Spanish Football Teams: Complete Guide to La Liga, Segunda División, and Primera División teams (2025)

When people talk about passion, history, and flair in football, then Spanish football teams sit right in the coliseum of the game. Spain is not only about beautiful beaches and sunny weather; it's a place where the football heritage runs through the veins of every citizen from Bilbao to Cadiz. It doesn't matter whether you are a rich Spaniard sitting at Santiago Bernabeu, watching a game, or a kid juggling the ball barefoot on the streets; football is the endgame here. 
Before the new season begins, let's understand how deep football has its reach in the country. On top of the Spanish football pyramid, there is La Liga, the most clinical and skillful league. This top division league has always nurtured many historic Spanish football clubs like Real Madrid, Barcelona, Atletico Madrid, and Valencia, producing numerous legends of the game like Cristiano Ronaldo, Lionel Messi, Zinedine Zidane, and Xavi in the process. Below this, we get the Segunda Division, where second-division clubs like Real Zaragoza and Racing Santander go head-to-head for promotion. Last but not least is the newly-founded Primera Federacion, a breeding ground for the future stars. However, the football teams in Spain are not only limited to the boys' game; it has also offered a place for women players to thrive. For instance, Barcelona Femeni and Spain's women's team have won multiple titles, including Champions League and FIFA World Cup trophies. On the global stage, the Spain football teams (both men's and women's) have already left their mark. The Spanish Armada, since 2008, has been impressing the masses with back-to-back Euros and a World Cup trophy. If you are a fan of exciting football and late dramatic moments, then the Spanish football teams have everything at their disposal to entertain you. 

Spanish football clubs - History and Evolution of Football Teams in Spain

The foundation of Spanish football teams dates back to the late 1800s. It all started when British sailors, miners, and fishermen began to play the ball with their feet in the Southern region of the country. And thus, Spain's oldest football club, Recreativo de Huelva, was founded in 1889 at Rio Tinto Mines. Football was a hobby for the British workers back then, but later it quickly caught on with the residents. 
In no time, Spain had its football fever. Within years, many football teams in Spain began to emerge, including two clubs that would change the history of club football forever. Barcelona and Real Madrid, both La Liga teams, were formed just three years apart. These two massive powerhouses not only built squads, they built legacies. The matches between them are widely popular as El Clásico, the GOAT of all classicos in football.
As football began to explode in Spain, the top division league, La Liga, was formed in 1929 to accommodate big clubs. The competition started with just 10 teams initially, including Barcelona, Real, and Athletic Bilbao, and over the years, 10 more Spanish football clubs participated in it.
Currently, the Spanish football teams have established their dominance on the global stage for their technicality, creative flair, history, and high-stakes games.

Spanish Football pyramid

The Spanish football league system is a multi-layered structure that maintains the flow of football from the elite level down to the local fields. On top of it, there is La Liga, the popular name of the Primera División. This is where the elite Spanish La Liga teams battle it out for domestic glory and European spots. Below that, we have the Segunda Division, or La Liga second division where many Spanish football teams fight for promotion to La Liga and avoid relegation. This is followed by Primera Federacion, Segunda Federacion and Tercera Federacion. These three leagues are home to semi-professional and amateur local clubs and highlight the real flavour of community football.

Spanish Football Divisions

Spain's association with football goes very deep, and it has a well-organized football league system. The Spanish football pyramid is designed not only to sustain global superstars but also to promote local talents and development from grassroots levels. The country has five national tier leagues, with La Liga sitting at the heart of it. 
The Primera División is the elite league in the Spanish football divisions. The last three teams in the table automatically get relegated to Segunda Division, while the top three teams always earn a promotion to the top flight at the end of a season. Below, you can find how the relegation and promotion systems work for the Spanish football teams.
 

Primera División (La Liga)

La Liga is the heart of the Spanish football pyramid, with it sitting at the top of the chain. It is where the top 20 Spanish football teams, including Barcelona, Real Madrid, Atletico Madrid, and Sevilla, fight for national glory. The top four teams from this division earn a spot in the UEFA Champions League directly, while the fifth and sixth-placed clubs get to play in the Europa League. The last three teams in the food chain face relegation at the end of the season.

Segunda Division (La Liga Hypermotion)

This is the second division league in Spain, with 22 clubs, making it very competitive. As it's the wildcard to get a chance to play in La Liga, with the top two clubs earning promotion, teams throw their lives on the line for the top two places. While the 3rd, 4th, fifth, and sixth-placed teams battle it out in play-offs, the last four automatically get relegated.

Primera Federacion

This league was formally formed in 2021, and it's considered the third tier. Primera Federacion has two groups of Spain football teams with 20 clubs making each group. Most of the clubs are local sides or former La Liga teams, which offer intense fights for promotion to the Segunda division.

Segunda Federacion

There are five groups in total in Segunda Federacion. Each group consists of 18 teams. It's a semi-professional tier and is considered a gateway to youth development. Clubs that try to build their legacy play in this division.

Tercera Federacion

The fifth tier in the Spanish football divisions is Tercera Federacion, where 18 regional groups of Spanish football teams take on each other at the amateur level. It's the place where teenage players come to understand the nerve of football before delving into the deep-rooted Spanish football. It's the grassroots level of the country's football divisions. It's the pipeline of young talent in Spanish football.

Spanish Football League System

The Spanish football system has been run by the Royal Spanish Football Federation (RFEF) since 1913. Two top-tier divisions - Primera and Segunda Divisions by Liga Nacional de Futbol Profesional (LFP), a separate body within the RFEF. The top 20 elite football teams in Spain, including Barcelona and Real Madrid, compete in the top division. Teams move up and down through promotion and relegation in the five-tier Spanish football pyramid.
Except for two leagues of La Liga, RFEF directly supervises the remaining three tiers - Primera Federacion, Segunda Federacion, and Tercera Federacion. Other Spanish football clubs often compete at the grassroots level to climb the league pyramid. 

Top 10 most successful Spanish Football Teams: 

Spain boasts some of the most decorated and historic football clubs in the world. From Real Madrid and Barcelona to Villarreal, the La Liga teams have set a certain benchmark in European football, especially in the Champions League and the Europa League. Even other Primera División teams like Atletico Madrid, Villarreal, and Sevilla have also left their footprints with Copa del Rey and Spanish Super Cup victories. Whether it's stylish attacks or solid defensive prowess, Spanish football teams have shown it all. Here's the list of the top 10 most successful Spanish football teams based on history, legacy, and trophies.

La Liga Teams

The current La Liga teams are all set to kickstart their 2025-26 season in a few days time. The defending champions of the Spanish top flight, Barcelona, and record-time winners Real Madrid, will also play in this season. Levante, Elche, and Real Oviedo have been promoted to La Liga this season and will be amongst the 20 teams playing in the Spanish league division.
 

Segunda División Clubs

There are 22 clubs in the Segunda Division of La Liga. The most important clubs that are expected to light up the league are Real Sociedad, Leganes, Malaga, Deportivo La Coruna, and Sporting Gijon. These Spanish football teams will take on each other throughout the season, keeping their eye on the top two spots, which are direct tickets to La Liga next season.

Primera División teams:

The Primera Federación has 40 teams competing with each other. These 40 teams are divided into two groups, 20 teams in each group. The most important clubs in the third division of the Spanish football pyramid are - Real Sociedad B, Barcelona Athletic, Athletic Bilbao B, Zamora, Andorra, Osasuna B, and Celta de Vigo II.