Benevento Calcio

The club was originally founded in 1929 and then re-founded in 2005. They currently compete in Serie C, having been relegated from Serie B in the 2022–23 season.

Benevento

Full name	Benevento Calcio S.r.l.
Nickname(s)	Gli Stregoni (The Sorcerers) I Giallorossi (The Yellow and Reds) I Sanniti (The Samnites)
Founded	1929; 95 years ago (1929) 1938 (refounded)
Ground	Stadio Ciro Vigorito, Benevento, Italy
Capacity	16,867
President	Oreste Vigorito
Manager	Matteo Andreoletti
League	Serie C Group C
2022–23	Serie B, 20th of 20 (relegated)
Website	Club website
Home colours Away colours
Current season

Early history

The club was founded as Associazione Calcio Benevento in 1929, their original home was the Meomartini which was built by Ciccio Minocchia.

After working their way up the country's lower divisions during their early years, Benevento reached Prima Divisione, Italy's third highest professional league at the time, in the 1934–35 season. They finished above clubs such as Reggina during the club's first season within the league. Although they did not win promotion to Serie B, the team did remain in the third tier of Italian football for the 1935–36 season, re-organized to a smaller 64-team league renamed Serie C.

21st century

The club F.C. Sporting Benevento S.r.l. folded in 2005. At the same time Benevento Calcio S.p.A. was founded, using the same stadium and playing kit.

In the 2007–08 Serie C2 regular season the team finished first in Girone C, winning direct promotion to the now called Lega Pro Prima Divisione for the 2008–09 season. In the 2008–09 season, Benevento's first season in Lega Pro Prima Divisione, they finished in 2nd place. This meant Benevento would be in a two-legged play-off. They won their first two-legged play-off, but lost to Crotone 1–0 (2–1) on aggregate in the final.

Gaetano Auteri was appointed as the head manager for the 2015–16 season. In this season, Benevento won its league and reached Serie B for the first time in its history. The mathematical certainty arrived on 30 April 2016, after defeating Lecce 3–0.

On 8 June 2017, they were promoted to Serie A, for the first time in their history, after defeating Carpi in the Serie B play-offs 1–0 on aggregate, remarkably winning promotion in their inaugural season in Serie B. The club struggled in its top-flight debut in the 2017-18 season as Benevento set a record for the worst start to a season in any of Europe's top five leagues by losing their first 14 Serie A matches. This streak ended on 3 December 2017, with a 95th-minute equalising header from goalkeeper Alberto Brignoli for a 2–2 home draw against A.C. Milan. Benevento's time in Serie A lasted one season and they were relegated after a last-place finish, although there was a clear uptick in form after their dismal opening to the campaign, ultimately winning six of their last 23 games.

On 22 June 2019, Benevento hired Filippo Inzaghi as their new manager. In June 2020, with seven matches still left in the league season, the club won promotion back to the first-division of Italian football following an impressive Serie B campaign.

Benevento's second season in Serie A was again unsuccessful, ending with another relegation, but the club was much more competitive and performed particularly admirably in the first half of the season, which included a run of only one loss in eight matches. By the campaign's midway point, Benevento had won six matches and was placed in 10th position, appearing well-set for a mid-table finish. However, a dramatic downturn in form from January until the end of the campaign, scoring only 16 goals and winning just one of the final 22 matches in that time, meant that the club again fell back into Serie B for the 2021–22 season. Curiously, the match they won was a 1–0 away victory on March 21 against powerhouse Juventus, with the first match finishing in a draw, being one of the only teams Juventus failed to beat. Benevento eventually finished in 18th place, with four points fewer than Torino in the final non-relegation position.

In the 2021–22 Serie B the team tries to return to Serie A and ends the regular season in 7th position gaining access to the promotion play-offs by overcoming Ascoli. They were later eliminated by Pisa in the semifinals.

The 2022–23 Serie B marks the decline of the team who spent most of the season at the bottom of the table. On the penultimate matchday came the mathematical certainty of returning to Serie C by finishing the campaign in 20th position.

