Coppa - Serie C (Italy)

Serie C Cup (Italy) (Coppa Italia Serie C) - the official domestic cup competition for clubs in Italy’s third-tier professional system, organised by the Italian Professional Football League (Lega Pro) for teams admitted to the Serie C championship. Regulations: the tournament is a straight knockout competition played through a First and Second Preliminary Round, Round of 16, Quarter-finals, Semi-finals and Final. The First Round features 56 clubs split into four pre-defined geographic groups and played as a single match drawn by lots, with the home team being the club placed in the lower-numbered bracket position. The Second Round features 32 clubs, including four seeded teams that enter at this stage because they are admitted to the Coppa Italia run by Lega Serie A and therefore play their Second Round tie at home, while other pairings and home teams are determined by draw. The Round of 16 and Quarter-finals are single matches with the host drawn by lots. The Semi-finals and Final are played over two legs, with the order of legs determined by draw. In single-match rounds, the winner is the team that scores more goals and if level after 90 minutes the tie is decided immediately by a penalty shoot-out. In two-legged rounds, the winner is determined by points over the two matches and then by goal difference, and if still level after the second leg extra time is played followed by penalties if required. The winner earns the right to enter the first round of the national play-off phase of the Serie C championship.