New Women's Serie A format from 2025/26: How will the league, promotion and relegation change?

Conor Clancy /

Just three seasons after a new ten-team format was introduced in the Women's Serie A, the Italian top flight will return to being a 12-team league from 2025/26 on.

The Women's Serie B will also be impacted, reducing from its current 16-side format to having 14 participating teams.

With the new Women's Serie A format coming in from 2025/26 on, it means that next season - 2024/25 - will see the situation around promotion and relegation between the top two tiers changed.

AS Roma Women lift the 2023/24 Serie A Femminile title. (@ASRomaFemminile)

What are the Women's Serie A format changes for 2025/26?

The changes are simple to understand, and there aren't too many of them.

  • From the 2025/26 season, the Women's Serie A will be a 12-team division (currently 10).
  • From that same 2025/26 season, the Women's Serie B will be a 14-team division (currently 16).
Juventus Women
Juventus Women players celebrate. [@JuventusFCWomen]

Changes to Women's Serie A relegation and Women's Serie B promotion

Working towards the new-look leagues, the 2024/25 season will be a little different too, and sides in the bottom half of the Women's Serie A will be somewhat relieved that only one team will be relegated to the second tier. The previous relegation-promotion playoff between second-from-bottom in Serie A and Serie B's runners-up has been scrapped.

  • The team who finish bottom (in 10th place, 5th in the Poule Salvezza) of the Women's Serie A will be relegated automatically to Serie B.
  • The top three sides in the Women's Serie B will be automatically promoted to Serie A.
Lazio Women celebrate with their 2023/24 Serie B title. (@OfficialSSLazio)

Why is the Women's Serie A format changing again?

Having only recently reduced the number of teams in the Women's Serie A from 12 to ten and the subsequent full-professionalisation of the league, the shift back to a 12-team league has come as a surprise to many.

"We believe that Women's Serie A as a league has reached a maturity and has strengthened on a technical level," explained Federica Cappelletti, president of the Divisione Serie A Femminile Professionistica.

"There is more media interest, the league is more attractive, and there is a desire to following the increase in growth seen in other leagues across Europe."