The laliga 2 2022 campaign, which officially commenced in August 2022, was an absolute masterclass in tactical depth, physical resilience, and sporting drama. While the global footballing spotlight consistently shines on the star-studded arenas of Spain's Primera División, seasoned tacticians and passionate fans understand that the true, unyielding heart of Spanish football beats in the Segunda División. Officially branded as LaLiga SmartBank during this era, the second tier offered a captivating spectacle of underdog triumphs, high-stakes promotion battles, and dramatic relegations.
If you are tracking the broader 2022 2023 laliga ecosystem, looking up the historical 2022 laliga champions, or exploring the intense transition from laliga 2022 to 2023, you have arrived at the ultimate comprehensive guide. This deep dive breaks down the defining narratives of the Segunda División's 2022–2023 season, examines the thrilling promotional play-offs, and bridges the gap to the top flight to explain exactly how both tiers shaped the modern Spanish game heading into the laliga 2023 2024 era.
Under the Hood of the LaLiga 2 2022 Season (The Segunda División)
To truly appreciate the intensity of the laliga 2 2022 season, one must first understand the brutal format of Spain's second tier. Comprising 22 teams, the Segunda División demands an exhausting 42-matchday regular season. Unlike the top flight, where the gulf in financial resources often creates a predictable hierarchy, LaLiga 2 is a historically egalitarian battleground. Here, any team can beat any other on any given weekend, and the margin between qualifying for the promotion play-offs and slipping into the relegation zone is often just a handful of points.
The 2022–2023 iteration of the league was particularly stacked. It featured three highly motivated clubs relegated from the previous top-flight division—Granada CF, Deportivo Alavés, and Levante UD—all of whom boasted La Liga-caliber squads and parachute payments designed to fuel an immediate return. They were met by a fierce mid-table contingent including SD Eibar, Real Oviedo, Real Zaragoza, and Sporting Gijón, alongside ambitious newly promoted sides like Albacete Balompié and the intriguing FC Andorra, owned by Gerard Piqué’s Kosmos Holding.
What makes this division so captivating to tactical analysts is its stylistic diversity. In the laliga 2022 23 season, we saw a fascinating clash of philosophies:
- The Possession Purists: Teams like UD Las Palmas and FC Andorra prioritized possession, building from the back, and using positional play to dismantle low blocks.
- The Pragmatic Fortresses: Clubs like Burgos CF, under Julián Calero, set historical defensive records early in the season by playing an incredibly compact, low-risk, defensive style that relied on counter-attacking efficiency.
- The Vertical Pressers: Granada CF, especially after the appointment of Paco López, utilized a highly intense, vertical attacking style that looked to win the ball high up the pitch and feed their clinical forwards immediately.
This tactical melting pot ensured that the standings remained incredibly fluid throughout the year. No single team was able to run away with the league, leading to an unforgettable final-day scramble for both automatic promotion and play-off positioning.
Promoted & Relegated: The Ultimate Standings of LaLiga 2 2022-23
As the grueling 42-matchday calendar drew to a close in late May 2023, the final standings reflected a season of historic proportions. Only the top two teams would earn direct promotion to the promised land of Primera División, while the next four would enter the dreaded promotional play-off lottery.
1. The Champions: Granada CF (75 Points)
Granada CF claimed the Segunda División title, finishing top of the table with 75 points. Their championship campaign was built on an astonishing home record at the Nuevo Los Cármenes, where they remained undefeated all season, winning 17 of their 21 home fixtures.
The undisputed catalyst for Granada’s triumph was Albanian winger Myrto Uzuni. Uzuni enjoyed a legendary individual season, scoring 23 goals to comfortably win the Pichichi Trophy as the league’s top scorer. Supported by the veteran creative leadership of former Real Madrid winger José Callejón, Granada's attack was simply too potent for Segunda defenses to contain over a 42-game stretch.
2. The Runners-Up: UD Las Palmas (72 Points)
Hailing from the Canary Islands, UD Las Palmas secured the second automatic promotion spot on a tense final matchday. Managed by Francisco Javier García Pimienta—a coach deeply steeped in the tactical traditions of Barcelona’s La Masia—Las Palmas played some of the most aesthetically pleasing football in Europe.
Their success was anchored by local icon Jonathan Viera, who pulled the strings in midfield, and the emergence of teenage sensation Alberto Moleiro. Las Palmas boasted the league’s best defensive record, conceding only 29 goals all season, proving that possession-based football can be highly defensive when executed with tactical discipline.
3. The Dramatic Play-Off Winners: Deportivo Alavés (71 Points)
With Granada and Las Palmas promoted, the remaining promotion spot had to be contested in the promotion play-offs between Levante (72 points), Alavés (71 points), Eibar (71 points), and Albacete (67 points).
