Serie A: all about the Football League

Serie A is the main Italian football championship. The strongest clubs in the country play in it. This is the higher league, i.e. the first level in the structure of Italian football. It is here that the teams compete for the title of Italian champion and have a chance to get to the European Cups.

This tournament is known all over the world. It has a rich history and its football traditions. Series A is not only games, but also derbies, stars, intrigue and a special atmosphere. In different years, the most famous players played in this championship: from Maradona to Ronaldo.

\n
\"Each year, Serie A attracts millions of spectators - not just Italians, but fans all over the world.\"
\n

This is a league worth watching even if you don't support any of the Italian teams.

History of Series A

Football in Italy began to gain popularity as early as at the end of the 19th century. The first tournament, which can be called the predecessor of Serie A, took place in 1898. Only four teams participated in it, and all matches were played in one day.

But the real start of the modern Serie A took place in 1929. It was then that the single national championship appeared, where teams from all over the country played in a round-robin format.

In the 1930s the first big clubs began to appear. In post-war times football in Italy became part of the culture. And since the 80s Serie A began to attract the strongest football players from around the world.

\n
\"In the 90s, the Italian championship was considered the strongest in Europe. Legends played here: Baggio, Vea, Maldini, Ronaldo.\"
\n

Teams such as \"Milan\", \"Inter\", \"Juventus\" dominated not only in Italy, but also in the Euroarena.

Although in the 2000s there were both scandals and a decline, now Serie A is alive again - with new heroes, young coaches and an honest fight for every point.

Competition format

20 teams play in Serie A.
The season lasts from August to May.
Each team plays two matches against all opponents - one at home, one away.
Thus each team plays 38 matches.

The format is simple:

3 points are given for victory
For a tie — 1
For defeat - nothing

Whoever scores the most points by the end of the season becomes the champion. If several teams have the same number of points, head-to-head between them is looked at first, then goal difference.

The bottom three teams are relegated to Serie B - Italy's second strongest division. Instead, the three best clubs from Serie B rise to the elite.

\n
\"In addition, the best teams from Serie A enter the European Cups - the Champions League, the Europa League and the Conference League.\"
\n

Therefore, the fight for the top-6 places is very important. This system allows you to make every match important - not only for the favorites, but also for those who are fighting for survival.

Famous teams of Serie A

If you think of Serie A, the first thing that comes to mind is big clubs with a long history. Here, everything depends not only on football, but also on traditions, fans and confrontations that last for decades.

\"Juventus\", \"Inter\", \"Milan\" are real giants. \"Juventus\" from Turin has the most titles in history — more than three dozen. Their discipline, organization and ability to win even when the game is not going, made the club a symbol of Italian football.

\n
\"\"Inter\" and \"Milan\" are two sides of the Milan coin. They are not just neighbors, but fundamental rivals who share the same stadium - San Siro.\"
\n

And at the same time share the hearts of millions of fans. Their meetings are always a nationwide event.

\"Roma\" and \"Lazio\" — another emotional Roman derby. There is not so much tactics as passion. Matches between these teams are a separate genre of Italian football.

\n
\"The Italian league has always lived at the expense of not only victories, but also precisely such stories - with clubs that have their own face and character.\"
\n

Serie A records and interesting statistics

Serie A is not only about beautiful goals and dramatic matches, but also about numbers that speak for themselves:

The record holder for the number of titles is still the same \"Juventus\", and this is not surprising.
\n
The best scorer of all time - Silvio Piola is a player that few people know about now, but his result - more than 270 goals - has been unattainable for decades.
\n
Gianluigi Buffon is a goalkeeper who has played so many matches in Serie A that it is hard to imagine. A man-legend who played at the top level until almost 45 years.
\n

Among the club records there are also plenty of interesting ones. For example, \"Milan\" kept a streak of 58 matches without defeat — and it became a real era. And \"Napoli\" in the 2022/23 season finally won the championship after a long break since the days of Maradona.

Modernity of Series A

Now Serie A is attracting attention again. Yes, it is no longer as rich as EPL and not as glamorous as La Liga, but instead it is real, honest, competitive.

20 teams compete in the league in the 2024/25 season. Among the favorites are the same ones — \"Inter\", \"Milan\", \"Juventus\", but \"Napoli\" has also fully announced itself in recent years.

Increasingly, clubs are betting on youth — fast, technical, with a new approach to the game.

\n
\"Players like Hviča Kvaratchelia or Lautaro Martínez have become the new stars to be followed around the world.\"
\n

Also the coaches are young, ambitious, who are not afraid to take risks.

In European Cups, the Italians are also reminding themselves again: \"Roma\", \"Inter\", \"Fiorentina\" play in the finals and prove that Italy is back in the game.

\n
\"Serie A is now the championship for those who are tired of the excessive commercialization of football and want a real fight.\"
\n

Interesting facts about Series A

Italian football is not only about tactics and titles. There are enough stories that add color and make the championship special.

Maradona and his \"Napoli\"

When Diego Maradona came to Naples in 1984, the city changed. \"Napoli\" from a mediocre club became a champion and broke the hegemony of northern teams.

\n
\"In Italy they still joke that after his departure, Naples went into \"standby mode\" for almost 30 years.\"
\n

And so in 2023 the city celebrated the title again, as if returning to those times.

The scandal that rocked Serie A

In 2006, a scandal broke out that changed the championship forever. \"Calciopoli\" is the name given to the investigation into corruption in Italian football. Referees, clubs, managers — everything was connected in a huge scheme.

\"Juventus\" was then punished the most severely — were deprived of two championships and sent to Serie B.

A club without its own stadium? Normally!

If you look at EPL or Bundesliga, all big clubs have their arenas. But in Italy it is not like that. For example, \"Milan\" and \"Inter\" have one stadium for two - \"San Siro\".

Same situation with \"Roma\" and \"Lazio\", who play at \"Olimpico\". Own stadium among the top clubs of Serie A only \"Juventus\" has.

A match that lasted... three days

One of the strangest stories of Serie A happened in 1961. \"Inter\" played with \"Catania\", but due to the crowd of fans on the field, the match was canceled. A few days later it was played, and \"Inter\" won 2:0.

But the decision caused a scandal - the judges and officials could not agree on who should be awarded three points.

Buffon's historic goal

Gianluigi Buffon is a Serie A legend, but few people know that he once almost missed a goal in the championship. It happened during one of his last seasons, when he stepped up to attack in stoppage time.

\n
\"The shot was strong, but the opponent's goalkeeper saved his team.\"
\n

It is worth noting that Serie A continues to restore its status as one of the strongest leagues in Europe, combining rich traditions with modern approaches to the game. Can Italian football return to the golden times of the 90s? One thing is certain — passion and character remain constant attributes of this championship.

\n","has_description":true,"area":{"id":10622,"name":"Italy","country_code":"ITA","iso_code":"IT","createdAt":"2024-11-04T12:00:26.328Z","updatedAt":"2025-06-10T06:27:33.405Z","locale":"en","stb_internal_id":"0192f70c-3858-728f-89fc-c186f9dc7925","overrides":null,"icon":{"url":"https://media.top2u.io/Italy_IT_6b15f9af34.svg","mime":"image/svg+xml","caption":null}}}}

Teun Koopmeiners: Profile