L'ex aequo richiede la domanda di spareggio.

L' is the shortened form of the definite article il / lo / la before a vowel sound.

Here, it means the in the tie or the ex aequo.

So:

• l'ex aequo = the tie

Italian usually shortens the article this way before a vowel:

• l'amico
• l'idea
• l'ex aequo

Ex aequo is a fixed expression meaning a tie, draw, or shared placing in a competition or ranking.

It comes from Latin, but it is also used in modern Italian, especially in formal contexts such as:

• contests
• rankings
• exams
• sports results

Examples:

• I due candidati sono arrivati ex aequo.
  = The two candidates finished tied.

• C'è un ex aequo al primo posto.
  = There is a tie for first place.

In your sentence, l'ex aequo is being treated like a noun: the tie.

It is normally treated as masculine singular when used as a noun.

That is why you see:

• l'ex aequo
• not la ex aequo

You may also see it used in an invariable way in some contexts, but for a learner, the safest pattern is:

• un ex aequo
• l'ex aequo
• gli ex aequo can sometimes appear in plural contexts, though often the expression stays unchanged depending on usage

The important thing here is: in this sentence, it behaves like a masculine singular noun.

Richiede is the third-person singular present of richiedere.

So it means:

• requires
• calls for
• makes necessary

In this sentence:

• L'ex aequo richiede...
• The tie requires...
• or more naturally in English, A tie calls for...

Other examples:

• Questo lavoro richiede pazienza.
  = This job requires patience.

• La situazione richiede attenzione.
  = The situation requires attention.

Because the subject is singular:

• l'ex aequo = singular

So the verb must also be singular:

• l'ex aequo richiede

If the subject were plural, then you would use richiedono:

• Gli ex aequo richiedono uno spareggio.
  = Ties require a playoff / tiebreaker.

Word by word:

• la domanda = the question (or sometimes the request/application, depending on context)
• di spareggio = for breaking the tie / tiebreaking

So la domanda di spareggio means the tiebreaker question.

This wording makes the most sense in a quiz, game show, or test situation, where a tie is resolved by asking an extra question.

No. Domanda has more than one meaning in Italian.

Common meanings include:

• question
• request
• application

Examples:

• Ho una domanda.
  = I have a question.

• fare domanda di lavoro
  = to apply for a job

In your sentence, domanda clearly means question, because of di spareggio.

Spareggio is a playoff, tiebreaker, or deciding round/game used to break a tie.

Examples:

• Ci sarà uno spareggio.
  = There will be a playoff / tiebreaker.

• partita di spareggio
  = playoff match

• domanda di spareggio
  = tiebreaker question

So spareggio is the general idea of breaking a tie, and domanda di spareggio is one specific way to do that.

Because di is commonly used in Italian to link a noun to its function or type.

So:

• domanda di spareggio = tiebreaker question
• literally, question of tie-breaking

This is similar to other Italian noun combinations:

• bicchiere di vetro = glass cup / cup made of glass
• sala d'attesa = waiting room
• prova di ingresso = entrance test

Using da here would not sound natural.

It is understandable, but it sounds somewhat formal or context-specific.

It works best if the context is something like a quiz or competition where a tie leads to an extra question.

Depending on the situation, Italians might also say:

• L'ex aequo richiede uno spareggio.
  = The tie requires a tiebreaker/playoff.

• In caso di ex aequo, si fa una domanda di spareggio.
  = In case of a tie, a tiebreaker question is asked.

So your sentence is grammatical, but la domanda di spareggio is a more specific choice than just uno spareggio.

Because domanda is a feminine singular noun.

So:

• la domanda = the question
• una domanda = a question

This is a basic gender pattern in Italian:

• il libro = the book
• la domanda = the question

In the sentence, la domanda di spareggio is the object of the verb richiede.

The sentence follows a very standard Italian order:

• L'ex aequo = subject
• richiede = verb
• la domanda di spareggio = direct object

So:

Subject + Verb + Object

That is one reason the sentence is fairly easy to parse once you know the vocabulary.

In Italian, it is usually pronounced approximately like:

• egz EH-kwo

The exact pronunciation can vary a little, especially because the expression comes from Latin, but for a learner, that approximation is good enough.

The important part is that Italians treat it as a familiar fixed expression, even though it is not an ordinary native Italian word.

Yes. Very often it is used adverbially, without an article, to mean tied or jointly.

For example:

• Sono arrivati ex aequo.
  = They finished tied.

• I due atleti sono primi ex aequo.
  = The two athletes are joint first.

But in your sentence, it is being used as a noun:

• l'ex aequo = the tie

So a learner should notice that ex aequo can behave in more than one way depending on the sentence.