Primera Federación
Organising bodyRFEF
Founded2020 (2020)
First season2021–22
CountrySpain
Divisions2
Number of teams2 groups of 20 teams each (40)
Level on pyramid3
Promotion toSegunda División
Relegation toSegunda Federación
Domestic cup(s)Copa del Rey
Copa Federación
International cup(s)UEFA Europa League
(via winning Copa del Rey)
Current championsSD Amorebieta (1st title)
(2022–23)
Most championshipsRacing Santander
Amorebieta (1 title)
TV partnersFootters, Fuchs Sport, ETB 1, TVG, TV3
Current: 2023–24 Primera Federación

The Primera Federación, formerly known as Primera RFEF, is the third tier of the Spanish football league system beginning with the 2021–22 season. It is administered by the Royal Spanish Football Federation. It is below the top two professional leagues, the Primera División (also known as La Liga) and Segunda División (also known as La Liga Hypermotion), above the Segunda Federación and Tercera Federación. It is the highest level of semi-professional football in Spain.

History

In 2020, the Royal Spanish Football Federation announced the creation of three new divisions, two semi-professional and one amateur:[1] the Primera División RFEF as the new third tier of the Spanish system;[2] the Segunda División RFEF as the new fourth tier, broadly using the same format as the Segunda División B created in 1977; and the Tercera División RFEF as the fifth tier, along the same lines as the Tercera División from 1977 whereby groups are limited to teams from each of the nation's autonomous communities and is administered by a local body.

On 30 June 2022, after just one season of existence, Primera División RFEF was renamed to Primera Federación.[3]

League format

The Primera Federación is made up of a total of 40 clubs divided into two groups of 20 teams distributed by geographical proximity, initially with a north-west/south-east split. In its first season, 4 teams will be relegated from the Segunda División (La Liga 2) and the remaining will come from the Segunda División B.[4]

Like the other Spanish divisions, it takes place annually, beginning at the end of August or early September, and ending in May or June of the following year. The twenty teams in each group play each other twice, home and away, for a total of thirty-eight matches. At the end of the season, the seven teams that accumulate the most points in each group, excluding reserve teams, qualify for the next edition of the Copa del Rey. At the end of the season a total of four teams are promoted to the second tier with the champions in each group achieve automatic promotion to Segunda División. The second to fifth place teams will play promotion play-offs to the second division, where two of eight teams win the play-offs and are promoted to Segunda División. The bottom five in each division are relegated to the fourth tier.

Reserve teams eligibility

Reserve teams can participate in the Primera Federación if their first teams compete in a higher division, but cannot compete in the same division. If a team is relegated or promoted to the same division, the reserve team will be denied promotion or automatically relegated to ensure they remain one division separate.

Clubs

The member clubs of the Primera Federación for the 2023–24 season are listed below.

Group 1 Group 2

Seasons

Season Group 1 winner Group 2 winner Other promoted teams
2021–22Racing SantanderAndorraAlbacete and Villarreal B
2022–23Racing FerrolAmorebietaAlcorcón and Eldense

Bold: overall champion

Champions and promotions

Club Group winners Overall champions Promotions Winning years (group)
Racing Santander
1
1
1
 2021–22 (1)
Amorebieta
1
1
1
 2022–23 (2)
FC Andorra
1
0
1
 2021–22 (2)
Racing Ferrol
1
0
1
 2022–23 (1)
Albacete
0
0
1
-
Alcorcón
0
0
1
-
Eldense
0
0
1
-
Villarreal B
0
0
1
-

Bold: overall titles

Top scorers

Goals in playoffs are not counted.

Season Top scorer Club Goals
2021–22 Spain Ferran Jutglà Barcelona B 19
2022–23 Spain Rodri AD Ceuta 20

References

  1. ↑ "Así sería la nueva Segunda B Pro del fútbol español" [This would be the new Segunda B Pro of Spanish football]. Apuestas de Murcia (in Spanish). 16 September 2020.
  2. ↑ Abizanda, Jorge (15 September 2020). "La Federación desvela el misterio: La nueva Segunda B se denominará Primera División RFEF" [The Federation reveals the mystery: The new Second B will be called First Division RFEF]. ABC (Spain) (in Spanish).
  3. ↑ "La Primera RFEF pasa a llamarse Primera Federación" [Primera RFEF is now called Primera Federación] (in Spanish). Mundo Deportivo. 30 June 2022. Retrieved 22 July 2022.
  4. ↑ "Así es la nueva y liosa Segunda B explicada a la perfección: grupos ascensos, descensos..." [This is the new and messy Second B explained to perfection: groups ascents, descents ...]. Diario AS (in Spanish). 6 October 2020.
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