Rayo Vallecano
Los Franjirrojos · Madrid, Community of Madrid · LaLiga EA Sports
The smallest ground in LaLiga and the most politically distinct fanbase in Spanish football.
The club
Founded on 29 May 1924 by Julián Huerta in Vallecas, a working-class district on Madrid's southern edge. The ground holds 14,708, the smallest in LaLiga. The club is inseparable from the neighbourhood's left-wing identity, expressed by supporters through the alternative spelling Vallekas and by the Bukaneros, one of Spain's most politically active terraces. Match tickets still cannot be bought online: you queue at the ground, by design.
Things worth knowing
- The smallest capacity in LaLiga, and one of the very few grounds in Europe with a missing stand.
- Reached a first European final in May 2026, losing the Conference League final 1–0 to Crystal Palace.
- The squad took a day off training in March 2012 to join anti-austerity demonstrations.
- England winger Laurie Cunningham finished his career here and died in a car crash outside Madrid in 1989.
