Las Palmas

Unión Deportiva (Sports Club) Las Palmas was founded in 1949 when 5 clubs in the Canary Islands were merged together to provide a solution for financials issues caused by the Spanish civil war. Following the merger, Las Palmas applied to the Royal Spanish Football Federation to enter into the third division, and after some deliberation they were allowed to enter the next season.

Las Palmas finished 2nd in their first season in the third division, which earned them a promotion to the second division. The very next year they achieved a second consecutive promotion, getting them all the way to La Liga. This was the first time in Spanish football history that a club achieved two consecutive promotions during its first two years of existence.

In 1968, Las Palmas finished 3rd in La Liga behind Real Madrid and Barcelona, which is their best finish to date. During the 70s Las Palmas also made several appearances in European competitions but failed to win a trophy.

During the 90s, Las Palmas spent the majority of their time in the 2nd and 3rd division. They spent a lot of time in the early 2000s and 2010s bouncing between the first and second division, while narrowing avoiding the third division on several occasions.

Las Palmas have recently gained promotion back to La Liga after finishing second in the second division with a win on the very last day of the 2022-23 season.

2023-24 SEASON: 16th in La Liga, Copa del Rey Round of 32

2024-25 SEASON: La Liga

Las Palmas shares a fierce rivalry with fellow Canary Island club, Tenerife. The Canary Islands Derby is widely considered as one of the best rivalries in Spain and has been going on since the formation of Las Palmas in 1949. The two teams have met a total of 67 times, with Las Palmas securing 25 wins to Tenerife’s 17, with 25 draws.

They briefly had a team that played in the top division of Spanish football from 2009-2011.

There is an official club anthem, but the song Amarillo es mi color (Yellow is my color) is a much better watch:

Las Palmas have played at Estadio Gran Canaria since 2003. It has a capacity of 32,400, making it the largest in the Canary Islands. It went through renovations in 2014 to remove the track around the field, making it a football specific stadium.

TOURS: The club offers a number of tour options; visit their website to learn more.

GETTING THERE: Take a bus or a taxi; it’s about 5 km (3 miles) from the city center.

PUBS and GRUB: There’s nothing out by the stadium.

AROUND TOWN: Since we haven’t been there — yet! — we’ll just turn you over to their tourism website.