Primavera 1 2026/27 | The League Gets Underway as Verona Host Cesena in the Season Opener

Verona - The start of the new Primavera 1 2026/27 season is just around the corner. Hellas Verona are preparing to begin their sixth consecutive season in Italy’s top youth division, with a major change on the horizon: the return of Massimo Pavanel to the bench.

After finishing 12th last season, the Gialloblù youngsters are preparing for a new challenge in the 20-team league, which will retain last season’s format: the top six teams will qualify for the Championship play-offs, while the bottom two will be directly relegated. The teams finishing 17th and 18th will instead face each other in a play-out, with the loser suffering relegation.

Replacing relegated sides Cremonese, Frosinone and Napoli will be Empoli, Albinoleffe and Como, who have been promoted from the Primavera 2 championship.

Verona’s season opener is scheduled for Monday 24 August at 5PM, against Cesena at the Olivieri Stadium. The match will be broadcast live on Sportitalia (channel 60 on digital terrestrial TV), which will once again be the official broadcaster of Primavera 1 this season.

Coach Pavanel returns to the Verona bench after his previous spell, which began in the 2012/13 season and ended in 2016/17, culminating in the final of the prestigious Viareggio Cup in 2015.

The coach began working with and getting to know the new squad on 16 July, when the Gialloblù gathered at the Olivieri training ground, before continuing their preparations at the Folgaria training camp. There, they faced Genoa Primavera, Bassano and Union Trento Ravinense to build up match fitness ahead of the start of the league.

Cesena will also enter the match with a new face on the bench. Following Nicola Campedelli, the Romagna-based club has appointed Nicola Pozzi as head coach of its Primavera side. The Bianconeri coach can look back on a long playing career in Serie A, having represented Sampdoria, Empoli, Siena and Parma, as well as playing for Cesena at the beginning of his career.

The Bianconeri will compete in Primavera 1 for the third consecutive season and are coming off an excellent campaign in which they finished third in the regular season, qualifying for the play-offs. After defeating Inter in the quarter-finals, Cesena were eliminated in the semi-finals by Parma, losing 2-1.

The match will be refereed by Michele Maccorin (AIA Pordenone), with Angelo Macchia (AIA Moliterno) and Bruno Galigani (AIA Sondrio) serving as assistant referees.

Matchday 1, Primavera 1 2026/27
HELLAS VERONA-CESENA
Monday 24 August, 5 PM
Olivieri Stadium - Verona
Live on Sportitalia, channel 60 DTT