The La Liga 2026/27 season is nearly here. A year-long celebration of Spanish soccer spread across the great wide nation of España. Sometimes the history, clubs, rivalries, and transfers might feel overwhelming, so here is a guide for anyone trying to understand La Liga, or a new fan who’s joining a Spanish club after Spain’s victorious World Cup campaign.
There are 20 teams in La Liga, and today we are looking at the ones based in the north of Spain: the iconic Basque Country and Galicia regions, home to three different former La Liga champions.
The Galician Derby Returns in La Liga 2026/27
Celta Vigo (Galicia)
Celta Vigo were founded in 1923 through the merger of Real Vigo Sporting and Real Club Fortuna de Vigo, in an attempt to unite two of the best clubs in Vigo into one. 103 years later, they are a formidable top-flight side despite never winning a major trophy.
The club takes its name from the Celts, based on Galicia’s ancient Celtic heritage. Although Celta have never won La Liga, they have long been respected as one of Spain’s most entertaining clubs. Throughout the 1990s and early 2000s, they became famous across Europe for attractive attacking soccer, earning the nickname “EuroCelta” after memorable UEFA Cup campaigns against some of Europe’s biggest clubs.
Celta Vigo enters the La Liga 2026/27 campaign on a massive wave of momentum. Last season, Claudio Giráldez guided Los Celestes to a stunning sixth-place finish and secured a coveted spot in the UEFA Europa League. This came after a decent Europa League campaign last season where they reached the quarterfinals.
Transfers:
Celta Vigo have made some movement in the market, most notably bringing Javi Galán back to the club on a free transfer from Osasuna. Galán had previously represented the club from 2021 to 2023.
Also joining the club is Aleix Febas from Elche. A former La Fábrica player, the midfielder had been at Elche since 2023, playing over 100 games for the club.
Perhaps the biggest loss for Celta Vigo this season would be Óscar Mingueza’s move to Crystal Palace upon the culmination of his contract. Franco Cervi, Joseph Aidoo, and Mihailo Ristić also left the club as free agents.
Achievements:
- Copa del Rey runners-up (1948, 1994, 2001)
- UEFA Europa League semifinalists (2017)
Expectation for La Liga 2026/27: 7th
Deportivo A Coruña (Galicia)
The 2000 La Liga champions and one of the most iconic La Liga teams are back in the first division for the La Liga 2026/27 season after eight long years. Arguably the biggest Galician team in terms of trophies won, Depor have a beautiful story with La Liga.
Founded in 1906, they struggled for nearly 90 years without a trophy.
But everything changed in the 1990s. Under president Augusto César Lendoiro, the club transformed from a relegation struggler into one of Europe’s most admired teams. After his appointment in 1988, the club became known as Super Depor. Led by stars such as Mauro Silva, Bebeto, Fran, Donato, Diego Tristán, Roy Makaay, Juan Carlos Valerón, and Djalminha, Deportivo consistently challenged Real Madrid and Barcelona despite operating on a much smaller budget.
They won their first major silverware in 1995, the Copa del Rey.
Then Depor would go on to make history six years later by becoming only the ninth club in history, and still the last new club, to win the La Liga title.
After years of tumbling down the Spanish soccer pyramid and coming close to their rightful promotion to La Liga, they finally secured 2nd place in the Segunda Division last season and returned to top-flight soccer after eight years.
Transfers
While Super Depor does not exist anymore, a new Depor is starting to take shape. Depor have moved fast in their first season back, adding Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang and Angeliño as their marquee signings. They have also brought in Leo Román from relegated Mallorca, Jonathan Asp Jensen from the Bayern Munich youth team, and Lorenzo Amatucci from Serie A’s Fiorentina.
Achievements:
- 1 La Liga title (1999-2000)
- 2 Copa del Rey titles
- 3 Spanish Super Cups
- Champions League semifinalists (2004)
Prediction: 11th
The Basque Country Teams
Athletic Club (Basque Country)
A founding member and winner of the first-ever La Liga season in 1929, Athletic Club are one of the most historic teams in Spain. They are one of the three clubs in La Liga, alongside Real Madrid and Barcelona, to have never been relegated from the first division.
Athletic Club are famous for their “only-Basque” transfer policy since 1911. The club only signs players who were born in the Basque Country or who developed their soccer skills at a local club academy in the region. To be eligible to play for this club, you have to be born within the geopolitical boundaries of the Basque region.
Players who were born completely outside the Basque region can also sign if they moved to the area at a young age and learned their soccer skills through the youth system of a local club.
Examples include:
- Iñaki Williams was born in Bilbao to Ghanaian parents, making him fully eligible.
- Antoine Griezmann, born in Mâcon, France, is technically eligible to play for Athletic Club because he came through the youth system of rival Basque club Real Sociedad.
