The 2023–24 Serie D was the seventy-fourth season of the top-level Italian non-professional football championship. It represents the fourth tier in the Italian football league system.
Rules The season will provide a total of nine promotions to Serie C (those being the winners of all nine groups). Teams placed between second and fifth for each group will play a so-called "playoff tournament," starting with two one-legged games played at the best-placed team's home venue:
2nd-placed team vs 5th-placed team; 3rd-placed team vs 4th-placed team.
In case of a draw by the end of the game, two extra times will be played; in case of no winner after that, the best-placed team will advance to the final.
The two winning teams will then play a one-legged final, to be hosted at the best-placed team's home venue, with the same rules as in the first round. The nine playoff winners for each group will be prioritized to fill any potential Serie C league vacancies.
The two bottom-placed teams for each league group are automatically relegated to Eccellenza. Two two-legged relegation playoff games (known in Italian as "play-out") will therefore be played between:
13th-placed team vs 16th-placed team (for 18-team groups), or 15th-placed team vs 18th-placed team (for 20-team groups); 14th-placed team vs 15th-placed team (for 18-team groups), or 16th-placed team vs 17th-placed team (for 20-team groups).
Two extra times will be played in case of an aggregate draw after the second leg; in case of a further aggregate draw, the worst-placed team will be relegated.
In case the two teams have a league gap of at least eight points, the relegation playoff will not take place and the worst-placed team will be automatically relegated instead.
Teams The league's composition involves nine divisions, grouped geographically and named alphabetically.
Readmissions On 12 September 2023, the league committee announced that it had admitted La Fenice Amaranto as the phoenix club of Reggina after the latter's exclusion from Serie B, according to the Article 52 of N.O.I.F. regulations. The club was later renamed LFA Reggio Calabria.
Teams relegated from Serie C The following teams were relegated from the 2022–23 Serie C: From Group A: Sangiuliano City, Piacenza; From Group B: San Donato Tavarnelle, Imolese, Montevarchi; From Group C: Gelbison, Fidelis Andria.
Viterbese, who were originally relegated from Serie C, did not apply to take part in the new season.
Teams promoted from Eccellenza The following teams were promoted from Eccellenza:
Abruzzo L'Aquila Apulia Manfredonia Città di Gallipoli Basilicata Rotonda Calabria Gioiese Campania Ischia San Marzano Emilia Romagna Borgo San Donnino Victor San Marino Progresso Friuli-Venezia Giulia Chions Lazio Sora Anzio Boreale Donorione
Liguria Albenga Lavagnese Lombardy Cast Brescia Vogherese Tritium Club Milano Caravaggio Marche Atletico Ascoli Forsempronese Molise Campobasso Piedmont & Aosta Valley RG Ticino Alba Sardinia Latte Dolce Budoni
Sicily Akragas Nuova Igea Virtus Siracusa Trentino Alto Adige – Südtirol Mori Santo Stefano Tuscany Cenaia Figline Certaldo Umbria Sansepolcro Veneto Treviso Clivense Bassano
Promoted as national playoff winners. Promoted as Coppa Italia Dilettanti semi-finalists, due to all other three semi-finalists (Cast Brescia, Campobasso and San Marzano) having been directly promoted to Serie D.
Relocations, mergers and renamings Vis Artena handed its participation league rights to Roma City. Afragolese relocated to Casalnuovo di Napoli and became Real Casalnuovo. Porto d'Ascoli was renamed San Benedetto Calcio and shortly thereafter acquired the naming rights of Sambenedettese. Cast Brescia was renamed Atletico Castegnato. Lupa Frascati relocated to Rome and became Romana. NF Ardea switched back to their previous denomination of Nuova Florida throughout the season.
Exclusions and withdrawals On 14 July 2023, the Serie D football committee announced Viterbese and Arzachena had not submitted their league applications. In contrast, Torviscosa had renounced their right to participate in the season.
Successively, the league committee excluded Seregno and Sambenedettese due to financial issues; fellow Serie D club Porto d'Ascoli, renamed San Benedetto Calcio, successively acquired the naming rights of the latter under formal approval by the Italian Football Federation.
On 2 November 2023, after the tenth matchday of the season, Lamezia Terme (Group I) announced they were voluntarily withdrawing from the league; all their games played before their announcement were consequently declared null and void.
On 16 April 2024, Pistoiese were excluded after missing two consecutive league games due to financial issues.
Group A
Group B
Group C
Group D
Group E
Group F
Group G
Group H
Group I
Post-season
Relegation play-outs The relegation playout games took place on 12 May 2024 and were hosted by the best-placed team in the regular season. In case of a tie after extra time, the best-placed team would escape relegation.
Poule Scudetto Group 1
Group 2
Group 3
Final stage
Notes
References