Calcio lovers have always had a soft spot for Serie C, Italy’s third-highest tier of football. Indeed, many of history’s greats began their career at this level: Salvatore Schillaci at Messina, Gianluca Zambrotta at Como and Roberto Baggio at Vicenza.

More recently, Euro 2024 international Michael Folorunsho played for Virtus Francavilla, and former Italy international midfielder Stefano Sturaro joined Catania FC. Focusing on youth development, three Serie A clubs have integrated their reserve teams into Serie C: Juventus Next Gen, Milan Futuro and Atalanta U23.

Under its current format, Serie C is divided into three divisions, with a total of 60 teams taking part. For added entertainment value, 16 former Serie A clubs participate across its three divisions in 2024-25: Girone A (Northern Group A), Girone B (Central Group B) and Girone C (Southern Group C).

Serie C is a breeding ground for young Italians, an ecosystem teeming with over 1650 aspiring footballers, of which 84% are natives.

The league helps put Italy’s tiniest towns on the map: Piancastagnaio (Pianese, Tuscany), Caldiero (Veneto), Pineto (Abruzzo), Picerno (Puglia) and Union Clodiense from the Venetian suburb of Chioggia. The competition also involves densely populated places like Catania, Pescara, Ferrara (SPAL), Avellino, Perugia, Ascoli, Trieste and Vicenza.

Watching Serie C in Italy

Like many other competitions in Italy and around the world, Serie C operates on a relegation-promotion format, with a set number of teams promoted to Serie B and others demoted to Serie D. In 2023, Sky Italia secured exclusive live-streaming as well as TV broadcast rights for Serie C in Italy in a multi-year deal.

In November, 2023, FIFA+ announced they would bring Serie C NOW, Coppa Italia Serie C and Supercoppa Serie C to a global audience.

“FIFA+ has announced a new agreement with Comintech to secure the international non-exclusive distribution rights for Serie C NOW, Coppa Italia Serie C, and Supercoppa Serie C, bringing the drama and passion of Italian football’s third tier to fans worldwide for free.”

“This collaboration marks a significant milestone in the world of Italian football, allowing viewers from all corners of the globe to witness the excitement of Serie C NOW, featuring 60 clubs rich in history and tradition, live on the FIFA+ platform.”

Read Serie C: three Southern Clubs to Follow in 2024

Read Five Biggest Cities and Five Smallest Towns in Serie C This Season

Click here to watch your choice of Serie C matches in the United Kingdom and United States.