 | |
| Founded | 1929 |
|---|---|
| Country | Spain |
| Confederation | UEFA |
| Number of clubs | 20 |
| Current champions | Barcelona (28th title) (2024–25) |
| Most championships | Real Madrid (36 titles) |
| Current: 2024–25 | |
The Spanish football champions are the winners of the primary football competition in Spain, La Liga. The league is contested on a round-robin basis, with the title awarded to the team that finishes top at the end of the season. First established in 1929 with ten teams, La Liga has featured 20 teams since 1997. Before the league’s formation, the Copa del Rey—a regionalised cup competition—was effectively considered the national championship. [1] The league was suspended between 1936 and 1939 due to the Spanish Civil War. [2]
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Real Madrid are the most successful club, with 36 league titles, followed by Barcelona with 28. Barcelona has won the Spanish the double (having won the league and cup in the same season) a record nine times, ahead of Athletic Bilbao’s five. [3] Barcelona is also one of only two UEFA clubs—alongside Bayern Munich, who joined them in 2020—to have won the treble twice, most recently in 2015. [4] The current champions are Barcelona, who claimed their 28th title in the 2024–25 season.
The three lowest-placed teams in La Liga are relegated to the Segunda División and replaced by the top three from that division. Of the league’s founding clubs, only Athletic Bilbao, Barcelona, and Real Madrid have never been relegated. [5]
