The 2026-27 Serie B Standings
The Serie B standings after the first matchday are surprising because the three teams that were relegated at the end of last season—Cremonese, Pisa, and Verona—have gotten off to a rough start, all losing their openers (Paolo Bianco’s Tuscan side and Marco Baroni’s Venetian side even lost at home). Only two teams have one point each: Cesena and Sampdoria, who played to a draw.
Standings: Vicenza 3, Ascoli 3, Mantova 3, Modena 3, Arezzo 3, Padova 3, Südtirol 3, Palermo 3, Empoli 3, Sampdoria 1, Cesena 1, Catanzaro 0, Avellino 0, Carrarese 0, Benevento 0, Verona 0, Pisa 0, Cremonese 0, Virtus Entella 0, Juve Stabia 0.
Hellas Verona bore the brunt of this opening matchday, bitterly returning to the second division after seven consecutive seasons in Serie A. At the Bentegodi Stadium, in front of 16,000 disappointed Gialloblù fans, Ascoli pulled off a comeback victory: after Verona took the lead through Mulattieri in the 22nd minute, the Marche-based side—newly promoted from Serie C—turned the game around in just four minutes of the second half, with Silipo and D’Uffizi sealing the final 2-1 score. Also worth noting was a refereeing incident in the first half, with an initial red card shown to Corradini later changed to a yellow card thanks to VAR intervention. About thirty Bianconeri fans residing outside the province—the away trip was banned for Ascoli residents—were able to celebrate in the stands.
Meanwhile, a dramatic draw took place at the Manuzzi Stadium between Cesena and Sampdoria. Alessandro Diamanti’s Cesena had taken the lead through Shpendi in the 17th minute, only to be reduced to ten men in the 50th minute after Antonio David received his second yellow card. Bernardo Corradi’s Sampdoria—missing Lauritsen, among others, with Tutino up front—was able to capitalize on the situation and tied the game 1-1 in the 83rd minute with a goal by Henderson, one of the midfielders the Blucerchiati coach was counting on the most.
Filippo Inzaghi’s Palermo, one of the top contenders for promotion, got off to the best possible start to the season, defeating Juve Stabia 1-0 thanks to a goal by Johnsen as early as the 4th minute. The Rosanero came into their opener after already defeating Serie A side Lecce in the Coppa Italia with a convincing 2-0 win, thanks to goals from Vavassori and Pohjanpalo. Pietro De Giorgio now sits on the Vespe’s bench, having taken over from Ignazio Abate this summer.
It’s worth noting that some of the teams featured on this opening day had already faced off in the Coppa Italia last week, with results that were at times surprising. Mantova, now with a perfect record in the standings, pulled off the feat of eliminating Gattuso’s Lazio 2-0 at the Olimpico in the second round of the competition, with goals from Ruocco and Cajazzo. Ascoli, on the other hand, suffered a 4-1 defeat on the road against Genoa, while Verona had to fight tooth and nail to get the better of Virtus Entella, ultimately succeeding only on penalty kicks after a 2-2 draw in regulation time.
The next league matchday, scheduled for August 29, will already feature a highly anticipated Veneto derby: Padova and Verona will face off at 9:00 p.m., with the Biancoscudati seeking their second consecutive victory and the Gialloblù desperately in need of redemption. On the same evening, Ascoli will host Carrarese, looking to build on their brilliant start to the season.
