Primera División (women)
The Primera División de la Liga de Fútbol Femenino, also known as Primera Iberdrola, formerly Liga Femenina Iberdrola for sponsorship reasons, is the highest level of league competition for women's football in Spain. Previously known as Superliga Femenina, División de Honor and Liga Nacional, it is the women's equivalent of the men's La Liga and is run by the Real Federación Española de Fútbol (RFEF). The league was founded in 1988 and since then it has been celebrated without interruptions although it has undergone several changes of format and denomination.
Founded | 1988 |
---|---|
Country | Spain |
Confederation | UEFA |
Number of teams | 18 |
Level on pyramid | 1 |
Relegation to | Segunda División |
Domestic cup(s) | Copa de la Reina |
International cup(s) | UEFA Champions League |
Current champions | Barcelona (5th title) (2019–20) |
Most championships | Athletic Bilbao Barcelona (5 titles each) |
TV partners | Esport3 ETB 1 Gol |
Website | Website |
Being the sixth competition with the best coefficient, it is considered one of the most important women's leagues in Europe according to the Union of European Football Associations (UEFA).
Throughout its history 12 clubs have been champions; Athletic Bilbao and Barcelona have both won the most championships, with five each.
History
Liga Nacional
The league was founded in 1988 as Liga Nacional, formed by Olímpico Fortuna, Puente Castro, Parque Alcobendas, Santa María Atlético, Vallès Occidental, RCD Español, FC Barcelona, CE Sabadell and Peña Barcelonista Barcilona.
División de Honor
From the season 1996-97 the league was divided in 4 groups. In that time, all group winners played a semi-final and a final to decide the champion.
Superliga
For the 2001–02 season the league was renamed to Superliga and the competition system was changed from the groups format to a double round-robin, thus each team playing the other teams twice, one time away, one time at home. The league consisted of 14 teams in those years. The 2008–09 season kept the double round-robin format but the league was increased from 14 to 16 teams.
In the 2009–10 season the Superliga was increased from 16 to 24 teams, which caused criticism by teams and players, fearing a decline in the quality of competition. The Superliga again is divided in 3 groups of 7 to 8 teams each.[1] Those groups are divided based on local aspects. In the first stage of the season, in all groups each team plays each other twice. After that, the second stage starts. The best two of each group as well as the two best third-place finishers go into group A, the other teams are divided into group B and C based on a predefined key. Again a double round-robin is played in the groups. All Group A teams and the three best finishers of Group B and C qualify for the Copa de la Reina, and the two best teams in Group A play each other in a two legged final for the season's championship. Rayo Vallecano won the 2009-10 and 2010-11 finals, both times against RCD Espanyol. In the 2009–10 season, two teams had to withdraw from the league for financial reasons.
Primera División
For the 2011–12 season, in addition to the rename of the league to Primera División, the group based system was eliminated and 18 teams played double round-robin to decide the champion, shortening it to 16 teams for the 2012–13 one. Before the 2016–17, the Royal Spanish Football Federation agreed a sponsorship with Iberdrola, renaming the league as Liga Iberdrola for commercial issues,[2] slightly changing it to Primera Iberdrola in 2019.
On 10 June 2020 the Primera División was granted professionalized league status.[3]
Teams
Eibar and Santa Teresa promoted from Segunda División Pro.
Stadiums and locations
Team | Home city | Stadium |
---|---|---|
Athletic Bilbao | Lezama | |
Atlético Madrid | Centro Deportivo Wanda | |
Barcelona | Johan Cruyff | |
Deportivo La Coruña | Abegondo | |
Eibar | Unbe | |
Espanyol | Dani Jarque | |
UDG Tenerife | La Palmera | |
Levante | Ciudad Deportiva | |
Logroño | Las Gaunas | |
Madrid CFF | Nuevo Matapiñonera | |
Rayo Vallecano | Ciudad Deportiva | |
Real Betis | Luis del Sol | |
Real Madrid | Ciudad Real Madrid | |
Real Sociedad | Zubieta | |
Santa Teresa | El Vivero | |
Sevilla | Jesús Navas | |
Sporting Huelva | La Orden | |
Valencia | Antonio Puchades |
List of champions
The following list shows all champions of the Spanish women's football league.[4] Before creation of the league, from 1983 to 1988 the Copa de la Reina de Fútbol winners were the Spanish Champions.
