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Italy Sports Management and Infrastructure Opportunities

Italy’s Serie A major league soccer is attracting a growing number of foreign investors, particularly from the U.S.  Despite the continued investments, Italian teams earn less revenue per fan than compared to other major European leagues, suggesting there is room for growth.

In 2018, only one team was under American ownership: AS Roma. Today U.S. investors have acquired controlling stakes in eight major league teams and five minor league teams. Most recently, in January 2025, the American private equity group Presidio Investors acquired Hellas Verona, bringing the number of U.S.-owned Italian soccer franchises to fourteen, including giants like AC Milan and Inter FC. U.S. investors are even looking beyond football, buying two Italian major league basketball teams.

Industry analysts and business leaders who CS Milan have engaged, believe that U.S. and other foreign investors can bring not only fresh capital but can help these teams access innovative U.S. sports business management expertise and access to new revenue streams through international marketing, merchandising, social media management, data mining, and digital entertainment platforms.

Italy’s soccer stadiums might also present opportunities for development as all but three were built before 1990 and most have made only limited renovations since then.  The need to modernize Italy’s stadiums to meet recent international standards will increase because Italy will host the European Cup tournament in 2032 jointly with Turkey.

Sports business opportunities are not just limited to soccer. Northern Italy will host the Winter Olympics and Paralympic Winter Games in February and March of 2026. Fondazione Milano Cortina 2026, the organizing committee, confirmed a lifetime budget of approximately €1.5 billion (about $1.6 billion) on January 2025.  Italy is investing an additional €3.4 billion (about $3.5 billion) on 44 projects to build or improve sports facilities and on 56 projects supporting rail, road and other transportation projects.

Opportunities may exist for innovative sports-related products and services from U.S. companies in a wide variety of areas: digital services (AI, blockchain data management & mining, digital marketing), sports marketing and merchandising, fan-base management, stadium development and design, project management, and others.

For more information, contact Joshua.Lawrence@trade.gov.

U.S.-Controlled Italian Soccer Teams

Major League (Serie A):

  • AS Roma (Rome)
  • AC Milan (Milan)
  • Atalanta BC (Bergamo)
  • Fiorentina FC (Florence)
  • FC Internazionale Milano
  • Hellas Verona FC (Verona)
  • Parma FC (Parma)
  • Venezia FC (Venice)

Lower Leagues:

Serie B:

  • Spezia Calcio (La Spezia)
  • Pisa SC (Pisa)
  • Cesena FC (Cesena)

Serie C:

  • SS Campobasso (Campobasso)
  • SPAL (Ferrara)
  • Triestina FC (Trieste)

Basketball (Serie A):

  • Pistoia Basket 2000 (Pistoia)
  • Trieste Pallacanestro (Trieste)