The La Liga Season Is Over: Here’s the Relegation and Promotion Picture | OneFootball

With the conclusion of the La Liga season, hearts have been broken and history has been made. The season had a little bit of everything: redemption, collapse, and a reshuffling of identities ahead of the 2026-27. In one of the best relegation battles modern soccer has seen, combined with a promotion race that sent fans down memory lane, Spain once again proved why it displays the best quality of soccer in the world.

Here is how the La Liga season unfolded.

A La Liga Season to Forget

For three clubs, the season ended in heartbreak. The final two relegation spots were not mathematically decided until deep into the final matchday.

Girona FC: Fairy Tale to Nightmare

Just two seasons ago, Girona FC was making history. For a brief stretch during the 2023-24 La Liga season, they were arguably the best team in Catalonia, even outperforming FC Barcelona.

They reached the top of the league table before eventually being overtaken by the inevitable Big Two: Real Madrid and Barça.

Despite that, Girona still achieved an unprecedented third-place finish and secured UEFA Champions League qualification for the following season. Míchel was deservedly named La Liga Manager of the Year. But the 2025-26 La Liga season brought the grim reality that often follows overachievement.

As happens so often with smaller European clubs, the vultures circled immediately. Savinho, Aleix García, Artem Dovbyk and several other key pieces of that historic side left the club almost immediately.

Ever since, Girona have looked disjointed and overly dependent on veteran striker Cristhian Stuani to produce moments of magic. Last season they finished 16th. This season, they ended 19th with just 41 points. Two seasons ago they were THIRD.

Girona’s fate was sealed on the final day of the La Liga season. They needed a victory to have any realistic hope of survival but could only manage a 1-1 draw at the Estadi Montilivi against Elche CF. That draw guaranteed Elche’s safety while condemning Girona to relegation.

Their final record of 9 wins, 14 draws, and 15 losses perfectly summarized the problem. Their 14 draws were tied for the highest total in the league alongside Rayo Vallecano. Their top scorer, Vladyslav Vanat, managed only nine league goals all season.

The inability to turn draws into victories ultimately destroyed them. Just two more wins instead of draws and Girona would probably still be a La Liga club.

RCD Mallorca: The Islanders Sink

For me personally, this is the saddest relegation story of the entire La Liga season. Unlike Girona, Mallorca never truly looked destined to go down for most of the campaign.

Girona’s collapse had warning signs over the past year and a half. Real Oviedo always looked overwhelmed by the step up. Mallorca, however, spent most of the year hovering outside danger.

Managed by Martín Demichelis, the Balearic Islanders fought until the final whistle of Matchday 38 but ultimately became victims of the most congested relegation battle in recent Spanish soccer history.

In a normal La Liga season, 42 points would almost certainly guarantee survival. This year it did not.

Mallorca finished 18th with 42 points, tied alongside Levante UD and CA Osasuna. Unfortunately for Mallorca, head-to-head results and goal difference proved fatal. Despite beating already relegated Real Oviedo 3-0 at home on the final day, results elsewhere failed to go their way. Had Girona defeated Elche, both Mallorca and Girona might have survived.

Mallorca struggled structurally throughout the year, but Vedat Muriqi almost single-handedly kept them alive. The Kosovan striker scored an astonishing 23 league goals, just two behind league top scorer Kylian Mbappé. But Muriqi could not save everything alone. Mallorca’s defense conceded 57 goals across the season.

There is still significant talent at the club. Samu Costa, Sergi Darder, Takuma Asano, and Pablo Torre remain quality players. However, relegation to the Segunda División likely means sales might have to be made.

Real Oviedo: The Romance Ends

The first team to be mathematically relegated during the La Liga season was Real Oviedo, who had only just returned to the top flight after a 25-year absence.

Even though they never fully looked capable of surviving, Oviedo fought bravely until Matchday 35. Finishing with 29 points from 38 matches may not sound impressive, but there were moments this season where survival genuinely felt possible.

The decision to sack Veljko Paunović in September proved catastrophic. Paunović was the man who guided Oviedo back to La Liga, and when he was dismissed the club sat outside the relegation zone. Luis Carrión replaced him but lasted only nine matches without recording a single victory. Guillermo Almada eventually took over, but by then the instability had already done irreversible damage.

Oviedo won only six matches all season, lost 21 times, and scored a league-worst 26 goals.

The emotional story of Santi Cazorla returning to his childhood club thrilled soccer fans worldwide. Unfortunately, even romance has its limits in modern soccer. Ultimately, Oviedo simply never looked fully prepared for the demands of La Liga.

The Legendary Clubs Returning to La Liga

While three clubs descend with heartbreak, the Segunda División has delivered one of its most nostalgic and emotionally satisfying seasons in years. With one game remaining, two historic clubs have already secured promotion back to the top flight.

Real Racing Club de Santander

Racing Santander are back in La Liga for the first time in 15 years.

Their previous relegation from the top division triggered a catastrophic collapse that eventually sent them tumbling down to Spain’s third tier. Financial problems, instability, and years of frustration followed.

Now, with one match remaining, Racing sit on 79 points after winning 24 matches and scoring 86 goals.

As one of the founding members of La Liga, Racing’s return restores an important historic identity to the league. For a fanbase that endured years of suffering and uncertainty, this promotion feels fully deserved.

Deportivo de La Coruña: The Big One

The biggest comeback story of the La Liga season belongs to Deportivo de La Coruña.

The 1999-2000 league champions are finally returning to the top flight after years of decline and humiliation. This is one of Spanish soccer’s sleeping giants finally waking up again. In the late 1990s and early 2000s, Super Depor terrified Europe’s elite. Yet in recent years, the club fell as far as Spain’s third division.

Now, under Antonio Hidalgo and captain Diego Villares, a new generation has restored hope to Galicia.

Deportivo secured automatic promotion with 77 points and still have a chance to win the Segunda División title on the final day if Racing Santander slip up. They scored 64 goals while boasting the second-best defensive record in the division, conceding only 42 times.

With Deportivo returning, every club that has ever won La Liga will officially be competing in the top flight next season.

The Battle for the Final Spot

La Liga 2 Table – Top 8 (Source: FotMob)

While Racing and Deportivo celebrate automatic promotion, six teams remain locked in battle for the final La Liga 2026/27 place through the promotion playoffs. The playoff system will see teams finishing third through sixth enter a knockout mini-tournament for the final promotion spot.

UD Almería sit on 71 points, while Málaga CF and UD Las Palmas both sit on 70. CD Castellón follow closely with 69. Meanwhile, Burgos and Eibar are still praying for final-day miracles to sneak into the playoff positions.

Almería possess the second-best attack in the league with 80 goals scored. Málaga’s potential return would further reinforce the theme of historic clubs rising again. Las Palmas are fighting for an immediate return after relegation, while Castellón are the dark horses.

From the title race to the relegation battle and now the promotion race, what a La Liga season (and La Liga 2 season) this has been from top to bottom.

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