The team's colours are yellow and red, and their badge features red and yellow stripes and the black image of a witch riding a broom. Benevento are nicknamed the Stregoni, Italian for sorcerers, or occasionally, the Streghe, Italian for witches, a reference to the legends dating to the 13th century of the witches of Benevento.

Benevento plays their home matches at the Stadio Ciro Vigorito. Building on the stadium broke ground in 1976 and it was opened in 1979. It is able to hold 25,000 people.

The stadium was originally named Santa Colomba but was renamed to honor Ciro Vigorito who was the brother of club president Oreste Vigorito. Ciro was a successful entrepreneur and sports manager who was the managing director and oversaw the youth sector at Benevento from 2006 until his death in 2010.

Current squad

As of 1 February 2024

Note: Flags indicate national team as defined under FIFA eligibility rules. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.

No. Pos. Nation Player 1 GK   ITA Alessandro Nunziante 3 DF   ITA Amedeo Benedetti 5 DF   ITA Edoardo Masciangelo 6 DF   ITA Biagio Meccariello 7 MF   SWE Nermin Karić 8 MF   POL Krzysztof Kubica 9 FW   ITA Alessandro Marotta 10 FW   ITA Camillo Ciano 11 FW   ITA Alexis Ferrante (on loan from Ternana) 12 GK   ITA Nicolò Manfredini 14 MF   ITA Marco Pinato 16 MF   ITA Riccardo Improta 18 MF   ITA Pier Luigi Simonetti 20 DF   ITA Filippo Berra 21 MF   ITA Davide Agazzi

No. Pos. Nation Player 23 DF   ITA Francesco Rillo 24 GK   ITA Alberto Paleari 25 DF   ITA Angelo Viscardi 27 MF   ITA Ernesto Starita 28 DF   ITA Emanuele Terranova 30 FW   ITA Lorenzo Carfora 31 FW   ITA Filippo Nardi (on loan from Cremonese) 36 DF   ITA Francesco Perlingieri 38 MF   ITA Angelo Talia 58 DF   ITA Christian Pastina 77 MF   ITA Riccardo Rossi 90 MF   ITA Eric Lanini (on loan from Parma) 96 DF   ITA Riccardo Capellini 98 FW   NED Don Bolsius 99 FW   ITA Amato Ciciretti

Out on loan

Note: Flags indicate national team as defined under FIFA eligibility rules. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.

No. Pos. Nation Player — GK   ITA Manuel Esposito (at Campobasso until 30 June 2024) — GK   ITA Igor Lucatelli (at Virtus Francavilla until 30 June 2024) — DF   MAR Hamza El Kaouakibi (at Südtirol until 30 June 2024) — DF   ITA Gaetano Letizia (at Feralpisalò until 30 June 2024) — DF   ITA Giuseppe Riccio (at Pistoiese until 30 June 2024) — DF   ROU Alin Toșca (at Al-Riyadh until 30 June 2024) — DF   ITA Angelo Veltri (at Recanatese until 30 June 2024) — MF   ITA Gennaro Acampora (at Bari until 30 June 2024)

No. Pos. Nation Player — MF   ITA Vincenzo Alfieri (at Renate until 30 June 2024) — MF   ITA Vincenzo Bisogno (at Ischia until 30 June 2024) — MF   GRE Ilias Koutsoupias (at Bari until 30 June 2024) — MF   ITA Antonio Prisco (at Recanatese until 30 June 2024) — MF   ITA Mattia Viviani (at Cosenza until 30 June 2024) — FW   ITA Ivan Altamura (at Gallipoli until 30 June 2024) — FW   ITA Samuele Sorrentino (at Latina until 30 June 2024) — FW   ITA Domenico Valentino (at Atletico Ascoli until 30 June 2024)

World Cup players

The following players have been selected by their country in the World Cup Finals, while playing for Benevento.

• Serie B
  • Winners: 2019–20
  • Play-off winner: 2016–17
• Serie C
  • Winners: 2015–16
• Serie C2
  • Winners: 2007–08 (Group C)