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This paper addresses the transition from the normal to the superfluid state in strongly correlated two dimensional fermionic superconductors and Fermi gases. We arrive at the Berezinskii–Kosterlitz–Thouless (BKT) temperatureT_BKTas a function ofattractivepairing strength by associating it with the onset of ‘quasi-condensation’ in the normal phase. Our approach builds on a criterion for determining the BKT transition temperature for atomic gases which is based on a well established quantum Monte Carlo analysis of the phase space density. This latter quantity, when derived from BCS–BEC crossover theory for fermions, leads to non-monotonic behavior forT_BKTas a function of the attractive interaction or inverse scattering length. In Fermi gases, this implies a robust superconducting dome followed by a long tail from the flat BEC asymptote, rather similar to what is observed experimentally. For lattice systems we find thatT_BKThas an absolute maximum of the order of 0.1E_F. We discuss how our results compare with those derived from the Nelson–Kosterlitz criterion based on the mean field superfluid density and the approach to the transition from below. While there is agreement in the strict mean-field BCS regime at weak coupling, we find that at moderate pairing strength bosonic excitations cause a substantial increase inT_BKTfollowed by an often dramatic decrease before the system enters the BEC regime.