Choose which optional storage to allow. Some analytics can still run without cookies when you decline. Read how this works in our Cookie Policy.
How rugby is organised in Italy
Competition structureEurope region · Guide updated 17 Aug 2026
Italian rugby has separate national senior men’s and women’s XV competitions under FIR, and below them Serie C is run by territorial bodies rather than as one nationwide lower division.
Governing authorityFederazione Italiana RugbyGoverning authorityFIR territorial bodies
Permanent leagues, seasonal phases and parallel competitions stay separate so a cup or playoff is not mistaken for a league tier.
Senior men
The national order is Serie A Elite, Serie A and Serie B, followed by territorially organized Serie C.
2025/26 structure
Serie A Elite had one group; Serie A had a meritocratic group and three territorial groups; Serie B had five geographic groups; and Serie C was run by the territorial bodies.
2026/27 men’s Serie A
FIR publishes one 48-team competition: a 12-team meritocratic group and 36 teams across three territorial groups. Earlier A1/A2 names belong only to that transition season.
Current Elite and Serie B boundary
FIR confirms the 2026/27 start dates, but it has not published a complete current format or team list for either competition. This page does not repeat the earlier 60-team Serie B figure.
Senior women
Serie A Elite and Serie A are separate, linked women’s national XV leagues.
2026/27 Serie A Elite
Eight teams play a 14-round home-and-away stage; the top four reach single-match semi-finals and a final, and one team is relegated. This page does not list the teams yet.
2026/27 Serie A
Twenty teams play in one meritocratic and three geographic groups, followed by a final whose winner is promoted. Group names and promotion apply to this season only.
Teams are not clubs by default
Cadette sides, combined teams, club sections, franchises, institutional sides and sponsor-named entries are team names for a season. They are not treated as clubs on this page.
Territorial Serie C
FIR leaves Serie C groups and geography to its territorial bodies. The 13 committees and eight delegations are a list of bodies, not 21 equal competition owners or one uniform regional pyramid.
Historical 2025/26 allocation
The completed allocation had 173 teams across five geographic areas and 18 direct promotions. It is not a current club list or a national Serie C table.
Current lower-tier boundary
This page has no complete 2026/27 Serie C list. Groups, owners, corrections and promotion depend on each territorial body and season.
Cups and parallel competitions
Coppa Italia and Supercoppa sit alongside the XV leagues. In 2026 FIR gave Lega a limited role organising named finals. It does not hand over the national pyramid or its data rights.
Separate formats and authority
Cup, final, playoff, qualification, sevens, youth and development names describe a competition or phase in one season. They are not extra senior XV tiers, and they do not mean Lega runs the game.
Where each competition sits
Serie A Elite Maschile
FIR’s top men’s domestic XV league. This page shows the completed 2025/26 structure. It does not show the current teams, table or results yet.
Operated by Federazione Italiana Rugby
Serie A Maschile
A separate national men’s XV league. Its 2026/27 season has one 12-team meritocratic group and three territorial groups containing 36 teams. This page does not list the teams.
Operated by Federazione Italiana Rugby
Serie B Maschile
A separate national men’s XV league below Serie A. FIR confirms its 2026/27 start date, but this page does not give a current team count or group format until FIR publishes them.
Operated by Federazione Italiana Rugby
Serie A Elite Femminile
FIR’s top women’s XV league. The 2025/26 knockout is complete. The 2026/27 season is planned with an eight-team, 14-round stage, semi-finals and a final.
Operated by Federazione Italiana Rugby
Serie A Femminile
A separate women’s XV league below Elite. The planned 2026/27 season has 20 teams in one meritocratic and three geographic groups, then a final for the title and promotion.
Operated by Federazione Italiana Rugby
Territorial Serie C
Run by territorial bodies inside the FIR framework. This page does not merge the 21 bodies or the completed 2025/26 allocation into one national competition or current table.
Operated by FIR territorial bodies
Cups, sevens, and parallel events
Coppa Italia, Supercoppa, sevens, youth and development activity are parallel competitions or season events, not extra national XV divisions. Lega’s role is limited to named 2026 events.
Serie A Elite Femminile is Italy's top-flight women's XV competition. Its announced 2026/27 format has eight teams, 14 regular-season rounds, semi-finals and a final.
Operated by Federazione Italiana Rugby · Checked 17 Aug 2026
Serie A Femminile is Italy's women's XV competition below Elite. Its announced 2026/27 format has one merit-based group, three geographic groups and a title-and-promotion final.
Operated by Federazione Italiana Rugby · Checked 17 Aug 2026
Clubs on this page
A complete Italian club list is not on this page. FIR’s affiliated-society finder has no public total, cutoff or full export. Sponsor names, cadette sides, combined teams, franchises and institutional sides stay separate.
Official sources
FIR, Lega, and territorial pages support this country page, but official websites are not linked here because FIR’s published terms require written consent first. Fixtures, results, tables, clubs and media stay on those pages.
FIR organigram and territorial-body directory
Source record
FIR Match Centre
Source record
FIR 2025/26 men’s transition announcement
Source record
FIR 2025/26 national competition formulas
Source record
FIR 2025/26 women’s Serie A Elite calendar
Source record
FIR 2026/27 men’s Serie A calendars
Source record
FIR 2026/27 women’s Serie A Elite calendar
Source record
FIR 2026/27 women’s Serie A calendars
Source record
FIR Council release of 9 June 2026
Source record
FIR Federal Communication no. 3 for 2025/26
Source record
FIR affiliated-society finder
Source record
FIR web services and affiliation workflow
Source record
FIR Organico regulation
Source record
FIR 2026 limited Lega event-organization delegation
Competition structureEurope region · Guide updated 17 Aug 2026
Italian rugby has separate national senior men’s and women’s XV competitions under FIR, and below them Serie C is run by territorial bodies rather than as one nationwide lower division.
