Italian Serie B: rules, standing, playoff and playouts

Serie B is the second division of football in Italy. It is the second most important in the Italian football scene. Many fans want to find out how the Serie B playoff and playout regulation works, because it is through these playoffs that the teams that go up to Serie A and relegate to Serie C are determined. How do the Serie B playoffs work and when are they played? Who plays the playouts to avoid relegation? In this article you will find all the Serie B rules, with a special guide on the 2022-23 playoffs and playouts: calendar, teams that qualify and dates. On our website there is also the page on how Champions League works.

Serie B standings: who goes to Serie A

How many and which teams go up to Serie A from Serie B? On this page we offer an overview of how the Serie B league regulation works in Italy: from how many teams relegate to Serie C to the playoff and playout rule. Many fans seek information on the playoff and playout regulations of Serie B, i.e. the play-off rules for those who move up to Serie A or relegate to Serie C. In this article, there are practically all the most important rules of Serie B: from the criteria of the standings to how promotions and relegations work.

Criteria for the Serie B classification

1. 1. Points achieved in head-to-head matches
   2. Difference between goals scored and conceded in direct matches
   3. Goal difference of the entire championship
   4. Highest number of goals scored in the entire championship
   5. Draw

Serie B standings, who goes up to Serie A?

Many Italian football fans wonder how many teams go up to Serie A, how many teams go to the playoffs in Serie B and how promotion to Serie A works. From the Serie B championship to the Serie A championship, the top two teams in the division go up. The first and second in the standings at the end of the regular season obtain direct promotion to Serie A. On our website there is also the page on how Italian Serie A works.

How many teams go up to Serie A

How many teams go up to Serie A? Three: the first and the second directly. The third is decided through the playoffs, if between the third and fourth there are no more than 14 points behind.

Serie B, how the playoffs work

The third promoted to Serie A, on the other hand, is defined through the playoff dispute. A total of teams participate in the Serie B playoffs based on the points of detachment in the standings according to the following rules of the Serie B playoffs.

Serie B playoff rules

• If there are more than 14 points between the third and fourth classified, the playoffs are not played and the third classified is promoted to the next Serie A championship.
• If there are no more than 14 points between the third and fourth places, the playoffs are played between the six teams finished in the standings from 3rd to 8th place.

Serie B playoff: regulation and format

• Preliminary round: one-way match between the sixth and seventh grade and between the fifth and eighth grade. In the event of a tie after the regular ninety minutes, there is extra time. In the event of a further tie, there is no penalty shoot-out but the best-placed team in the regular season wins.
• Semi-finals: The third place goes directly to the semi-finals and plays a two-way match, with the second match at home, against the winner of the match between the sixth and seventh. The fourth also enters the semifinal directly, facing the winner between the fifth and eighth. In the semi-finals, in the event of a tie after 180′, the goal difference in the two matches is taken into account, in the event of a further tie, the team best positioned in the standings qualifies for the final (therefore no extra time is played).
• Final: the winners of the semi-finals compete in the final, round trip with the second home game of the best placed in the league. In the event of a tie after 180′, the goal difference in the two matches is taken into account, in the event of a further tie, the team best positioned in the standings at the end of the championship is considered the winner. Only in the event that the two teams finished the championship with the same score in the standings, the second leg would also include extra time and possibly penalties.

Serie B: relegations and playouts

How many and which teams are relegated from Serie B to Serie C?

There are four teams that relegate each season from Serie B to Serie C: the bottom three go directly to the Italian third division. The fourth relegation is decided by playout.

Serie B Playout Regulations, how they work

The rules of the Serie B playouts are few but very specific and determine relegations from Serie B to Serie C. The Serie B relegation regulation is also based on the gap of points from the fourth from last to the fifth last team in the standings.

Serie B, the regulation of the playouts

• If the gap between fourth last and fifth last exceeds 4 points, no playout and the fourth last in the standings relegate to Serie C.
• If the gap between fourth last and fifth last is less than 4 points, the play-out is played.
• The playout is played out and back: in the event of a tie in the final score, the team that finished fifth from last in the championship gets to stay in Serie B; only in the event that the two teams finished the championship with the same score in the standings, the second leg will also include overtime and possibly penalties. Just like in the play-offs, there is no away goals rule in the play-out.