Season | Teams | Champion | Points | Runner-up | Points | Third place | Points | ||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Liga Nacional | |||||||||||
1988–89 | 9 | Peña Barcilona | 24 | Parque Alcobendas | 21 | Español | 20 | ||||
1989–90 | 12 | Atlético Villa de Madrid | 43 | Peña Barcilona | 39 | Español | 30 | ||||
1990–91 | 8 | Oiartzun | 20 | Atlético Villa de Madrid | 20 | Añorga | 20 | ||||
1991–92 | 8 | Añorga | 27 | CF Barcelona | 19 | Oiartzun | 17 | ||||
1992–93 | 7 | Oroquieta Villaverde | 24 | Añorga | 21 | CF Barcelona | 20 | ||||
1993–94 | 10 | Oroquieta Villaverde | 49 | Añorga | 42 | CF Barcelona | 40 | ||||
1994–95 | 10 | Añorga | 48 | Oroquieta Villaverde | 40 | Espanyol | 34 | ||||
1995–96 | 9 | Añorga | 36 | Oroquieta Villaverde | 31 | Espanyol | 30 | ||||
División de Honor | |||||||||||
1996–97 | Sant Vicent | [lower-alpha 1] | Añorga | - | - | ||||||
1997–98 | 45 | Atlético Málaga | [lower-alpha 2] | Sant Vicent | - | - | |||||
1998–99 | 50 | Oroquieta Villaverde | [lower-alpha 3] | Puebla | - | - | |||||
1999–2000 | 50 | Puebla | [lower-alpha 4] | Torrejón | - | - | |||||
2000–01 | 56 | Levante | [lower-alpha 5] | Eibartarrak | - | - | |||||
Superliga | |||||||||||
2001–02 | 11 | Levante | 57 | Puebla | 51 | Espanyol | 37 | ||||
2002–03 | 12 | Athletic Bilbao | 55 | Levante | 55 | Puebla | 46 | ||||
2003–04 | 14 | Athletic Bilbao | 60 | Sabadell | 58 | Levante | 58 | ||||
2004–05 | 14 | Athletic Bilbao | 66[lower-alpha 6] | Levante | 63 | Espanyol | 57 | ||||
2005–06 | 13 | Espanyol | 60 | Híspalis[lower-alpha 7] | 60 | Levante | 55 | ||||
2006–07 | 14 | Athletic Bilbao | 64 | Espanyol | 63 | Levante | 55 | ||||
2007–08 | 14 | Levante | 71 | Rayo Vallecano | 71 | Athletic Bilbao | 53 | ||||
2008–09 | 16 | Rayo Vallecano | 81 | Levante | 76 | Athletic Bilbao | 65 | ||||
2009–10 | 22 | Rayo Vallecano | [lower-alpha 8] | Espanyol | - | Athletic Bilbao | - | ||||
2010–11 | 23 | Rayo Vallecano | [lower-alpha 9] | Espanyol | - | Athletic Bilbao | - | ||||
Primera División | |||||||||||
2011–12 | 18 | Barcelona | 94 | Athletic Bilbao | 91 | Espanyol | 76 | ||||
2012–13 | 16 | Barcelona | 76 | Athletic Bilbao | 74 | Atlético Madrid | 68 | ||||
2013–14 | 16 | Barcelona | 79 | Athletic Bilbao | 69 | Atlético Madrid | 54 | ||||
2014–15 | 16 | Barcelona | 77 | Atlético Madrid | 69 | Athletic Bilbao | 65 | ||||
2015–16 | 16 | Athletic Bilbao | 78 | Barcelona | 77 | Atlético Madrid | 69 | ||||
2016–17 | 16 | Atlético Madrid | 78[lower-alpha 10] | Barcelona | 75 | Valencia | 68 | ||||
2017–18 | 16 | Atlético Madrid | 77 | Barcelona | 76 | Athletic Bilbao | 56 | ||||
2018–19 | 16 | Atlético Madrid | 84 | Barcelona | 78 | Levante | 57 | ||||
2019–20[lower-alpha 11] | 16 | Barcelona | 59[lower-alpha 12] | Atlético Madrid | 50 | Levante | 45 |
- Played with teams divided into groups, the title was decided in a final group played by the four group winners in a double legged round-robin tournament.
