Benevento Calcio

The club was founded as Associazione Calcio Benevento in 1929,[1] their original home was the Meomartini which was built by Ciccio Minocchia.[2]

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.

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.[3]

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.[4] 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.[5] 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.[6][7] 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.[8] 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.[9]

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. 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.[10] 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.[11] Benevento eventually finished in 18th place, with four points fewer than Torino in the final non-relegation position.

As of 9 February 2023[15]

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

No. Pos. Nation Player 2 DF  MAR Hamza El Kaouakibi 3 DF  ITA Gaetano Letizia 4 MF  ITA Gennaro Acampora 6 MF  POL Krzysztof Kubica 7 MF  BIH Nermin Karić 8 MF  COL Andrés Tello 9 FW  ITA Stefano Pettinari (on loan from Ternana) 10 FW  BRA Diego Farias 11 MF  CRO Roko Jureškin (on loan from Pisa) 12 GK  ITA Nicolò Manfredini 15 DF  POL Kamil Glik 16 MF  ITA Riccardo Improta 18 DF  BEL Daam Foulon 20 FW  ITA Antonino La Gumina (on loan from Sampdoria) 21 GK  ITA Alberto Paleari

No. Pos. Nation Player 22 GK  ITA Igor Lucatelli 24 MF  ITA Mattia Viviani 25 FW  NGA Simy (on loan from Salernitana) 27 MF  ITA Pasquale Schiattarella 28 FW  ITA Camillo Ciano 30 MF  GHA Abdallah Basit 31 DF  ROU Alin Toșca 33 DF  FRA Maxime Leverbe (on loan from Sampdoria) 35 MF  ITA Lorenzo Carfora 55 DF  ALB Frédéric Veseli 58 DF  ITA Christian Pastina 72 MF  SVN Dejan Vokić 79 MF  CIV Siriki Sanogo 80 MF  GRE Ilias Koutsoupias (on loan from Virtus Entella) 96 DF  ITA Riccardo Capellini

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

No. Pos. Nation Player — DF  ITA Edoardo Masciangelo (at Palermo until 30 June 2023) — DF  ITA Francesco Rillo (at Potenza until 30 June 2023) — MF  ITA Vincenzo Alfieri (at Recanatese until 30 June 2023) — MF  ITA Davide Masella (at Potenza until 30 June 2023) — MF  ITA Angelo Talia (at Potenza until 30 June 2023)

No. Pos. Nation Player — FW  ITA Enrico Brignola (at Catanzaro until 30 June 2023) — FW  ITA Francesco Forte (at Ascoli until 30 June 2023) — FW  ITA Gabriele Moncini (at SPAL until 30 June 2023, obligation to buy) — FW  SEN Pape Samba Thiam (at Radomlje until 30 June 2023) — FW  ITA Bruno Umile (at Sambenedettese until 30 June 2023)

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