Italian football team promoted after each papal reign

Club Avellino posted a photo of Pope Francis signing his shirt in memory.

The strange phenomenon began in 1958 and recently continued to recur after the passing of Pope Francis. The coincidence happened again in 2025, making the seemingly random event more difficult to explain than ever.

On April 19, Avellino beat Sorrento 2-1, officially winning a ticket back to Serie B - the second division of Italian football. Just two days later, the Vatican announced the death of Pope Francis (Jorge Mario Bergoglio).

It all started in October 1958 when Pope Pius XII died. A few days later, the Italian Football Federation restructured the league system and Avellino was unexpectedly promoted to Serie C. In 1963, Pope John XXIII died, and Avellino was promoted to Serie C once again after winning the fourth division.

1978 was the most glorious year in the club's history, but it coincided with the deaths of two Popes within 40 days of each other. Pope Paul VI died in August and his successor John Paul I died after just over a month on the throne. That same year, Avellino won promotion to Serie A for the first and only time in the club's history.

Avellino were promoted to Serie B two days before Pope Francis died.

The string of coincidences continued into the 21st century. In 2005, Pope John Paul II died in April. Just a few months later, Avellino - not the top contenders - shocked Napoli to secure promotion to Serie B. The first leg ended 0-0, and in the return leg, Avellino won 2-1 at home at the Partenio.

In 2013, due to old age and health, Pope Benedict XVI announced his abdication. A rare event in the history of the Catholic Church saw Avellino promoted to Serie B once again.

Some call it the Vatican curse, others just a joke of fate. But clearly, for Avellino fans, a series of promotions every time the Pope dies is no longer strange.

"No one can give a convincing explanation for this incredible series of coincidences. The Avellino phenomenon is the strangest story in the world of football, where faith, destiny and history that seem unrelated to the round ball are intertwined in an unexpected way," Marca wrote.

Source: https://znews.vn/doi-bong-italy-thang-hang-sau-moi-trieu-dai-giao-hoang-post1548075.html