The Italian Football Pyramid
La Mezzala · Tactical Intelligence
The Italian
Football
Pyramid
From the Scudetto to the village pitch — every tier of Italian football from Serie A to La Primavera, governed by the FIGC and bound together by promotion and relegation. 9 levels. Thousands of clubs. One pyramid.
Professional
Semi-pro elite
Amateur
Youth / Primavera
⬛ Professional Football · Levels 1–3
Lvl 1
Serie A
Enilive Serie A · Lega Serie A
Italy's top flight since 1929. Top 4 qualify for the Champions League; 5th–6th for the Europa League. Bottom 3 are relegated to Serie B. One of the world's most-watched leagues.
Champions League
Europa League
Coppa Italia
Supercoppa
Fully Professional
20
Clubs
38
Match
days
days
3
Rele
gated
gated
2024–25 Champion
Napoli (4th title)
Record: Juventus — 36 titles
↓ Promotion / Relegation ↑
Lvl 2
Serie B
Serie BKT · Lega B
The second tier since 1929. Top 2 are automatically promoted; 3rd–8th enter play-offs for a third Serie A spot. Bottom 3 drop directly; a further 4 face play-outs.
DAZN · LaB Channel
Coppa Italia
Fully Professional
20
Clubs
38
Match
days
days
3–4
Promo
ted
ted
2024–25 Champion
Sassuolo (2nd title)
Record: Genoa — 6 titles
↓ Promotion / Relegation ↑
Lvl 3
Serie C / Lega Pro
3 geographic groups · Lega Italiana Calcio Professionistico
The last professional tier. Three groups — North (A), Centre (B), South (C) — of 20 clubs each. Group winners earn automatic promotion to Serie B; additional spots via play-offs.
Sky Sport · Rai Sport
Coppa Italia Serie C
Supercoppa Serie C
Professional
60
Clubs
total
total
3
Groups
A·B·C
A·B·C
2025–26 Group Winners
Vicenza · Arezzo · Benevento
Record: Prato — 6 titles
▲ Professional ↑ ↓ Amateur ▼
◼ Amateur Elite · Levels 4–5
Lvl 4
Serie D
9 interregional groups (A–I) · Lega Nazionale Dilettanti
The highest non-professional tier in Italy. Nine geographic groups; each winner earns direct promotion to Serie C. The line between amateur passion and professional ambition is thinnest here.
Top amateur level
Interregional
Coppa Italia Serie D
162
Clubs
9
Groups
2024–25 Champion
Livorno (1st title)
Founded 1948 as Promozione
↓ Promotion / Relegation ↑
Lvl 5
Eccellenza
28 regional divisions · LND Regional Committees
474 clubs across 28 regional divisions. Lombardy carries three; several regions share one. Division winners and runners-up can reach Serie D via national play-offs. The name means "excellence" — and at this level it fits.
Regional amateur
Coppa Italia Dilettanti
Founded 1991
474
Clubs
28
Divisions
◼ Amateur Football · Levels 6–9
↓ Promotion / Relegation ↑
Lvl 6
Promozione
53 divisions · LND Regional Committees
868 clubs across 53 divisions — the first fully amateur level. Division winners are promoted to their regional Eccellenza. One of Italy's oldest structures, in continuous operation since 1912.
Fully amateur
Regional
Founded 1912
868
Clubs
53
Divisions
↓ Promotion / Relegation ↑
Lvl 7
Prima Categoria
Many provincial divisions · LND Regional Committees
Hundreds of divisions spanning Italy's regions and provinces. Clubs here are the grassroots backbone — fiercely local, volunteer-run, and the beating heart of the game outside the cities.
Amateur
Provincial / Regional
100s
of divs
↓ Promotion / Relegation ↑
Lvl 8
Seconda Categoria
LND Regional Committees
Deep grassroots football. The pyramid broadens enormously here — small clubs, passionate local derbies, and the kind of football played for love rather than money.
Amateur
Regional
↓ Promotion / Relegation ↑
Lvl 9
Terza Categoria
Provincial Committees · LND
The base of the pyramid. Organised at provincial level rather than regional. Thousands of clubs and tens of thousands of players. Every Sunday morning, across every region, this is where Italian football truly lives.
Base of pyramid
Provincial amateur
◼ Youth Football · La Primavera
U-20
Campionato Primavera 1
Trofeo Giacinto Facchetti · Lega Serie A
The flagship U-20 competition, founded 1962. Twenty squads from Serie A's academies. The champion qualifies for the UEFA Youth League. A club relegated from Serie A must move its Primavera side to Dante Berretti.
UEFA Youth League
Coppa Italia Primavera
Supercoppa Primavera
Sportitalia
20
Clubs
U-20
Age
group
group
2024–25 Champion
Inter Milan
Record: Inter — 11 titles
↓ Promotion / Relegation ↑
U-19
Campionato Primavera 2
2 groups of 16 · Lega B
Organised by Lega Serie B. Two geographically split groups of 16. The overall winner is determined via the Supercoppa Primavera 2. Promotion to P1 requires the parent club to hold Serie A or Serie B membership.
Sportitalia
Supercoppa Primavera 2
32 clubs
32
Clubs
2
Groups
2024–25 Champion
Frosinone
Founded 2017 (as unified league)
↓ Promotion / Relegation ↑
U-19
Campionato Dante Berretti
Serie C academies · Lega Pro
The U-19 competition for Serie C academy sides. Named after a legendary Lega Pro president. Clubs whose parent senior team is relegated from Serie B drop here from Primavera 2.
Serie C youth tier
U-19
Lega Pro
⚑ Youth league status is tied to the parent senior club's division. A club relegated to Serie C cannot hold a Primavera 1 or 2 place — their youth team transfers to Dante Berretti.
· Additional competitions: Coppa Italia Primavera · Viareggio Cup (int'l U-20 tournament)