Spezia were promoted to Italy's Serie A for the first time on Thursday.

They lost 1-0 to Frosinone in the second leg of the Serie B playoff final, which finished 1-1 on aggregate, but were promoted on the tiebreaker rule, having finished higher in the table in the regular season. Spezia finished third and Frosinone eighth.

Spezia will join fellow promoted sides Benevento and Crotone in the top flight, replacing relegated Lecce, Brescia and SPAL.

Spezia was founded in 1906 and last played in Italy's first division in the 1920s, before the Serie A was formed. The team is based in La Spezia, a city along Italy's northwestern coast with a population of less than 100,000.

The new Serie A season gets underway on September 19.

(Cover image: Luca Mora of Spezia shoots the ball during the Serie B match against ChievoVerona in Verona, Italy, June 26, 2020. /VCG)

(With input from agencies)