Frank Christian
Italian professional football is among the oldest in the world.
Formally commencing before the year 1900, the country’s football legacy is rich with history, filled with remarkable achievements, legendary players, and numerous controversies.
With Juventus’s long-term supremacy recently ended, a fresh chapter has begun in Italian football, showcasing a more competitive landscape among the top clubs, although the hierarchy remains evident.
The Sporting News offers a glance at Italy’s footballing history and highlights the most successful clubs in its rich narrative.
When was Serie A introduced?
Serie A was launched in 1929, marking the establishment of the current recognized first division of Italian professional football.
Before this, the organization of Italian professional football was constantly in flux, with the FIGC (Italian Football Federation at the time) contending with various other governing bodies like the FIF and the CCI.
Once Serie A was solidified, consistency arose, and Inter clinched the very first league championship in the 1929/30 season, with the initial 11 Scudettos of the Serie A epoch claimed by Inter, Juventus, or Bologna.
Which club has the highest number of Italian first division titles?
The elite clubs have historically dominated Italian football, as evidenced by the mere 16 teams that have ever secured the premier title since the inception of professional football in 1898.
Leading the pack is Juventus, who boasts a total of 36 league titles, with 29 achieved during the Serie A period. The club experienced an incredible streak by winning nine successive Serie A titles from 2011/12 to 2019/20, although they have not triumphed since that run ended.
Following them are the two Milan clubs, with AC Milan trailing Inter by just a single title. There is then a significant gap to the next contender, Genoa, who enjoyed early dominance in Italian football yet have not claimed a title in over a century.
| Club | Titles Won | Most Recent Victory |
| Juventus** | 36 | 2019/20 |
| Inter Milan | 20 | 2023/24 |
| AC Milan | 19 | 2021/22 |
| Genoa | 9 | 1923/24 |
| Torino** | 7 | 1975/76 |
| Bologna | 7 | 1963/64 |
| Pro Vercelli* | 7 | 1921/22 |
| AS Roma | 3 | 2000/01 |
| Napoli | 3 | 2022/23 |
| Lazio | 2 | 1999/00 |
| Fiorentina | 2 | 1968/69 |
| Casale* | 1 | 1913/14 |
| Novese* | 1 | 1921/22 |
| Cagliari | 1 | 1969/70 |
| Hellas Verona | 1 | 1984/85 |
| Sampdoria* | 1 | 1990/91 |
* Currently not competing in the top tier of Italian football
** Title annulled due to a match-fixing scandal (Torino in 1926/27, Juventus in 2004/05)
