LA LIGA

The Primera División (First Division) of the Liga Nacional de Fútbol Profesional (LFP), commonly known outside Spain as La Liga , The League) or, for sponsorship reasons, Liga BBVA (BBVA League) since 2008, is the top professional association football division of theSpanish football league system. It is contested by 20 teams, with the three lowest placed teams relegated to the Segunda División and replaced by the top three teams in that division. A total of 59 teams have competed in La Liga, nine of which have been crowned champions. Since the 1950s, Real Madrid and Barcelona have dominated the championship. Real Madrid have won the title a record 31 times while Barcelona have won it on 21 occasions. During the 1930s and 1940s and in the last two decades, however, La Liga has seen other champions, including Atlético Madrid, Athletic Bilbao,Valencia, Real Sociedad, Deportivo, Real Betis, and Sevilla. Barcelona have won the last three seasons of La Liga.

La Liga is currently the second strongest league in Europe after the English Premier League, according to UEFA's league coefficient. La Liga is one of the most popular professional sports leagues in the world, with an average attendance of 28,286 for league matches in the 2009–10 season. This is the sixth highest of any domestic professional sports league in the world and the third highest of any professional association football league, behind the German Bundesliga and English Premier League.

Foundation

In April 1927, José María Acha, a director at Arenas Club de Getxo, first proposed the idea of a national league in Spain. After much debate about the size of the league and who would take part, the Real Federación Española de Fútbol eventually agreed on the ten teams who would form the first Primera División in 1929. Barcelona, Real Madrid, Athletic Bilbao, Real Sociedad, Arenas Club de Getxo and Real Unión were all selected as previous winners of the Copa del Rey. Atlético Madrid, Espanyol and Europa qualified as Copa del Rey runners-up and Racing de Santander qualified through a knockout competition. Only three of the founding clubs, Real Madrid, Barcelona, and Athletic Bilbao, have never been relegated from the Primera División.

Qualification for European competitions

The top teams in La Liga qualify for the UEFA Champions League, with the first, second, and third placed teams directly entering the group stage and the fourth placed team entering the playoff. The fifth and sixth placed teams qualify for the first round of the UEFA Europa League.