Malaga complete climb back to La Liga after nearly a decade

Malaga are back in La Liga after almost a decade away, completing a climb that took the club through Spain's regionalized third tier. BBC Sport reports that the Andalusian side secured promotion at the end of the 2025-26 season, giving a generation of supporters their first chance to see the club in the top flight.

The decisive result came in a two-leg promotion playoff against Almeria. After a goalless first leg at Malaga's La Rosaleda stadium, academy graduates Chupe and David Larrubia scored in a 2-1 away victory. The win triggered celebrations that continued through the weekend, with an estimated 185,000 people attending the team's promotion parade.

Malaga's rise followed years of sporting and financial turmoil. The club reached the Champions League quarter-finals in 2013 but was relegated from La Liga in 2018. BBC Sport says a regional court ordered owner Sheikh Abdullah bin Nasser Al Thani's removal in 2020 over alleged misappropriation of funds, and court-appointed administrator Jose Maria Munoz has overseen operations since then.

The decline reached its lowest point in 2023, when a thin squad was relegated to the third division. Malaga earned immediate promotion back to the second tier through another dramatic playoff, with Antonio Cordero scoring late in extra time against Gimnastic Tarragona. A 16th-place finish followed in the club's first season back at that level.

Malaga's next promotion campaign changed course when reserve-team coach Juan Francisco Funes replaced Sergio Pellicer after the team won only four of its opening 14 league games. BBC Sport reports that Funes, a former teacher with no previous playing or coaching experience in professional football, led the side from a difficult start to fourth place. Chupe, promoted from the reserve team in January 2025, scored 25 goals during the 2025-26 campaign.

The achievement came with one of the division's smallest budgets. BBC Sport reports that Malaga had spent only £325,000 on permanent transfers since 2020, while playoff opponent Almeria spent more than £10 million during the promotion season alone. Malaga's average attendance was nevertheless the 11th-highest in Spain, reflecting the support that sustained the club through its fall and eventual return.