Campionato Primavera

About Campionato Primavera

History, Format, Organization, Media Coverage

Campionato Primavera, also known as Campionato Primavera 1 TIM – Trofeo Giacinto Facchetti for sponsorship and posthumous honor reasons, is Italy’s premier youth football league. Established in the 2017-18 season, it succeeded the Campionato Nazionale Primavera, which was founded in 1962 and later split into Campionato Primavera 1 and Campionato Primavera 2.

Currently administered by Lega Serie A, this league features under-20 teams and comprises 20 clubs each season. The season runs from August to May, utilizing a double round-robin format where each team plays every other club twice, resulting in a 38-match regular season.

Following the regular season, the competition transitions into the playoffs to determine the champion and the teams relegated to Campionato Primavera 2. The top two teams from the regular season receive a bye to the playoff semifinals and are seeded, while teams placed 3rd to 6th compete in the first round, with the higher-ranked teams progressing to the semis in case of a draw. Semifinal matches proceed to extra time but not penalty shootouts if there is a stalemate, with the higher-placed club once again progressing.

All playoff matches are held over a single leg, including the final, which permits both extra time and penalty shootouts in the event of a draw. The champion qualifies for the Supercoppa Primavera and the UEFA Youth League. However, if the winner has already qualified for Europe thanks to its senior Serie A team, its UEFA Youth League ticket is awarded to the runner-up.

The bottom two teams at the end of the regular season are automatically relegated to Campionato Primavera 2. The clubs placed 17th and 18th enter a two-legged playoff if the gap between them is no more than nine points; otherwise, the 18th-placed team is automatically relegated.

The league has evolved significantly since its inception in 2017, initially featuring 16 teams — exclusively the under-19 sides of Serie A clubs. The number of participants increased to 18 in 2021-2022 before expanding to 20 in the 2024-25 campaign. Additionally, the league opened its doors to youth teams from Serie A, Serie B, and Serie C in 2021, and the age limit was raised to under-20 for the 2024-25 season.

Notable clubs such as Inter Milan and Juventus have achieved significant success in this league. During the Campionato Nazionale Primavera era, the Nerazzurri was the joint-second most successful club, capturing eight of their first ten titles, while Torino holds the record with nine titles.