| Serie B | |
| |
| Country |  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 | Empoli (2nd title) (2017-18) |
| Most successful club | Genoa Atalanta (6 titles each) |
| TV | DAZN |
| Website | Official website |
 2019-20
| |
Serie B currently named Serie B ConTe.it due to sponsorship reasons, is the second-highest division in the Italian football league system after the Serie A. It is contested by 22 teams and organized by the Lega Serie B since July 2010, after the split of Lega Calcio that previously took care of both the Serie A and Serie B. Common nicknames for the league are campionato cadetto and cadetteria, as cadetto is the Italian 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
2019–20 members
| Team | Home city | Stadium | Capacity | 2018–19 season |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ascoli | Ascoli Piceno | Stadio Cino e Lillo Del Duca | 12,461 | 13th in Serie B |
| Benevento | Benevento | Stadio Ciro Vigorito | 16,867 | 3rd in Serie B |
| Chievo | Verona | Stadio Marc'Antonio Bentegodi | 31,045 | 20th in Serie A |
| Cittadella | Cittadella (Padua) | Stadio Pier Cesare Tombolato | 7,623 | 7th in Serie B |
| Cosenza | Cosenza | Stadio San Vito-Gigi Marulla | 24,209 | 10th in Serie B |
| Cremonese | Cremona | Stadio Giovanni Zini | 20,641 | 9th in Serie B |
| Crotone | Crotone | Stadio Ezio Scida | 16,640 | 12th in Serie B |
| Empoli | Empoli (Florence) | Stadio Carlo Castellani | 16,284 | 18th in Serie A |
| Frosinone | Frosinone | Stadio Benito Stirpe | 16,227 | 19th in Serie A |
| Juve Stabia | Castellammare di Stabia (Naples) | Romeo Menti | 13,000 | Serie C/C Champions |
| Livorno | Livorno | Stadio Armando Picchi | 14,267 | 14th in Serie B |
| Perugia | Perugia | Stadio Renato Curi | 23,625 | 8th in Serie B |
| Pescara | Pescara | Stadio Adriatico – Giovanni Cornacchia | 20,515 | 4th in Serie B |
| Pisa | Pisa | Arena Garibaldi – Romeo Anconetani | 10,000 | 3rd in Serie C/A, play-off winner |
| Pordenone | Pordenone | Dacia Arena (Udine) | 25,132 | Serie C/B Champions |
| Salernitana | Salerno | Stadio Arechi | 37,180 | 16th in Serie B |
| Spezia | La Spezia | Stadio Alberto Picco | 10,336 | 6th in Serie B |
| Trapani | Trapani | Polisportivo Provinciale (Erice) | 7,787 | 2nd in Serie C/C, play-off winner |
| Venezia | Venice | Stadio Pierluigi Penzo | 7,371 | 15th in Serie B |
| Virtus Entella | Chiavari (Genoa) | Comunale Aldo Gastaldi | 5,535 | Serie C/A Champions |
External links
- Official website (in Italian)
Template:Serie B teamlist
| Serie B seasons |
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2015–16 · 2016–17 · 2017–18 · 2018–19 · 2019–20 · 2020–21 · 2021–22 · 2022–23 · 2023–24 · |
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