &0000000000011150.00000011,150 8th in Serie B

External links[]

Serie B 2021–22

Alessandria · Ascoli · Benevento · Brescia · Cittadella · Como · Cosenza · Cremonese · Crotone · Frosinone · Lecce · Monza · Parma · Perugia · Pisa · Pordenone · Reggina · SPAL · Ternana · Vicenza

Serie B seasons

2015–16 · 2016–17 · 2017–18 · 2018–19 · 2019–20 · 2020–21 · 2021–22 · 2022–23 · 2023–24 · 2024–25 ·

Football in Italy
League competitions IFF Cup competitions
Serie A Italy Coppa Italia
Serie B (U21, U20, U19, U17) Supercoppa Italiana
Serie C Clubs Coppa Italia Lega Pro
Serie D Stadiums Supercoppa (Prima Divisione)
Eccellenza Leagues Supercoppa (Seconda Divisione)
Lega Nazionale Dilettanti
(Promozione · Prima Categoria · Seconda Categoria · Terza Categoria)
Records Coppa Italia Serie D
Coppa Italia Dilettanti
Italy national football team crest
Flag of Italy Italy


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