Serie A will stick with 20 teams after 16 of its current clubs voted against reducing the division to 18 sides.
Only Juventus, Inter Milan, AC Milan and Roma voted for the proposal to cut the number of Italian top-flight sides at a shareholders’ meeting in Milan.
The current format of 20 teams was introduced in 2004-05.
A proposal for reforms was also approved as the Italian league pushes for more autonomy, similar to the Premier League in England.
Those reforms will be presented at the extraordinary general assembly of the Italian football federation (FIGC) in March.
“Currently, the system does not give Serie A the autonomy and decision-making weight it should have with respect to economic weight,” Serie A President Lorenzo Casini said.