Teams often find themselves looking over their shoulders in fear of relegation while also dreaming of promotion at the very same time, given how bunched up the table can become.
There is a fun mix of small clubs punching above their weight, combined with historic clubs boasting successful pasts. For example, the 2025/26 edition of LALIGA HYPERMOTION features 17 teams that have previously competed in the top tier, including the likes of RC Deportivo and Real Zaragoza, who lifted major silverware not so long ago.
Historic clubs will battle it out
RC Deportivo and Real Zaragoza only just finished above the relegation zone last season, so will hope for a much more successful campaign in 2025/26 as they aim to finally return to the top division. That might be easier said than done for Real Zaragoza, since they’ll be playing at a temporary stadium while work is carried out on their usual home of La Romareda. Their fans are passionate, though, and will fill the temporary ground week after week, looking to spur Los Maños up the table.
Other historic clubs will also be playing in LALIGA HYPERMOTION this season. Real Sporting, whose stadium of El Molinón is the oldest in Spanish professional football, will hope to climb back into LALIGA EA SPORTS for the first time in nine years, especially after seeing Asturian rivals Real Oviedo win promotion last season.
Real Racing Club de Santander and Málaga CF are two other clubs with lots of top-flight experience who are looking to make it back to the big time, having more recently played in the third tier than in the top division. The team from Santander came close last term, even making the promotion playoffs, and will hope to take the next step in 2025/26.
All three of the clubs who have come down from LALIGA EA SPORTS will also hope to secure a bounce-back promotion, namely Real Valladolid, UD Las Palmas and CD Leganés. That’s easier said than done, however, as none of the three relegated teams from the previous year – UD Almería, Granada CF and Cádiz CF – managed to go straight back up last season, such is the competitiveness of this division.
New arrivals make the league even more exotic: Andorra, Africa and a B team
In addition to the three teams coming down from LALIGA EA SPORTS, there are four other new arrivals in LALIGA HYPERMOTION. These are the teams that secured promotion from the Primera Federación division, and they are FC Andorra, AD Ceuta, Cultural Leonesa and Real Sociedad’s B team.
These four clubs are interesting additions in their own ways. In the case of FC Andorra, it means the return of a non-Spanish club to the second level of the Spanish footballing pyramid. The club owned by Gerard Piqué spent the 2022/23 and 2023/24 seasons at this level and have immediately returned, arguably stronger than ever, after one year away.
AD Ceuta’s return to the second tier after a 57-year absence means LALIGA HYPERMOTION will be played on the continent of Africa this season. The club, based in the autonomous city of the same name, collected the most points of any Primera Federación side last season and could be a surprise package.
Cultural Leonesa have spent just one season of the past half a century at this level, that of 2017/18, so will be hoping for a longer stay this time around. Meanwhile, the members of Real Sociedad’s B team squad will also be keen to prove themselves, and to show that they can compete against fully fledged senior sides.
Coaching changes bring fresh confidence
As is often the case in LALIGA HYPERMOTION, there has been a lot of turnover during the off-season in terms of personnel. The top two scorers of last season have departed their respective clubs, with Luis Suárez leaving UD Almería and Joaquín Panichelli moving on from CD Mirandés. But, that opens the door for new stars to emerge in the 2025/26 campaign.
There have also been several coaching changes, with eight clubs entering this season with a new man in the dugout. All three of the teams relegated from LALIGA EA SPORTS are commencing new eras, with Guillermo Almada taking over at Real Valladolid, Luis García doing so at UD Las Palmas and Paco López coming in at CD Leganés.
It’ll also be interesting to see if Fran Justo can replicate the magic Alessio Lisci worked at CD Mirandés last season, as the tiny club came so close to LALIGA EA SPORTS promotion. And, Ibai Gómez is the new man in charge at newly promoted FC Andorra, with the former Athletic Club midfielder keen to prove his worth as a manager.
It’s clear that the 2025/26 LALIGA HYPERMOTION season has all the ingredients to be a special one, with Spain’s second division set to entertain football fans all over again.