Promotion and Relegation in Spanish Football

How does promotion and relegation work in Spanish football?

Like in England, Spanish football uses a promotion and relegation system where teams move through the tiers of leagues. But how does it work?

Spanish Football League Structure

At the top of the Spanish league system is La Liga., including all the famous clubs like Barcelona, Real Madrid and the rest. Just below that is Segunda División, and below that is Primera Federación. Beneath that in the fourth tier is the Segunda Federación. Clubs in that tier are semiprofessional and amateur, and from the fifth tier down it’s all amateur.

Connecting all of this, as in England, is a system of promotion and relegation.

Spanish La Liga Promotion and Relegation

At the top of La Liga, similar to the Premier League, the top four clubs qualify for the next season’s Champions League. No. 5 goes to the Europa League, and no. 6 goes to the Europa Conference League.

The three clubs at the bottom of La Liga, nos. 18, 19, and 20, are automatically relegated to the Segunda División.

Meanwhile, in the Segunda División, the top two teams are automatically promoted to La Liga.

Teams that finish 3rd through 6th in the Segunda División qualify for the promotion playoffs, with the winner claiming the third promotion spot to La Liga.

Learn More About La Liga Tickets Here

2024-25 La Liga Promotion Playoffs

At the end of the 2024-25 Segunda División season, the top of the table looked like this:

• 1st: Levante (promoted)
• 2nd: Elche (promoted)
• 3rd: Oviedo
• 4th: Mirandés
• 5th: Racing Santander
• 6th: Almería

As the highest-ranked team in the playoffs, Oviedo faced Almería, while Mirandés played Racing Santander in the other semifinal. Oviedo and Mirandés advanced, with Oviedo winning the two-legged final 3-2 on aggregate. Thus they are in La Liga for the 2025-26 season.

The three teams that dropped down from La Liga to Segunda División for the 2025-26 season were Leganés, Las Palmas and Valladolid.

Looking for Spanish Soccer Tickets?

We are authorized sales agents and numerous clubs in La Liga and the Segunda División. Fill out the form below and let us know how we can help. Just remember to check your spam folder for our response.