This piece examines the clubs that rise to the top tier of Spanish football, highlighting the drama and decisions that shape promotion in a highly competitive landscape.
Across the 2022-23 season, three ambitious teams from the Segunda División are poised to join La Liga Santander for 2023-24, intensifying the race to the top flight and elevating the overall standard of the league. Fans and analysts alike watch closely as the battle for promotion unfolds, with ongoing speculation about which clubs will seal their ascent and which will miss out on the big stage.
As the season progresses, questions arise about which teams will depart LaLiga SmartBank and align themselves with Spain’s most storied clubs in the next campaign. The excitement builds as discussions advance, and the table begins to tell the story of potential shifts in the Spanish football hierarchy. A deeper look into the standings and the momentum of each candidate helps paint a clearer picture of the likely outcomes.
Fans can view the updated Segunda División standings to track how the race evolves, with every match contributing to the evolving narrative of promotion and relegation across the season.
Promotion system to LaLiga Santander
In Spain, the Segunda División and the Primera División stand as the country’s two fully professional leagues, both overseen by the National Professional Soccer League. The ultimate prize each season is a place in La Liga Santander, a privilege reserved for 20 clubs in the top division. The Segunda División features 22 teams competing for promotion, with a schedule that sees every team face the others twice—once at home and once away—culminating in a final tally of points that decides the champion and the automatic promotion spots.
The league format makes the second spot especially crucial, as both the champion and the runner-up secure direct promotion to the Primera División. The drama intensifies as teams battle across 42 matchdays, with every point earned shaping the future for clubs, players, and fans alike.
The second division play-offs
Since the 2010-11 season, there has also been a playoff mechanism to determine an additional promotion. Historically, the winners of the promotion playoffs included the teams finishing third through sixth, competing in knockout-style rounds. The format involved two-legged ties, matching third against sixth and fourth against fifth, with the two victors meeting in another two-legged final to decide the third promoted club. This final stage added a high-stakes, dramatic element to the season’s end, offering a last chance for teams to reach the top tier.
Mid-2011 brought a revision in which LaLiga opted to discontinue the playoff in some configurations. When matches reach the 90 minutes and, if needed, extra time without producing a clear winner, the team with the better regular-season standing is awarded promotion. This adjustment emphasized consistency over knockout shock value, rewarding teams that performed consistently across the season.
Promoted teams fill the remaining spots in La Liga Santander by replacing the bottom finishers of the Primera División. Conversely, the lower-ranked teams in Segunda División face relegation, ceding their places to those earning promotion from the lower tier, as the system aims to maintain balance and competition at the highest levels of Spanish football.
Which teams will advance to LaLiga 2023-24
After 32 rounds of the championship, Eibar leads the standings with 62 points and holds the leading position in the race for direct promotion. In second place, a tight contest pits Granada and Las Palmas against one another, both on 58 points, with the playoff picture opening for contenders like Levante, Alavés, and Albacete, while Granada or Las Palmas remains in the mix for promotion via the automatic route.
These dynamics illustrate the evolving storyline as the season heads toward its climax, with every match offering a chance to alter the fate of multiple clubs and their supporters. The drama behind promotion remains a central theme in Spanish football, shaping club strategies, fan engagement, and the broader competitive landscape.
Source: Goal