After Alavés dispatched Eibar and Levante dominated Albacete in the semi-finals, the two historic sides faced off in a two-legged promotional final that will be talked about for decades. The first leg in Vitoria-Gasteiz ended in a tense 0-0 stalemate. The second leg, held at the Ciutat de València, similarly refused to yield a goal. As the clock ticked deep into extra time of the second leg, with Levante minutes away from promotion due to their higher regular-season finish, disaster struck for the hosts.
In the 120th minute, a VAR review revealed a handball in the Levante box. Up stepped Alavés striker Asier Villalibre. With the weight of an entire city on his shoulders, Villalibre coolly sent the keeper the wrong way, slotting the ball into the bottom-left corner. The final whistle blew seconds later, sparking wild celebrations for Alavés and leaving Levante players in tears. Alavés had done the impossible, securing promotion in the final second of the season.
4. The Relegation Tragedy: Málaga CF and the Fallen Giants
At the other end of the table, the 2022–2023 season was defined by heartbreak. The most tragic story was that of Málaga CF. Just a decade prior, Málaga was competing in the UEFA Champions League quarter-finals against Borussia Dortmund. However, years of financial mismanagement and catastrophic sporting decisions culminated in a 20th-place finish, relegating the Andalusian giants to the third-tier Primera Federación. Málaga's drop from the professional tier marked a tragic development in the 2022 3 laliga landscape.
Málaga was joined in relegation by Ponferradina, UD Ibiza, and Lugo, marking a somber end to their respective spells in professional football.
Connecting the Tiers: La Liga (Primera División) in 2022 and 2023
For many football enthusiasts, search queries like 2022 laliga or 2023 laliga are tied to the fortunes of Spain's elite clubs in the Primera División. To understand the full context of Spanish football during this era, we must examine how the top tier evolved in parallel with LaLiga 2 during the 2022 23 laliga cycle.
The 2021-22 Season: Real Madrid's Reign (The laliga champions 2022)
To understand the landscape of 2022, we must look at the conclusion of the 2021–2022 campaign in May 2022. Real Madrid, managed by Carlo Ancelotti, comfortably clinched the title as the laliga 2022 champions.
This was the season of Karim Benzema's career-defining brilliance. The French striker scored 27 league goals, leading Real Madrid to both domestic glory and a UEFA Champions League title. Real Madrid’s domestic dominance in the early part of 2022 set a high benchmark, forcing their arch-rivals, FC Barcelona, to undergo a massive squad overhaul in the summer of 2022.
The 2022-23 Season: Barcelona's Defensive Masterclass
The subsequent laliga 2022.2023 season saw a spectacular changing of the guard. FC Barcelona, led by club legend Xavi Hernández, constructed an impenetrable defensive unit that defied modern footballing trends.
Behind the spectacular goalkeeping of Marc-André ter Stegen—who matched the all-time La Liga record by keeping 26 clean sheets—and the clinical finishing of summer signing Robert Lewandowski (who won the Pichichi with 23 goals), Barcelona reclaimed the Spanish throne. They officially clinched their 27th La Liga title on May 14, 2023, with a highly charged 4-2 victory away at the RCDE Stadium against their local rivals, Espanyol. The triumph marked Barcelona's first league title since the departure of Lionel Messi, signaling a new era of competitive relevance.
Relegation and the Cycle of Renewal
While Barcelona celebrated, the harsh reality of relegation struck the bottom of the Primera División. Elche CF, RCD Espanyol, and Real Valladolid were relegated at the end of the 2022–23 campaign. Their relegation completed the continuous cycle of renewal in Spanish football: as Granada, Las Palmas, and Alavés ascended from LaLiga 2 to prepare for the laliga 2023 2024 season, Espanyol, Valladolid, and Elche descended into the grueling trenches of the Segunda División.
The High-Stakes Finals: Deciding the 2022 and 2023 Seasons
When fans search for final laliga 2022 or laliga final 2022, they are often searching for the dramatic, season-ending matches that decide the final promotion spots. Unlike the Primera División, which is decided strictly on a 38-game points system, the Segunda División utilizes a post-season play-off tournament to determine the third promoted team. These "finals" are among the most watched and highly charged fixtures in Spanish sports.
The 2022 Play-Off Final: Girona's Ascent
In June 2022, the laliga final 2022 play-off pitted Girona FC against CD Tenerife. The first leg in Girona ended in a cautious 0-0 draw, leaving everything to play for in the return leg at the Heliodoro Rodríguez López stadium in Tenerife.
