Current Trends in LaLiga’s Relegation Battles

omidbasir- In the 2025-26 LaLiga season, nine teams have occupied one of the three relegation spots at least once. This season does not mark the highest number of clubs flirting with relegation; last year’s campaign saw eleven teams in the danger zone. In contrast, only seven teams were involved in the battle against relegation during the 2023-24 season.

Among the nine clubs that have ventured into the lower ranks of the table, some, like Celta in the opening matchday, briefly dipped into the eighteenth position. Others, however, have found themselves in the relegation zone more frequently, which is a growing concern for their future.

Oviedo has spent the most time in the relegation zone this season, having been classified among the bottom three in 19 of the 24 matchdays. The team only managed to avoid this fate on the third, fourth, fifth, seventh, and eighth matchdays. Currently, they hold the last-place position since the eighteenth matchday.

Nevertheless, it is possible to escape the danger of relegation even after several weeks in the lower rankings. Girona, for example, was one of the bottom teams for 16 matchdays, spanning from the second to the seventeenth, but has since climbed to twelfth place.

Conversely, spending only a few weeks in the relegation zone does not guarantee safety. Granada, for instance, spent just five matchdays in danger during the 2021-22 season, only to be relegated the following year. Similarly, Valladolid spent nine matchdays in the drop zone during the 2022-23 season.

The record for the most extended stay in the relegation zone in recent seasons belongs to Elche, which was in the bottom three for all 38 matchdays during LaLiga 2022-23. Granada also faced relegation for 35 matchdays that same season, while both Valladolid (2024-25) and Levante (2021-22) were in danger for 32 matchdays.

Finishing among the bottom three is not always synonymous with relegation. In the previous season, 2024-25, of the three teams that occupied the last places at the 24th matchday—Valencia, Alavés, and Valladolid—only Valladolid ended up being relegated. The other two teams, Las Palmas and Leganés, finished the season in 17th and 16th places, respectively, after being positioned 24th at the same point. In the 2022-23 season, Valencia and Almería managed to avoid relegation, while Elche was accompanied by Valladolid (14th) and Espanyol (13th).

In the most recent seasons, certain teams have become regular contenders in the relegation battle. The frequent association of a club with the relegation struggle often indicates a higher likelihood of eventual descent. For example, Cádiz flirted with the relegation zone across three seasons, from 2020-21 to 2022-23, ultimately descending in 2023-24. Other teams, such as Celta, have found themselves in the bottom positions at least once over the past five seasons. Valencia, another storied club, spent ten matchdays at the bottom last season. With 14 matchdays remaining, it remains to be seen which teams will ultimately evade relegation.