Written by Bjorn Slootweg
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The capital of Spain, Madrid, is of course best known for the Real Madrid and Atlético Madrid football clubs. These two clubs belong to the top of Spanish football and play in the La Liga. However, Madrid has many more clubs, from the La Liga to the Primera Federación. In this article you will find all the professional football clubs that are located in Madrid.
1. Football clubs in La Liga
2. Football clubs in the Primera Federación
There are currently 5 clubs from Madrid at the highest level in Spain. Real Madrid, Atlético Madrid, Getafe CF, Rayo Vallecano and Léganes all come out in the Primera División, also called La Liga. This is the largest number of Madrid clubs ever in the Primera División!
| Clubs | Founded in | Stadium |
|---|---|---|
| Real Madrid | 1902 | Santiago Bernabéu |
| Atletico Madrid | 1903 | Wanda Metropolitano |
| Getafe CF | 1983 | Coliseum Alfonso Pérez |
| Rayo Vallecano | 1924 | Estadio Teresa Rivero |
| CD Leganés | 1987 | Estadio Municipal de Butarque |
Real Madrid is the largest club in Madrid and was founded in 1902, under the name Madrid Club de Fútbol. They weren’t called “Real” until 1920 when King Alfons the 13th gave them this royal name. Real Madrid has grown over the years into the most successful club in Spain, and even in the world. The club won 15 times the Champions League, 6 times the European Cup 1, 36 times the Spanish national title, 20 times the Spanish Cup and several other big prizes. The last couple of years Real has been very successful in the Champions League, they won the cup with the big ears 3 times in a row from 2016 to 2018.
Atlético Madrid was founded a year later than Real Madrid, in 1903. The second largest club in Madrid hasn’t always had the same name. Atlético was founded as Athletic Club Sucursal, 30 years after its establishment, the name changed to Athletic Aviación and eventually to be renamed Atlético Madrid. The last couple of years Atlético has been changed from an outsider to a serious competitor for Barcelona and Real Madrid to win the Spanish title in La Liga. In total Atlético became the Spanish champion 11 times, the last time was in the 2021/22 season.
Getafe Club de Fútbol, or simply Getafe CF, was officially established in 1946. The club is located in the town of the same name, Getafe, part of the metropolis of Madrid. Getafe CF has never been able to win a prize in its history and is constantly fluctuating between the La Liga and Priméra Federación. The club’s biggest rival is another club from the Madrid metropolis, namely Leganés. The derby matches against Real Madrid and Atlético Madrid are less heated and those supporters approach each other more friendly.
Rayo Vallecano is a club located in the city of Madrid, in the Vallecas district. The club has been around since 1924 and has played just about every level in Spain. In recent years, promotion and relegation have alternated, in 2018 Rayo was promoted to the La Liga, relegated again in 2019 and got back to La Liga in 2022.
CD Leganés originated in 1928 and currently plays in the Primera Division. However, this has not always been the case. Leganés played most of its existence in the lower divisions of Spain. In 1977 the club promoted to the fourth Spanish division and since then they have actually been promoted constantly. In 1987 there was a promotion to the third division and 6 years later they ended up in the second division. In the 2015/16 season Leganés also got promoted, for the first time in club history from the second division to La Liga. They held on for 4 seasons before relegating back to the Segunda División. This season however, they are active in the Primera División.
Below the Segunda Division is the Primera Federación, or the third division of Spain. There are three Madrid clubs participating in this competition. The clubs from Madrid that play in this Primera Federación are: AD Alcorcón, CF Fuenlabrada and the second team of Real Madrid.
| Clubs | Founded in | Stadium |
|---|---|---|
| AD Alcorcón | 1971 | Municipal de Santo Domingo |
| CF Fuenlabrada | 1975 | Estadio Fernando Torres |
| Real Madrid Castilla | 1943 | Estadio Alfredo Di Stéfano |
Agrupación Deportiva Alcorcón, as the club’s full name is, is a relatively young club and was only founded in 1971. The club is located in Alcorcón which is part of the metropolis of Madrid. The club has been active since 2010 in the second division of Spain. In the 2009/10 season, the club became the champion of the Primera Federación, or the third division. The most memorable Alcorcón match was one in the 2009/10 season. Real Madrid was beaten 4-0 in a match for the Copa del Rey. This season, Alcorcón will play their matches in the third division of Spain.
Fuenlabrada is probably the largest club from Madrid in the Primera Federación. The club started to exist in 1975. Over the years, the club has become a fixture in the third division of Spain. The club has a budget of around 3 million euros and has a fairly large stadium. The Fuenlabrada stadium, Estadio Fernando Torres, is named after the top striker of Atlético Madrid, Liverpool and Chelsea FC: Fernando Torres.
Real Madrid Castilla is the name of the second team of Real Madrid. The biggest success of the team was that they reached the final of the Copa del Rey in 1980, when the team had to compete against the first team of Madrid (it became 4-0 for the “big” Real). Real Madrid Castilla was allowed to participate in the European Cup II the following year since the first team of Real Madrid had already qualified.
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