 | |
| Founded | 1929 |
|---|---|
| Country | Spain |
| Confederation | UEFA |
| Number of teams | 20 |
| Current champions | Real Madrid (36th title) (2023–24) |
| Most championships | Real Madrid (36 titles) |
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 and the championship awarded to the team that is top of the league at the end of the season. La Liga, first established in 1929, originally contained ten teams. Before La Liga's organisation, the Copa del Rey—a regionalised cup competition—was effectively the national championship.[1] La Liga is contested by 20 teams; the three lowest-placed teams are relegated to the Segunda División and replaced by the top three teams in that division. Of the founding teams in La Liga, only Athletic Bilbao, Barcelona and Real Madrid have not been relegated.[2] The league was cancelled between 1936 and 1939 because of the Spanish Civil War.[3]
Real Madrid are the most successful club with 36 titles. Barcelona has won the Spanish version of the double the most times, having won the league and cup in the same year eight times in history, three more than Athletic Bilbao's five.[4] Barcelona is one of two UEFA clubs (along with Bayern Munich who joined them in 2020) to have won the treble twice, after accomplishing this feat for a second time in 2015.[5] The current champions are Real Madrid.
- ^ Cresswell. European Football, A Fan's Handbook. p. 489.
- ^ Hughes, Rob (8 April 2007). "Athletic Bilbao gets an Easter gift". The New York Times. Retrieved 4 December 2008.
- ^ "Spain – List of Champions". RSSSF. 4 September 2008. Retrieved 29 November 2008.
- ^ "Doing the Double!". RSSSF. 27 November 2008. Retrieved 29 November 2008.
- ^ Ashby, Kevin (27 May 2009). "Guardiola salutes his treble winners". Union of European Football Associations. Retrieved 28 May 2009.