Financial difficulties, scandals and disappointing results make Serie A the next top league under pressure
IMAGO | Lega Serie A president Ezio Simonelli has called for greater political alignment with the needs of Italian football to address the league’s financial challenges.
The Recap
With expenses outgrowing revenue, decreasing squad investment and questions around referee corruption, Serie A is under increasing strain as a leading European league.
Data Insight
For the first time since the Covid-19 period, 2024/25 saw expenses exceed revenue, with average club revenue at €160.4 million and expenses at €161.6 million.
Why It Matters
Serie A’s structural pressures are making clubs increasingly reliant on player trading to offset limited revenue growth, potentially weakening European competitiveness.
The Perspective
Smaller European leagues are steadily narrowing the gap, challenging the established top-league hierarchy.
6 May 2026 - 3:00 PM
The 2025/26 season has been a challenging one for Italian football. Clubs have underperformed in European competitions, including Serie A’s collective exit from the Champions League at the round of 16 stage, while the national team failed to qualify for the World Cup for a third consecutive cycle.
These results led to the resignation of Italian Football Federation (FIGC) president Gabriele Gravina.
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