This piece dives into the clubs that consistently rise to the upper echelon of Spanish football and challenge the status quo.
An intense battle unfolds as three teams from the 2022-23 Second Division campaign are set to vie for spots in La Liga Santander for the 2023-24 season. The journey from the second tier to Spain’s top flight adds drama, momentum, and new storylines to look out for across the country and beyond.
Curious about who will depart the second tier this year and join forces with Spain’s biggest clubs in the next campaign? The discussion has begun, and the landscape is already shifting as clubs push to secure promotion and maximize their ambitions.
Keep tabs on the current standings in the Second Division as teams navigate the push toward promotion and the fierce pursuit of top positions.
Promotion system to LaLiga Santander
The Second Division stands as one of the two professional tiers in Spanish football, alongside the First Division, both under the National Professional Soccer League. It remains the arena where aspiring clubs chase the prestige, competition, and exposure that come with top-tier status. Every season, only 20 clubs occupy the First Division, making promotion a coveted objective for many teams.
In the Second Division, 22 clubs compete with the goal of finishing among the top two places. After each club plays 42 league matches, facing every other team both at home and away, the team accumulating the most points earns the championship of the Second Division and, along with the runner-up, earns promotion to the First Division for the next season.
The second division play-offs
Since the 2010-11 season, an additional path to promotion has existed through play-offs. The promotion roller coaster typically involved the third through sixth-placed teams in the Second Division, with a direct elimination format that pitted the third against the sixth and the fourth against the fifth. The two victors then contested a final round-trip tie, yielding one more promoted team to the First Division.
In mid-2011, LaLiga made adjustments to the play-offs. When regulation time and extra time fail to separate the teams, the tie-breaking rule now favors the club with the better regular-season ranking for promotion. Relegation and promotion dynamics remain tied to the performance of teams at the bottom of the First Division and the top of the Second Division, ensuring fluid movement between the leagues.
The remaining promoted slots are filled by the clubs that finish in the bottom three places of the First Division, while the bottom four teams in the Second Division at season’s end are relegated to the lower tier and replaced by the promotion winners from that category.
Which teams will advance to LaLiga 2023-24
After 32 rounds of play, Eibar sits atop the standings with a sizable lead of 62 points and looks firmly on track for the first promotion. In second place, Granada and Las Palmas are tied on 58 points, creating a tight battle for automatic promotion. The playoff picture could feature Levante, Alavés, and Albacete, with Granada or Las Palmas continuing to press their case for direct promotion in the final stretch of the season.
Note: standings and outcomes are subject to change as the season progresses, with ongoing matches and results shaping the final promotion and relegation picture.