Villarreal

Including the 2023-24 campaign, Villarreal CF have finished in the top eight of La Liga ten of the past eleven seasons, with five top-five finishes since 2016. In 2022 they made the semifinals of the Champions League, before going out 2-5 on aggregate against Liverpool.

The club has not taken home a domestic trophy since 1970, when they earned top honors in the Third Division to be promoted to the Second Division. Since those days, they have staged a remarkable rise, spending 21 of 23 seasons in the top tier, including a second-place finish in the 2007-08 season.

All of this happened, as you might guess, because a wealthy owner purchased the club in 1997. That would be Fernando Roig, who made his money in a family grocery business. He was very involved, with his brother, at nearby València CF, which has led to a heated rivalry between the two clubs.

In 2010, Villarreal CF fullback Joan Capdevila helped Spain win the World Cup in South Africa.

Perhaps the most well-known player to don a Villarreal uniform was its all-time leading scorer, Italy’s Giuseppe Rossi, who made 136 appearances from 2007-13 and scored 82 goals.

2024-25 SEASON: 5th in La Liga, Copa del Rey Round of 32

2025-26 SEASON: La Liga, UEFA Champions League

Your biggest rival is usually the club you’re located closest to. As the only two professional clubs located in the province of Castellón, Villarreal CF’s geographically-closest rival is CD Castellón, which has bounced between the second and third divisions since 1992.

But since Villarreal have become a La Liga fixture, and owing to some complicated family dynamics, València offers the most heated rivalry. Their clashes have been dubbed “Derbi de la Comunitat,” with Valencia holding a slight lead in wins.

Here is more on that rivalry from Copa 90:

Villarreal has a women’s team that has been in operation since 2001 and recently made it to the top division in Spanish football for the first time in their history.

The actual name is cool enough — Estadio de la Cerámica — but the nickname is also pretty sweet: Feudo Amarillo (Yellow Fief). Plus, the stadium is located only five kilometers from the Mediterranean Sea.

The stadium originally opened in 1923, and has undergone multiple renovations, but has stood at its original location throughout the years. Lights were added in 1973 when Villarreal were in the third division.

The capacity of Estadio de la Cerámica is 23,500 seated.

TOURS: The club does offer stadium tours with museum access that cost €15. Click here to learn more.

GETTING THERE: It’s just a 20-minute walk from the train station in the city center. And that station is just an hour from Valencia.

PUBS and GRUB: Look mainly around Plaça Mayor in the city center.

AROUND TOWN: We’ve not been there yet, but there is no indication on the Internet that there’s much to do in town!