Italy/Lega Serie A: acquisition of a majority stake in the company that owns the "Fantacalcio" game

"The Lega Serie A has decided, by 15 votes in favour, 3 against and 2 abstentions, to acquire a majority stake (51%) in the company that owns Fantacalcio.it and the associated applications (for an estimated €18m). The product will become increasingly attractive to users, with the possibility of enriching it with our images and developing it outside of Italy too," announced Ezio Simonelli, president of the Italian professional league, at the end of the general assembly held on 16/02/2026.

The "Fantacalcio.it" platform, which offers fantasy leagues and news, initially became an official partner of the Lega Serie A in 2021-22 (announced by the League on 20/08/2021).

The original idea for Fantacalcio came from Riccardo Albini, a journalist with a passion for games who, in 1990, was inspired by the American virtual baseball league to create a version dedicated to Italian football.

Fantacalcio is a game in which several participants compete against each other: each forms his own team and challenges the others by following the Serie A calendar. These virtual teams, which have their own name…