Italy - Serie B

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The Serie B is the second-highest football league in Italy. It was created in 1929 and is run by the Lega Nazionale Professionisti B (Italian for National League of Professionals B).

The Serie B works under the promotion and relegation system. Twenty (20) teams compete in the league, and each team plays 38 matches in a season (19 at home and 19 away). A win attracts three points, and one point is awarded for a draw. At the end of the season, the league champions and first-runners up earn automatic qualification to the Serie A.

The third to eighth-placed teams enter a play-off to contest for the final promotion slot. However, if the third-placed team finishes 15 or more points ahead of the fourth-placed team in the final standings, then the promotion play-offs are scrapped, and the third-placed team is promoted to Serie A.

Relatively, four Serie B teams are relegated to the Serie C at the end of a season. The 16th and 17th-placed teams are required to feature in a play-off to determine the fourth club to be demoted. However, if the 16th-placed team ends the season with five or more points ahead of the 17th-placed team, then the relegation play-off is not played, and the 17th-placed team is automatically relegated to Serie C.

Serie B clubs are eligible to play in the Coppa Italia. Should a Serie B team win the Coppa Italia, it will qualify to feature in the UEFA Europa League group stage and the Supercoppa Italiana in the following season.