- Played with teams divided into groups, the title was decided in a single-game final where Atlético Málaga beat Sant Vicènt by 2–0.
- Played with teams divided into groups, the title was decided in a single-game final where Oroquieta Villaverde beat Irex Puebla.
- Played with teams divided into groups, the title was decided in a single-game final where Irex Puebla beat Torrejón in the penalty shootout after a draw by 0–0.
- Played with teams divided into groups, the title was decided in a single-game final where Levante beat Eibartarrak by 4–0.
- Unbeaten season (26 matches).
- Sevilla FC participated as sponsor of CD Híspalis, before creating its own team in 2008.
- Played with teams divided into groups, the title was decided in a double-legged final where Rayo Vallecano won 1–0 and 1–1.
- Played with teams divided into groups, the title was decided in a double-legged final where Rayo Vallecano won 2–2 and 1–2.
- Unbeaten season (30 matches).
- Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the season ended prematurely.
- Unbeaten season (21 matches).
Performance by club
Since the inception of the Superliga
Teams | Winners | Runners-Up | Winning years |
---|---|---|---|
Barcelona | 5 | 4 | 2012, 2013, 2014, 2015, 2020 |
Athletic Bilbao | 5 | 3 | 2003, 2004, 2005, 2007, 2016 |
Rayo Vallecano | 3 | 1 | 2009, 2010, 2011 |
Atlético Madrid | 3 | 2 | 2017, 2018, 2019 |
Levante | 2 | 3 | 2002, 2008 |
Espanyol | 1 | 3 | 2006 |
Puebla | 0 | 1 | |
Sabadell | 0 | 1 | |
Híspalis | 0 | 1 |
Overall
Teams | Winners | Runners-Up | Winning years |
---|---|---|---|
Barcelona | 5 | 5 | 2012, 2013, 2014, 2015, 2020 |
Athletic Bilbao | 5 | 3 | 2003, 2004, 2005, 2007, 2016 |
Levante | 4 | 4 | 1997,[lower-alpha 1] 2001, 2002, 2008 |
Atlético Madrid | 4 | 3 | 1990,[lower-alpha 2] 2017, 2018, 2019 |
Añorga | 3 | 3 | 1992, 1995, 1996 |
Oroquieta Villaverde | 3 | 2 | 1993, 1994, 1999 |
Rayo Vallecano | 3 | 1 | 2009, 2010, 2011 |
Espanyol | 1 | 3 | 2006 |
Puebla[lower-alpha 3] | 1 | 2 | 2000 |
Peña Barcilona | 1 | 1 | 1989 |
Oiartzun | 1 | 0 | 1991 |
Atlético Málaga[lower-alpha 4] | 1 | 0 | 1998 |
Sabadell | 0 | 1 | |
Parque Alcobendas | 0 | 1 | |
Torrejón | 0 | 1 | |
Eibartarrak[lower-alpha 5] | 0 | 1 | |
Híspalis | 0 | 1 | |
Marked in italic those teams that won the Copa de la Reina that season
- Title won as Sant Vicent València CFF.
- Title won as Atlético Villa de Madrid.
- Currently Extremadura UD.
- Currently Málaga CF.
- Currently SD Eibar.
All-time Primera División table
This table includes all games played since the 2001–02 season, when the Superliga recovered its format of a single group after several years with four groups and the group winners playing a Final Four. For a timeline of each team's league record, see List of women's football clubs in Spain.