Girona put on a tactical clinic on away soil, securing a famous 3-1 victory thanks to goals from Christian Stuani and a spectacular defensive showing. This single match altered the trajectory of modern Spanish football. After earning promotion in June 2022, Girona went on to solidify their place in the top flight, eventually putting together a historic 2023–2024 campaign where they finished third in La Liga and qualified for the UEFA Champions League for the first time in club history. This crucial final laliga 2022 victory allowed Girona to join the top tier, establishing a launchpad for their subsequent rise.
The 2023 Play-Off Final: Alavés' 120th-Minute Miracle
As detailed earlier, the June 2023 play-off final between Alavés and Levante matched the sheer drama of the 2022 final. Alavés’ victory showed the incredibly fine margins of LaLiga 2. Had Villalibre’s penalty missed, Levante would have returned to the top tier, completely altering the financial and sporting futures of both institutions. These high-stakes finals represent the absolute peak of sporting tension in European football.
Evolutionary Context: Comparing LaLiga Seasons (2020 to 2024)
To understand the broader trajectory of Spanish football, it helps to zoom out and look at how the league transitioned through various eras. The period between the COVID-impacted laliga 2020_2021 season and the highly commercialized laliga 2023 2024 season represents one of the most transformative phases in Spanish sports history.
The Pandemic Era: LaLiga 2020/2021
The laliga 2020_2021 season was played almost entirely behind closed doors. The absence of fans severely impacted the home-field advantage across both divisions and placed immense financial stress on clubs, particularly those in the Segunda División who rely heavily on matchday revenue and season ticket sales. Atletico de Madrid won the Primera División title that year, while Espanyol and Mallorca dominated the second division to secure promotion.
The Rebuilding Era: LaLiga 2022/2023
By the time the laliga 2022 to 2023 cycle commenced, full stadium capacities had returned. Fans brought back the deafening atmospheres that make Spanish stadiums so intimidating. This season also had to contend with a unique logistical challenge: the 2022 FIFA World Cup in Qatar, which took place in November and December. While the Primera División took a mid-season hiatus, LaLiga 2 continued to play throughout the winter, drawing massive television audiences and elevated global interest.
The Modern Brand: LaLiga 2023/2024
Following the conclusion of the 2022–2023 season, La Liga underwent a massive corporate rebranding. The long-standing sponsorship deal with Banco Santander ended, and a massive new partnership with Electronic Arts was initiated. This rebranded the leagues to "LALIGA EA SPORTS" (Primera) and "LALIGA HYPERMOTION" (Segunda) for the laliga 2023 2024 season. The financial injection and modern aesthetic helped the league reach a younger, more digitally native global audience, building directly on the competitive foundation laid during the intense 2022 campaigns.
Sometimes mistyped by fans as laliga 202, this transition period solidified Spain's position as a hotbed of tactical innovation, defensive organization, and elite player development.
Frequently Asked Questions
Who won the LaLiga 2 2022–2023 season?
Granada CF won the LaLiga 2 (Segunda División) title with 75 points. They were promoted to the Primera División alongside runners-up UD Las Palmas and play-off winners Deportivo Alavés.
Who were the La Liga champions in 2022 and 2023?
Real Madrid won the 2021–2022 La Liga title in May 2022, securing their 35th championship. FC Barcelona won the 2022–2023 La Liga title in May 2023, claiming their 27th championship.
Which teams were promoted from LaLiga 2 in 2022?
At the end of the 2021–22 season (completed in June 2022), UD Almería and Real Valladolid secured automatic promotion, while Girona FC won the promotion play-offs to join them in the top flight.
Which teams were relegated from LaLiga 2 during the 2022–2023 season?
Málaga CF, SD Ponferradina, UD Ibiza, and CD Lugo were relegated from the Segunda División to the third-tier Primera Federación at the end of the 2022–23 season.
How does promotion work in LaLiga 2?
The top two teams in the final standings of LaLiga 2 earn automatic promotion to the Primera División. The teams finishing 3rd, 4th, 5th, and 6th enter a two-legged knockout play-off tournament. The winner of the play-off final earns the third and final promotion spot. Reserve teams (such as Villarreal B) are ineligible for promotion.
Conclusion
The laliga 2 2022 season was far more than a secondary football competition; it was a highly competitive league that showcased the absolute best of Spanish football’s tactical sophistication, drama, and sporting passion. From Granada’s flawless home record to Alavés' legendary 120th-minute promotion penalty, the 2022–2023 cycle delivered moments that have permanently etched themselves into Spanish football history. As these clubs transitioned to the top tier, they carried with them the hard-nosed resilience forged in the trenches of the Segunda División, continuing to enrich the global spectacle of Spanish football.
