campionati

Campionati is the Italian term for championships or leagues in which competitors strive to be crowned champions. The singular campionato denotes a single competition or season, while the plural campionati refers to multiple championships or to the set of national or regional competitions across different sports. The word derives from campo, meaning field, with the -ionato suffix used to indicate a state or system of competition.

Typically, a campionato is organized by a sports federation or a league and follows a defined format, which may include a regular season, playoffs, or knockout rounds. The season usually ends with the crowning of a champion; success in a campionato can lead to promotion to a higher division or qualification for other events. The concept emphasizes consistency over a single knockout match, distinguishing campionati from cup competitions.

Examples include the Campionati italiani di calcio, the national football championships in Italy. The top division within this system is commonly called the Campionato di Serie A, known simply as Serie A. Other sports run their own national championships, such as the Campionati italiani di atletica leggera (athletics) and the Campionati italiani di ciclismo. The term is also used for regional or club-level championships within larger federations, and for annual seasons across a wide range of disciplines.