Pos | S | Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | 2019–20 league |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1 | 18 | Athletic Bilbao | 501 | 342 | 73 | 86 | 1340 | 516 | +824 | 1099 | Primera División |
2 | 19 | Levante | 517 | 325 | 87 | 105 | 1206 | 481 | +725 | 1062 | |
3 | 15 | Barcelona | 425 | 283 | 57 | 85 | 1109 | 365 | +744 | 906 | |
4 | 19 | Espanyol | 523 | 260 | 91 | 172 | 1143 | 751 | +392 | 871 | |
5 | 17 | Rayo Vallecano | 479 | 257 | 76 | 146 | 1040 | 682 | +358 | 847 | |
6 | 14 | Atlético Madrid | 399 | 248 | 73 | 78 | 886 | 415 | +471 | 817 | |
7 | 14 | Real Sociedad | 403 | 152 | 91 | 160 | 570 | 555 | +15 | 547 | |
8 | 13 | Valencia[lower-alpha 1] | 373 | 149 | 68 | 156 | 608 | 588 | +20 | 515 | |
9 | 14 | Sporting Huelva | 397 | 140 | 80 | 177 | 558 | 654 | −96 | 500 | |
10 | 13 | Zaragoza CFF | 376 | 126 | 66 | 184 | 544 | 736 | −192 | 444 | Segunda División |
11 | 10 | Torrejón | 250 | 120 | 39 | 91 | 505 | 431 | +74 | 399 | Regional leagues |
12 | 8 | Puebla[lower-alpha 2] | 200 | 98 | 24 | 78 | 412 | 334 | +78 | 318 | Segunda División |
13 | 12 | Oviedo Moderno[lower-alpha 3] | 314 | 73 | 62 | 179 | 364 | 698 | −334 | 281 | |
14 | 9 | Lagunak | 248 | 75 | 38 | 135 | 295 | 519 | −224 | 263 | Regional leagues |
15 | 5 | Granadilla | 141 | 66 | 27 | 48 | 220 | 193 | +27 | 225 | Primera División |
16 | 8 | Sevilla[lower-alpha 4] | 219 | 63 | 34 | 122 | 266 | 428 | −162 | 223 | |
17 | 7 | Híspalis[lower-alpha 4] | 170 | 64 | 20 | 86 | 327 | 439 | −112 | 212 | Primera Nacional |
18 | 7 | Collerense | 204 | 55 | 36 | 113 | 295 | 466 | −171 | 201 | Segunda División |
19 | 5 | L'Estartit | 140 | 51 | 18 | 71 | 229 | 274 | −45 | 171 | Regional leagues |
20 | 5 | Sant Gabriel | 152 | 49 | 24 | 79 | 213 | 307 | −94 | 171 | Primera Nacional |
21 | 5 | Estudiantes | 118 | 50 | 19 | 49 | 284 | 241 | +43 | 166[lower-alpha 5] | Dissolved |
22 | 4 | Sabadell | 94 | 50 | 15 | 29 | 294 | 175 | +119 | 165 | Regional leagues |
23 | 4 | Real Betis | 111 | 42 | 22 | 47 | 148 | 156 | −8 | 148 | Primera División |
24 | 5 | Fundación Albacete | 150 | 31 | 31 | 88 | 202 | 358 | −156 | 124 | Segunda División |
25 | 4 | Santa Teresa | 120 | 32 | 25 | 63 | 124 | 229 | −105 | 121 | |
26 | 5 | Málaga[lower-alpha 6] | 144 | 32 | 24 | 88 | 144 | 382 | −238 | 120 | |
27 | 5 | Pozuelo de Alarcón | 124 | 24 | 14 | 86 | 174 | 391 | −217 | 86 | |
28 | 3 | Madrid CFF | 81 | 23 | 13 | 45 | 87 | 166 | −79 | 82 | Primera División |
29 | 4 | Nuestra Señora de Belén | 94 | 22 | 6 | 66 | 111 | 373 | −262 | 72 | Primera Nacional |
30 | 2 | Llanos de Olivenza[lower-alpha 7] | 94 | 19 | 14 | 61 | 97 | 203 | −106 | 71 | |
