Serie A

Serie A: Strong Early-Season Indicators Confirm Positive Growth Path

Objective data from the opening five matchdays, collected in collaboration with Math&Sport, highlight significant improvements in playing time, intensity, goals and audience engagement, strengthening Serie A’s position among Europe’s leading domestic competitions

The first five matchdays of the 2026/27 Serie A season are delivering a series of positive indicators across several key areas, with objective data pointing to a clear improvement in the quality, intensity and attractiveness of the championship.

Compared with the same stage of last season, Serie A has recorded a significant increase in effective playing time, a reduction in stoppages and fouls, a higher number of goals and growing television audiences. The figures also compare favourably with those recorded by the other major European leagues.

MORE GOALS AND GREATER CONTINUITY

The opening five matchdays have also produced a significant increase in goals. Serie A has recorded 145 goals, compared with 116 at the same stage last season, corresponding to an average of 2.9 goals per match, up from 2.32.

For the first time since the 1949/50 season, no 0-0 draw has been recorded in the opening five matchdays (Serie A is the only European league yet to record a 0-0 draw). The competition has also produced an ongoing run of 73 consecutive matches with at least one goal considering also last season.

SERIE A LEADS EUROPE IN GROWTH OF EFFECTIVE PLAYING TIME

After five matchdays, the average effective playing time in Serie A stands at 59 minutes and 24 seconds per match, compared with 53 minutes and 31 seconds at the same stage last season – an increase of nearly six minutes per match (5’53’’), the largest growth among Europe's top five leagues.

Serie A also ranks second among the top five European leagues for effective playing time as a percentage of total match duration (60,9%).

Importantly, this increase has been achieved without any increase in the overall duration of matches. At the same time, the average duration of individual stoppages has fallen by 13.7%, from 27.6 to 23.8 seconds, the lowest average among the top five leagues.

The number of fouls awarded has also decreased significantly, from an average of 26 per match last season to 22.74 this season (-14%), the largest reduction among Europe's top five leagues.

A YOUNGER AND INCREASINGLY INTERNATIONAL LEAGUE

The average age of players used in Serie A has fallen by almost seven month compared with last season, from 26 years and 242 days after five matchdays last season to 26 years and 30 days this season, reflecting the growing presence of younger players.

At the same time, 208 Serie A players were called up for their national teams during the September/October international window, including youth national teams. This places Serie A second among Europe's major leagues, behind the Premier League (237).

GROWING INTEREST FROM TELEVISION AUDIENCES

The positive sporting indicators are accompanied by an increase in audience figures on Italian broadcaster. Television viewership across DAZN and Sky has risen by 3.12% compared with the first five matchdays of last season, according to certified Auditel Total Audience data measured over the 110-minute period beginning at the scheduled kick-off time.

Speaking on the subject from London, where he was attending the Leaders event, Luigi De Siervo, Chief Executive of Lega Calcio Serie A, said: “The data shows that Serie A has narrowed the gap in intensity compared with the Premier League. Our league now features more sprints, greater verticality and shorter breaks in play than in the past. These are all indicators of a more dynamic style of football. We are at the start of a positive trend that gives us reason to be optimistic about the Italian teams’ performances in the European competitions.

These improvements have benefited the overall spectacle of the game. Over the first five matchdays, the marked increase in effective playing time, the rise in goals scored and the absence of goalless draws are indisputable signs of a product with greater appeal to the public.

The way our entire industry operates is now increasingly analytical and based on the official data that Serie A finally collects today. In July, we presented and discussed with the senior management of the 20 Serie A Clubs an in-depth study. This greater awareness has led us to realise that, in order to make the product more dynamic and spectacular, it was necessary for the clubs to embark on a generational shift; the significant reduction in the average age of new coaches and players on the pitch is a clear manifestation of this. This element of innovation and courage could prove to be a key factor in the evolution of our league”.

(Photo LaPresse)