According to reports, Italian media has revealed a bizarre coincidence: Avellino has been promoted every time a Pope has died or resigned since 1958. This year, 2025, was no exception. Just days before the passing of Pope Francis, Avellino secured promotion back to Serie B.

On Saturday, the Campania-based team defeated Sorrento 2-1, confirming their return to Serie B. Two days later, the news of the Pope’s death was confirmed. Every time Avellino has been promoted, a Pope has died in the same year.

The first instance occurred in 1958 when Pope Pius XII died, and Avellino was promoted from the fourth division to Serie C. Five years later, in 1963, with the death of Pope John XXIII, Avellino reached Serie C again. In 1978, after the deaths of Pope Paul VI and Pope John Paul I (known as the ’33-day Pope’), Avellino reached Serie A for the first and only time.

After an unstable period, Pope John Paul II, who had a long reign, passed away in 2005. That same year, Avellino returned to Serie B by defeating Napoli. Their stay in Serie B was short, but in 2013, when Pope Benedict XVI resigned—the first Pope to do so in over 600 years—Avellino was promoted back to Serie B. This strange pattern has made Avellino a team with a unique history in Italian football.