31 | 2 | Logroño | 51 | 16 | 10 | 25 | 69 | 101 | −32 | 58 | Primera División |
32 | 2 | Levante Las Planas | 60 | 15 | 9 | 36 | 61 | 120 | −59 | 54 | Regional leagues |
33 | 2 | Las Palmas | 50 | 14 | 6 | 30 | 80 | 114 | −34 | 48 | Dissolved |
34 | 2 | Reocín | 62 | 11 | 10 | 41 | 72 | 188 | −116 | 43 | |
35 | 2 | Oiartzun | 60 | 10 | 12 | 38 | 47 | 141 | −94 | 42 | Primera Nacional |
36 | 1 | Deportivo La Coruña | 21 | 11 | 4 | 6 | 46 | 38 | +8 | 37 | Primera División |
37 | 1 | Tacón | 21 | 6 | 5 | 10 | 33 | 48 | −15 | 23 | |
38 | 1 | Granada | 30 | 5 | 7 | 18 | 41 | 81 | −40 | 22 | Segunda División |
39 | 2 | Eibar | 54 | 4 | 8 | 42 | 49 | 175 | −126 | 20 | |
40 | 2 | Valladolid | 52 | 4 | 8 | 40 | 40 | 167 | −127 | 20 | Dissolved |
41 | 3 | Nuestra Señora de la Antigua | 68 | 5 | 5 | 58 | 50 | 280 | −230 | 20 | |
42 | 1 | El Olivo | 34 | 5 | 4 | 25 | 43 | 112 | −69 | 19 | |
43 | 1 | Tacuense | 30 | 3 | 6 | 21 | 22 | 85 | −63 | 15 | Segunda División |
44 | 1 | Atlético Jiennense[lower-alpha 8] | 24 | 3 | 2 | 19 | 23 | 81 | −58 | 11 | Regional leagues |
45 | 2 | Gimnàstic | 52 | 3 | 1 | 48 | 25 | 224 | −199 | 10 | Dissolved |
46 | 1 | Gijón | 24 | 0 | 1 | 23 | 19 | 96 | −77 | 1 | Primera Nacional |
Notes:
- Previously named Colegio Alemán.
- Later named Extremadura Femenino and currently named Extremadura.
- Currently named Oviedo.
- Games between 2001 and 2007 are included in Híspalis, while games since 2009 are included in Sevilla.
- 3 points docked.
- Previously named Atlético Málaga.
- Currently named Badajoz.
- Current name, played in Primera División as Jaén.
Top goalscorer by season
Season | Player(s) | Club(s) | Goals |
---|---|---|---|
2001–02 | |||
2002–03 | |||
2003–04 | |||
2004–05 | |||
2005–06 | Híspalis | 29 | |
2006–07 | |||
2007–08 | Rayo Vallecano | 24 | |
2008–09 | Athletic Bilbao | 32 | |
2009–10 | Rayo Vallecano | 35 | |
2010–11 | Espanyol | 39 | |
2011–12 | Barcelona | 38 | |
2012–13 | Barcelona | 27 | |
Rayo Vallecano | |||
2013–14 | Barcelona | 28 | |
2014–15 | Barcelona | 22 | |
Levante | |||
2015–16 | Barcelona | 24 | |
2016–17 | Barcelona | 35 | |
2017–18 | Levante | 24 | |
2018–19 | Atlético Madrid | 24 | |
2019–20 | Barcelona | 23 |
References
- Reunión Comisión Mixta de seguimiento de la Superliga Archived 11 October 2009 at the Wayback Machine
- "Iberdrola patrocinará la Primera División Femenina" (in Spanish). La Liga. 22 August 2016. Retrieved 22 August 2016.
- https://www.seattletimes.com/sports/womens-soccer-gains-professional-status-in-spain/
- "Spain - List of Women's Champions". RSSSF. 2010. Retrieved 8 May 2011.