Which 18 teams will Real Madrid and Barcelona play in LaLiga 2023/24? Who was promoted and relegated?

It took us until 17 June but we now finally know which 20 teams will compete in the 2023/24 edition of LaLiga following a dramatic promotion playoff from LaLiga Smartbank, Spain’s second tier. With the very last kick of the playoff final, Alaves’ Asier Villalibre ensured his team would be coming up against the might of Real Madrid and Barcelona next term, with Levante just falling short in their attempt to bounce back to the top tier at the first time of asking.

Alavés are, of course, no strangers to LaLiga Santander, to give it its full name, having spent six seasons in the top division prior to their relegation at the end of the 2021/22 campaign. The Basque side had the opportunity to earn automatic promotion on the last day of the season but their failure to win away to Las Palmas meant they had to do things the hard way.

Which teams were promoted from LaLiga Smartbank?

The men from the Canary Islands ultimately finished In the second promotion place following the goalless draw between the teams and return to LaLiga after five seasons in the second tier. Like Alavés, Granada also gained promotion at the first attempt, beaten Leganés 2-0 on the final day of the season to win LaLiga Smartbank by three points.

Which teams were relegated from LaLiga Santander?

Granada, Las Palmas and Alavés will take the places of Elche, Espanyol, and Real Valladolid, who finished in the bottom three spots in LaLiga in 2022/23.

Elche were cut adrift early on and, despite ending the season with a five-match unbeaten run, which included a win against Atlético Madrid, finished the campaign 16 points adrift of safety. Espanyol had to defeat fellow strugglers Valencia on the penultimate matchday to stay alive but could only pick up a point, which meant they had no chance of survival heading into the final day.

Six other teams were in danger going into their last fixtures but Valladolid’s inability to beat Getafe at home rendered all the other results meaningless. Both Espanyol and Valladolid spent just a single season at the top table, which Elche’s run in LaLiga ended after three years.

The full list of clubs competing in LaLiga Santander 2023/24