# Spanish basketball league system

The Spanish basketball league system is a series of connected competitions for professional basketball clubs in Spain. The system has a hierarchical format with a promotion and relegation system between competitions at different levels.

## Men

There are currently four different nation-wide leagues in the system - the 1st tier Liga ACB, the 2nd tier LEB Oro, the 3rd tier LEB Plata and the 4th tier Liga EBA.
Liga ACB is organized by the Asociación de Clubs de Baloncesto (Basketball Clubs Association), which is a private organization. LEB leagues and Liga EBA are organized by the Spanish Basketball Federation while the lower tiers are organized by the regional federations.

### Levels

For the 2018–19 season, the Spanish basketball league system is as follows:
| Level | League | League | League | League | League |
| 1 | Liga ACB (18 teams) (previously Liga Nacional) | Liga ACB (18 teams) (previously Liga Nacional) | Liga ACB (18 teams) (previously Liga Nacional) | Liga ACB (18 teams) (previously Liga Nacional) | Liga ACB (18 teams) (previously Liga Nacional) |
| 2 | Primera FEB Formerly LEB Oro (18 teams) | Primera FEB Formerly LEB Oro (18 teams) | Primera FEB Formerly LEB Oro (18 teams) | Primera FEB Formerly LEB Oro (18 teams) | Primera FEB Formerly LEB Oro (18 teams) |
| 3 | Segunda FEB Formerly LEB Plata (24 teams) | Segunda FEB Formerly LEB Plata (24 teams) | Segunda FEB Formerly LEB Plata (24 teams) | Segunda FEB Formerly LEB Plata (24 teams) | Segunda FEB Formerly LEB Plata (24 teams) |
| 4 | Tercera FEB Group A Formerly Liga EBA (2 sub-groups of 14 teams each) | Tercera FEB Group B Formerly Liga EBA (16 teams) | Tercera FEB Group C Formerly Liga EBA (2 sub-groups of 14 teams each) | Tercera FEB Group D Formerly Liga EBA (2 sub-groups of 10 teams each) | Tercera FEB Group E Formerly Liga EBA (16 teams) |
| 5 | Primera División (15 groups, one for each autonomous community except Basque Country, La Rioja, and Navarra, who share the same group; in Catalonia, known as Copa Catalunya) | Primera División (15 groups, one for each autonomous community except Basque Country, La Rioja, and Navarra, who share the same group; in Catalonia, known as Copa Catalunya) | Primera División (15 groups, one for each autonomous community except Basque Country, La Rioja, and Navarra, who share the same group; in Catalonia, known as Copa Catalunya) | Primera División (15 groups, one for each autonomous community except Basque Country, La Rioja, and Navarra, who share the same group; in Catalonia, known as Copa Catalunya) | Primera División (15 groups, one for each autonomous community except Basque Country, La Rioja, and Navarra, who share the same group; in Catalonia, known as Copa Catalunya) |
| | Regional and lower divisions | Regional and lower divisions | Regional and lower divisions | Regional and lower divisions | Regional and lower divisions |

#### Lower divisions

For the 2015–16 season, the lower divisions for each of the Autonomous Communities is as follows:
| Community | Level 5 | Level 6 | Level 7 | Level 8 | Level 9 |
| Andalusia | 1ª División (2 groups of 10 teams) | Provincial leagues | Provincial leagues | Provincial leagues | Provincial leagues |
| Aragon | 1ª División (8 teams) | 1ª Aragonesa (8 teams) | 2ª Aragonesa (28 teams) | 3ª Aragonesa (3 groups of 7 teams) | Provincial leagues |
| Asturias | 1ª División (11 teams) | 1ª Autonómica (12 teams) | 2ª Autonómica (9 teams) | 3ª Autonómica (10 teams) | None |
| Balearic Islands | 1ª División (11 teams) | Insular leagues | Insular leagues | Insular leagues | Insular leagues |
| Basque Country | 1ª División (14 teams) | 2ª División (14 teams) | Provincial leagues | Provincial leagues | Provincial leagues |
| La Rioja | 1ª División (14 teams) | 2ª Interautonómica (14 teams) | Sénior Masculina (9 teams) | None | None |
| Navarre | 1ª División (14 teams) | 2ª Interautonómica (14 teams) | 1ª Autonómica (11 teams) | 2ª Autonómica (12 teams) | None |
| Canary Islands | 1ª División (9 teams) | Provincial and insular leagues | Provincial and insular leagues | Provincial and insular leagues | Provincial and insular leagues |
| Cantabria | 1ª División (8 teams) | 1ª Autonómica (8 teams) | 2ª Autonómica (7 teams) | None | None |
| Castile and León | 1ª División (9 teams) | Provincial leagues | Provincial leagues | Provincial leagues | Provincial leagues |
| Castile-La Mancha | 1ª División (2 groups of 8 teams) | Provincial leagues | Provincial leagues | Provincial leagues | Provincial leagues |
| Catalonia | Copa Catalunya (2 groups of 14 teams) | CC 1ª Categoria (3 groups of 16 teams) | CC 2ª Categoria (4 groups of 16 teams) | CC 3ª Categoria (8 groups of 16 teams) | Provincial leagues |
| Community of Madrid | 1ª División (24 teams) | 1ª Autonómica A (24 teams) | 1ª Autonómica B (24 teams) | 2ª Autonómica | Local leagues |
| Extremadura | 1ª División (7 teams) | Provincial leagues | Provincial leagues | Provincial leagues | Provincial leagues |
| Galicia | 1ª División (17 teams in 2 groups) | 2ª División (2 groups of 7 teams) | 3ª División (79 teams in 10 groups) | None | None |
| Region of Murcia | 1ª División (12 teams) | 1ª Autonómica (8 teams) | 2ª Autonómica (8 teams) | None | None |
| Valencian Community | 1ª División (2 groups of 12 teams) | Sénior Autonómico (3 groups of 14 teams) | Sénior Preferente (55 teams in 4 groups) | 1ª Zonal (69 teams in 5 groups) | 2ª Zonal (72 teams in 6 groups) |

