They defeated Andalusian neighbours UD Almería in the promotion playoff final.
We now know all 20 teams who’ll participate in next season’s LALIGA EA SPORTS, with Málaga CF having booked their spot by defeating Andalusian rivals UD Almería in the promotion playoff final. Following a goalless first leg at La Rosaleda last weekend, Los Boquerones triumphed 2-1 on Saturday at the UD Almería Stadium. Click this link https://a.meridianbet.ke/c/C7pYjz to start gaming and stand a chance of winning big with Meridianbet.
The first half of the second leg was goalless too, and the tension was high. But, Málaga CF then scored two goals in the space of six minutes, with Chupete netting in the 65th minute and David Larrubia in the 71st, to give the visitors a 2-0 lead. UD Almería, who’d finished third during the regular season, fought back and Léo Baptistão found the back of the net in minute 76, but Los Boquerones managed to hold on and secure the 2-1 victory and a ticket to the top division.
This is the third time in the past four seasons that the fourth-placed team has been the one to emerge through the playoffs, following Deportivo Alavés in 2022/23 and RCD Espanyol in 2023/24.
A turnaround under Juan Francisco Funes
A lot of credit for this promotion has to go to Juan Francisco Funes, who took over the dugout in the middle of the season. Back in November, with the team in 18th position, he was promoted from his role with the B team to take charge of the first team, and the results quickly improved.
Having spent so much time with the B team, Funes knows what this promotion means to the club. Following the victory away at UD Almería, he said: “There are lots of angels wearing Málaga CF shirts cheering us on up there. We had support up there, and we had it too down here in the stands. So, congratulations to everyone because this is something wonderful.”
A long-awaited return
For Málaga CF fans, this promotion has been long overdue. When the team was relegated at the end of the 2017/18 season, only five years had passed since the club was playing in a Champions League quarter-final. The supporters expected to return to the top flight before long, but that wasn’t the case.
The club even fell down to the third tier, playing in the Primera Federación during the 2023/24 season before earning a dramatic promotion that season with a last-minute goal against Gimnàstic de Tarragona. Two seasons later, they have won another promotion, and will play in Spain’s top tier in 2026/27.
