Girona

The club was founded in 1930 and by 1935 was already in the playoff of the Spanish second division attempting to reach the top Spanish division, La Liga. Unfortunately, they failed to do so that season and would not qualify for La Liga for another 86 years!

The Spanish Civil War halted football from 1938-1939, and after this when football was played again, Girona began to bounce from the second division to the third, and even lower to the fourth.

Girona spent much of the 70s, 80s, and 90s in mostly the third and fourth divisions, and they even had a small stint in the fifth-division, regional championships, for three seasons.

A highlight came in 2008 when Girona achieved a second-straight promotion after a playoff victory that secured them a spot in the Spanish second division for the first time in 49 years.

Girona’s “golden years” have come quite recently in comparison to some other clubs. In 2015 and 2016 they finished 3rd and 4th, just missing out on promotion to La Liga. Finally, in 2017 they finished 2nd and were promoted to La Liga for the first time in their 87-year history.

Also in 2017 the club became part of the City Football Group, which owns Manchester City, New York City of MLS, and other clubs around the world. So money won’t be a problem at Girona anymore!

In their first La Liga season they recorded a memorable victory over reigning European champions Real Madrid, defeating them 2-1 in front of a home crowd at the Estadi Montilivi in Girona.

Girona were relegated again on the last day of the 2018-2019 season, and just recently, in 2022, were able to make it back to La Liga for the second time in their history. This second stint in La Liga was a bit more memorable after they reached the top of La Liga in seven games and finished the season in 3rd, their best league finish ever.

This finish also secured them a spot in the Champions League, their first time competing in European competitions. They won just one game, 2-0 at home over Slovan Bratislava, and went out after the League Phase.

2024-25 SEASON: 16th in La Liga, 2nd round Copa del Rey

2025-26 SEASON: La Liga (since 2022)

Girona FC’s primary rivalry is with Catalan side RCD Espanyol of Barcelona. As a rapidly rising force in La Liga, they have also developed intense a competitive, high-stakes regional rivalry with FC Barcelona. Other notable, now mostly historical rivalries include CE Sabadell, Gimnàstic de Tarragona, and Barcelona Atlètic.

Girona FC’s women’s team faced financial difficulties, leading to their withdrawal from the Segunda División in 2013 and a temporary closure in 2016. The team returned in 2017–18 at the fifth tier of Spanish women’s football. Three seasons later, Girona acquired the women’s section of local club Sant Pere Pescador, renaming it Girona FC Senior A and relaunching their women’s club, while the previous team became Girona FC Senior B.

Here is the club’s official anthem:

It is, of course, better live, as here before a game with Real Madrid.

Girona currently plays their homes games at the Estadi Montilivi, and have since 1970 when it replaced their original home, the Camp de Vista Alegre. It has undergone several capacity expansions over the years, with them coming after each promotion to La Liga. It is by far the smallest stadium in La Liga, with just around 11,000 seats — about the size of Bournemouth’s ground in the Premier League.

GETTING THERE: Two buses go there from the city center and train station: bus 11 to UDG Montilivior bus 8 from the railway station.

PUBS and GRUB: There really isn’t much by the stadium.

AROUND TOWN: Here is an excellent guide to the city. We will add our impressions as soon as we get there!