### Evolution of the Spanish basketball league system

| Tier\Years | 1957–78 | 1978–83 | 1983–88 | 1988–94 | 1994–96 | 1996–2000 | 2000–07 | 2007–09 | 2009– |
| 1 | 1ª División | 1ª División | ACB | ACB | ACB | ACB | ACB | ACB | ACB |
| 2 | 2ª División | 1ª División B | 1ª División B | 1ª División | EBA | LEB | LEB | LEB Oro | LEB Oro |
| 3 | 3ª División | 2ª División | 2ª División | 2ª División | 2ª División | EBA | LEB 2 | LEB Plata | LEB Plata |
| 4 | Lower | 3ª División | Lower | Lower | Lower | 2ª División | EBA | LEB Bronce | EBA |
| 5 | Lower | Lower | Lower | Lower | Lower | Lower | 1ª División | EBA | 1ª División |
| 6 | Lower | Lower | Lower | Lower | Lower | Lower | Lower | 1ª División | Lower |
| 7 | Lower | Lower | Lower | Lower | Lower | Lower | Lower | Lower | Lower |

### Other competitions

* Spanish King's Cup
* Spanish Supercup

## Women

Since the 2001–02 season, there are currently different competitions on the pyramid.
* Liga Femenina de Baloncesto, organized by the Spanish Basketball Federation and composed by 14 teams.
* Liga Femenina 2, composed by 28 teams divided into two groups and also organized by the Spanish Basketball Federation.
* Primera División Femenina, where teams are divided into several inter-Regional groups. This competition is co-organized by the Regional Federations.
* Regional Leagues.
| Level | League | League | League | League | League | League | League | League | League | League |
| 1 | Liga Femenina (14 teams) | Liga Femenina (14 teams) | Liga Femenina (14 teams) | Liga Femenina (14 teams) | Liga Femenina (14 teams) | Liga Femenina (14 teams) | Liga Femenina (14 teams) | Liga Femenina (14 teams) | Liga Femenina (14 teams) | Liga Femenina (14 teams) |
| 2 | Liga Femenina 2 Group A (14 teams) | Liga Femenina 2 Group A (14 teams) | Liga Femenina 2 Group A (14 teams) | Liga Femenina 2 Group A (14 teams) | Liga Femenina 2 Group A (14 teams) | Liga Femenina 2 Group B (14 teams) | Liga Femenina 2 Group B (14 teams) | Liga Femenina 2 Group B (14 teams) | Liga Femenina 2 Group B (14 teams) | Liga Femenina 2 Group B (14 teams) |
| 3 | 1ª División Group A | 1ª División Group A | 1ª División Group B | 1ª División Group B | 1ª División Group C | 1ª División Group C | 1ª División Group D | 1ª División Group D | 1ª División Group E | 1ª División Group E |
| 4 | Regional divisions | Regional divisions | Regional divisions | Regional divisions | Regional divisions | Regional divisions | Regional divisions | Regional divisions | Regional divisions | Regional divisions |

## References and notes

* ↑ "Spain Basketball, News, Teams, Scores, Stats, Standings, Awards - eurobasket". www.eurobasket.com. Retrieved 2024-11-17.