The Campeonato Nacional de Liga de Segunda División,[a] commonly known as Segunda División, and officially known as LaLiga HyperMotion[b] for sponsorship reasons, is the men's second professional association football division of the Spanish football league system. Administered by Liga Nacional de Fútbol Profesional, it is contested by 22 teams, with the top two teams plus the winner of a play-off promoted to La Liga and replaced by the three lowest-placed teams in that division.
The Second Division National Championship was inaugurated concurrently with the First Division, during the 1928-29 season. This setup comprised twenty teams divided into two groups: A and B. Group A functioned as the secondary national level, where the leading team would contest for promotion to the First Division and the bottom two faced relegation to the Third Division. Conversely, Group B represented the third tier, wherein two teams were promoted to the Second Division, while the remaining eight joined the newly formed Third Division in the subsequent season.
For this inaugural season, Group A consisted of the following clubs: Sevilla F. C., Iberia S. C., Deportivo Alavés, Real Sporting de Gijón, Valencia F. C., Real Betis Balompié, Real Oviedo F. C., Real Club Celta, R. C. Deportivo de La Coruña, and Racing Club de Madrid. On the other hand, Group B featured Cultural y Deportiva Leonesa, Real Murcia F. C., C. D. Castellón, C. D. Torrelavega, Zaragoza C. D., Real Valladolid Deportivo, C. A. Osasuna, Tolosa C. F., Barakaldo C. F., and Cartagena F. C..
The structure and number of teams in the competition have evolved over time. In the 1934-35 season, the league was segmented into multiple groups. This format persisted until the 1968-69 season when it transitioned back to the singular group system that is in place today. From 1977 to 1984, when its management transitioned to the National Professional Football League, the tournament was referred to as Second Division A, after the introduction of the Second Division B as the third level in the national football hierarchy.
During the 2019-20 season, a global outbreak of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus-2 emerged,[1] having originated in Asia and subsequently spreading to Europe.[2][3] As the virus rapidly spread across the continent, leading to rising infections and fatalities, sports entities began implementing preventative measures. In Spain, to mitigate the spread, only one match was held behind closed doors, without spectators,[4] yet the concern and rate of infections did not diminish, with several players and club executives testing positive. In light of the escalating situation, La Liga opted to halt all competitions temporarily,[5] following a precedent set by UEFA, which had suspended both the UEFA Champions League and the UEFA Europa League.[6][7] In a similar vein, Italy's CONI and FIGC put the Serie A on hold due to the same health concerns.[8] After a period of lockdown which saw a decrease in the spread of the virus, the government allowed sporting competitions to recommence,[9] culminating on July 20 as the remaining games were played, mirroring events in the First Division. Nonetheless, on the final matchday, multiple players from Club de Fútbol Fuenlabrada, S.A.D. were diagnosed with the virus. Consequently, their pivotal game against Real Club Deportivo de La Coruña, which was of great importance to the league standings, was delayed. This disruption impacted several clubs and the ensuing promotion playoffs.[10]
The 2006-07 and 2007-08 seasons marked the first instances when the championship adopted a commercial designation, being named "Liga BBVA" following a sponsorship agreement between the National Professional Football League and the bank of the same title.[11] From the 2008-09 through to the 2015-16 seasons, the division was rebranded as "Liga Adelante" as the bank transitioned to sponsor the First Division.[12] In the 2016-17 season, Banco Santander emerged as the primary sponsor, prompting the names "LaLiga 1|2|3" (with an enlarged "2" thus taking on the "LaLiga 2" moniker unsponsored). From the 2019-20 season onward, it became "LaLiga SmartBank". During the 2023-24 season, the new sponsor was introduced as EA Sports, resulting in the title "LaLiga Hypermotion".[13][14]
Real Murcia has participated in the Second Division for the most seasons, a total of 53, and has secured the championship title on eight occasions. They are followed by Sporting de Gijón with 48 seasons, Tenerife and Sabadell with 44, Hércules de Alicante with 43, and Real Club Deportivo de La Coruña, Castellón, and Cádiz each with 41 seasons.
Sociedad Deportiva Eibar holds the record for consecutive seasons in the division, with 18 seasons running from 1987/88 to 2005/06.
Among all teams that have ever competed in this division, only six have never featured in lower divisions: Atlético de Madrid, Espanyol, Valencia, Sevilla, Real Sociedad, and Sporting de Gijón.
In the 2011-12 season, Deportivo de La Coruña set a new record by amassing 91 points, leading them to clinch the championship.[15][16] The subsequent season, 2012-13, witnessed Elche as the first team to maintain the top position throughout all 42 matchdays.[17][18]
The league contains 22 teams that play each other home and away for a 42-match season. Each year three teams are promoted to La Liga. The top two teams earn an automatic promotion. The third team to be promoted is the winner of a play-off between the teams that finished 3rd to 6th (reserve teams are not eligible for promotion). The play-offs comprise two-legged semi-finals followed by a two-legged final. The bottom four are relegated to Primera Federación.[19]
This season was the first since 2006–07 season without any teams from Catalonia, as well as the first season without any teams from Community of Madrid since 2007–08 season, and without any reserve teams since the 2020–21 season.
Clubs in bold are competing in Segunda División as of the 2024–25 season. Clubs in italics no longer exist. Seasons in itallcs mean shared titles due to regionalisation (1949–1968).
*Championships won by Málaga CF and CD Málaga