- Aymeric Laporte was born in Agen, France, outside the Basque region, but was signed at age 16 after developing at Aviron Bayonnais, a club in the French Basque territory.
A mid-table finish last season fell short of expectations for Ernesto Valverde’s men. The recurring injury to star forward Nico Williams also played a part in Athletic Club’s struggles. And strangely, they have made no new signings for the La Liga 2026/27 season so far. The only arrival has been that of head coach Edin Terzić, replacing Ernesto Valverde.
Achievements:
- 8 La Liga titles
- 24 Copa del Rey titles
- 3 Spanish Super Cups
Prediction: 13th
Real Sociedad (Basque Country)
Like neighbors Athletic Club, Real Sociedad traditionally relied almost exclusively on Basque players for much of the twentieth century. In 1989, the club made a landmark decision by signing John Aldridge, abandoning its Basque-only recruitment policy.
Last season saw the departure of manager Imanol Alguacil, following which Real Sociedad slumped to nearly the relegation zone by Christmas. However, the appointment of Pellegrino Materazzo changed the fortunes of the San Sebastián club.
It was a completely bipolar 2025/26 season for La Real. On one hand, their league form stuttered significantly, resulting in a slightly disappointing 10th-place finish. On the other, they achieved cup immortality by winning the Copa del Rey, securing silverware and a ticket to the Europa League in the process.
Just like their rivals Athletic Bilbao, they have made no new signings so far this season.
Achievements:
- 2 La Liga titles (1980-81, 1981-82)
- 3 Copa del Rey titles
- 1 Supercopa de España
Prediction: 10th
Rivalry: The Basque Derby
The two Basque teams contest the Basque Derby every season. Known as one of the greatest rivalries in Spanish soccer, it is also known for being relatively friendly and non-violent. The two clubs take pride in their Basque heritage, and representing their region in a derby is a source of pride, not just bragging rights. Of course, there is bad blood at times, but it’s generally a friendly derby.
Deportivo Alavés (Basque Country)
Unlike fellow Basque clubs Athletic Club and Real Sociedad, Alavés are rarely considered one of Spain’s major powers. After earning promotion to La Liga in 1998, Alavés quickly became one of Spanish soccer’s biggest surprise stories. The club reached the 2001 UEFA Cup Final, defeating clubs like Inter Milan on the way before losing an unforgettable 5-4 match against Liverpool after extra time. Despite the defeat, the performance made Alavés famous across Europe.
Last season, the experienced Quique Sánchez Flores came in and did exactly what was asked of him: he kept Alavés safely away from the relegation zone. They finished 14th, which they will take any day after how their season was going.
Transfers
Alavés have not made some noise in the transfer market, having signed Ville Koski from NK Istra, Mikel Rodríguez from Real Sociedad B, Miguel Rodríguez from Utrecht, and Nicolás Valentini from Fiorentina so far.
Achievements
- UEFA Cup runners-up (2001)
- Copa del Rey runners-up (2017)
Prediction: 14th
CA Osasuna (Navarre)
Osasuna, though not in the Basque Country, belongs to the nearby region of Navarre. The name “Osasuna” comes from the Basque language and means “health,” “strength,” or “vigor.”
While they don’t carry much history, their greatest modern achievement came in the 2005-06 season when they finished fourth in La Liga and reached the UEFA Champions League qualifiers. A year later, they reached the UEFA Cup semifinals, one of the greatest moments in the club’s history.
Last season, they finished 17th, barely surviving due to luck going their way on the final matchday to keep them safe. However, this season feels like a different story.
Transfers
Key players like Víctor Muñoz, who moved to Liverpool, and Javi Galán, who joined Celta, have left the club, and so has their manager Alessio Lisci. Under new manager Luis Miguel Ramis, survival looks tough, and I predict them to finally go down this season.
Prediction: 19th
Racing Santander (Cantabria)
One of Spain’s true historic clubs is finally back. They are a founding member of La Liga, former title challengers, and the top club from Cantabria.
For 14 agonizing years, this historic club has been waiting to return where it belongs. This year, the wait finally ended as they were crowned the champions of the Segunda División. Compared to the other two promoted clubs, Racing had been away for longer than either of them.
For this season, they have absolutely loaded up their squad. They have added the likes of Asier Villalibre (Alavés), Facundo González (Juventus), Sergio Canales (free agent), Pedro Felipe (Juventus), Pablo Ramón (Espanyol), Yassir Zabiri (Stade Rennes) and Julen Agirrezabala (Athletic Club) in the market.
Despite that, in their first season back, I expect them to hang close to the relegation zone but not fully go down.
Prediction: 16th
Up Next: A Guide to La Liga 2026/27 Teams Part 2