Governing authorityFederazione Italiana RugbyGoverning authorityFIR territorial bodies
Permanent leagues, seasonal phases and parallel competitions stay separate so a cup or playoff is not mistaken for a league tier.
Senior men
The national order is Serie A Elite, Serie A and Serie B, followed by territorially organized Serie C.
2025/26 structure
Serie A Elite had one group; Serie A had a meritocratic group and three territorial groups; Serie B had five geographic groups; and Serie C was run by the territorial bodies.
2026/27 men’s Serie A
FIR publishes one 48-team competition: a 12-team meritocratic group and 36 teams across three territorial groups. Earlier A1/A2 names belong only to that transition season.
Current Elite and Serie B boundary
FIR confirms the 2026/27 start dates, but it has not published a complete current format or team list for either competition. This page does not repeat the earlier 60-team Serie B figure.
Senior women
Serie A Elite and Serie A are separate, linked women’s national XV leagues.
2026/27 Serie A Elite
Eight teams play a 14-round home-and-away stage; the top four reach single-match semi-finals and a final, and one team is relegated. This page does not list the teams yet.
2026/27 Serie A
Twenty teams play in one meritocratic and three geographic groups, followed by a final whose winner is promoted. Group names and promotion apply to this season only.
Teams are not clubs by default
Cadette sides, combined teams, club sections, franchises, institutional sides and sponsor-named entries are team names for a season. They are not treated as clubs on this page.
Territorial Serie C
FIR leaves Serie C groups and geography to its territorial bodies. The 13 committees and eight delegations are a list of bodies, not 21 equal competition owners or one uniform regional pyramid.
Historical 2025/26 allocation
The completed allocation had 173 teams across five geographic areas and 18 direct promotions. It is not a current club list or a national Serie C table.
Current lower-tier boundary
This page has no complete 2026/27 Serie C list. Groups, owners, corrections and promotion depend on each territorial body and season.
Cups and parallel competitions
Coppa Italia and Supercoppa sit alongside the XV leagues. In 2026 FIR gave Lega a limited role organising named finals. It does not hand over the national pyramid or its data rights.
Separate formats and authority
Cup, final, playoff, qualification, sevens, youth and development names describe a competition or phase in one season. They are not extra senior XV tiers, and they do not mean Lega runs the game.
Where each competition sits
Serie A Elite Maschile
FIR’s top men’s domestic XV league. This page shows the completed 2025/26 structure. It does not show the current teams, table or results yet.
Operated by Federazione Italiana Rugby
Serie A Maschile
A separate national men’s XV league. Its 2026/27 season has one 12-team meritocratic group and three territorial groups containing 36 teams. This page does not list the teams.
Operated by Federazione Italiana Rugby
Serie B Maschile
A separate national men’s XV league below Serie A. FIR confirms its 2026/27 start date, but this page does not give a current team count or group format until FIR publishes them.
Operated by Federazione Italiana Rugby
Serie A Elite Femminile
FIR’s top women’s XV league. The 2025/26 knockout is complete. The 2026/27 season is planned with an eight-team, 14-round stage, semi-finals and a final.
Operated by Federazione Italiana Rugby
Serie A Femminile
A separate women’s XV league below Elite. The planned 2026/27 season has 20 teams in one meritocratic and three geographic groups, then a final for the title and promotion.
Operated by Federazione Italiana Rugby
Territorial Serie C
Run by territorial bodies inside the FIR framework. This page does not merge the 21 bodies or the completed 2025/26 allocation into one national competition or current table.
Operated by FIR territorial bodies
Cups, sevens, and parallel events
Coppa Italia, Supercoppa, sevens, youth and development activity are parallel competitions or season events, not extra national XV divisions. Lega’s role is limited to named 2026 events.
Serie A Elite Femminile is Italy's top-flight women's XV competition. Its announced 2026/27 format has eight teams, 14 regular-season rounds, semi-finals and a final.
Operated by Federazione Italiana Rugby · Checked 17 Aug 2026
Serie A Femminile is Italy's women's XV competition below Elite. Its announced 2026/27 format has one merit-based group, three geographic groups and a title-and-promotion final.
Operated by Federazione Italiana Rugby · Checked 17 Aug 2026
Clubs on this page
A complete Italian club list is not on this page. FIR’s affiliated-society finder has no public total, cutoff or full export. Sponsor names, cadette sides, combined teams, franchises and institutional sides stay separate.
Official sources
FIR, Lega, and territorial pages support this country page, but official websites are not linked here because FIR’s published terms require written consent first. Fixtures, results, tables, clubs and media stay on those pages.
FIR organigram and territorial-body directory
Source record
FIR Match Centre
Source record
FIR 2025/26 men’s transition announcement
Source record
FIR 2025/26 national competition formulas
Source record
FIR 2025/26 women’s Serie A Elite calendar
Source record
FIR 2026/27 men’s Serie A calendars
Source record
FIR 2026/27 women’s Serie A Elite calendar
Source record
FIR 2026/27 women’s Serie A calendars
Source record
FIR Council release of 9 June 2026
Source record
FIR Federal Communication no. 3 for 2025/26
Source record
FIR affiliated-society finder
Source record
FIR web services and affiliation workflow
Source record
FIR Organico regulation
Source record
FIR 2026 limited Lega event-organization delegation
