Sampdoria handed major lifeline and could now avoid relegation to Serie C

Originally posted on Football Italia | By Peter Young | Last updated May 18, 2025 9:55 AM ET

An ‘earthquake’ decision to hand Brescia a -4 point deduction in Serie B means that Sampdoria, who had been relegated at the end of the regular season, are set to be given a second chance at survival in the relegation play-outs.

Sampdoria, who were relegated from Serie A at the end of the 2022-23 campaign, finished the 2024-25 season in 18th place in Serie B with a tally of 41 points from 38 games, which was not enough to spare them from the drop.

How Serie B relegation works

Four teams are usually relegated from Serie B at the end of each season.

The bottom three teams are relegated directly.

The team that finishes in 17th (fourth-bottom) will also join them unless the gap between them and the team in 16th (fifth-last) is four points or less. In that scenario, the final relegation spot is decided by a two-legged play-out.

Why Sampdoria could be saved from Serie B relegation

According to reports from La Gazzetta dello Sport, there has been a major shake-up following a decision to hand a four-point deduction to Brescia, who finished the season in 15th place on 43 points.

Brescia’s points deduction comes as a result of irregularities surrounding the payment of players and staff in the month of February.

Once their points deduction is officially confirmed, Brescia will drop into 18th place, which relegates them directly, and pushes Sampdoria up to 17th and Salernitana into 16th.

With just one point separating Sampdoria and Salernitana in the standings, the final relegation spot will now be decided by these two teams in a Serie B relegation play-out.

The biggest beneficiary of this decision is Frosinone, who originally finished the season in 16th on 43 points, but will now be bumped up to 15th and will no longer have to participate in a relegation play-out.

This article first appeared on Football Italia and was syndicated with permission.

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