European football's new season brings with it a familiar cast of promoted clubs hoping to punch above their weight, but this year's crop of newly-elevated sides features some particularly compelling stories, from fallen giants to grassroots underdogs.
Chief among them is Deportivo La Coruña, back in La Liga for the first time since 2018. The Galician club were once genuine title contenders alongside Barcelona, Real Madrid and Valencia, finishing in the top three nine times between 1993 and 2004 and lifting the league title in 1999. A run to the Champions League semi-finals in 2004 ended at the hands of José Mourinho's Porto, and the club's fortunes declined sharply thereafter, culminating in a drop to the regional third tier in 2020. After four years to climb back to the second division, Deportivo shot up from 15th place in 2024-25 to secure automatic promotion. The club has moved to bolster its squad with the signings of former Mallorca goalkeeper Leo Román and veteran forward Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang. They are joined among La Liga's returnees by Racing Santander, back after a 15-year absence, and Málaga, who also dropped out in 2018 and briefly slipped to the third tier in 2023-24.
In Germany, Elversberg represent one of the Bundesliga's most remarkable rises. The small Saarland club, whose town's population could fit inside Schalke's Veltins Arena four times over, finished as runners-up to promotion winners Schalke last season. Elversberg have climbed from the regional leagues in 2021-22 under coach Horst Steffen, who departed for Werder Bremen last summer after narrowly missing out on promotion via the playoffs. Steffen's Bremen tenure lasted only nine months, while Elversberg continued their progress under new coach Vincent Wagner, previously in charge of Hoffenheim's second team. The club will expand their stadium during the campaign to meet the Bundesliga's 15,000-capacity requirement, with a daunting opening schedule that includes matches against Bayer Leverkusen and Bayern Munich.
French newcomers Le Mans bring a unique flavour to Ligue 2's top division after their promotion, backed by Brazilian consortium OutField, whose investors include tennis star Novak Djokovic, goalkeeper Thibaut Courtois and Formula One figures Felipe Massa and Kevin Magnussen. Based at a stadium within the historic Circuit de la Sarthe, the club endured financial turmoil after a brief top-flight stint in the 2010s before rebuilding. Their approach this season is expected to focus on youth development and academy investment rather than heavy spending.
Turkey's Amedspor will make history as they debut in the Süper Lig, representing the Kurdish-majority city of Diyarbakır. Having incorporated the Kurdish name for their home city in 2014, the club has become a symbol of Kurdish identity, attracting a passionate fanbase while also facing hostility and security challenges, including a past ban on away fans that lasted until 2020. Notably, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, who does not use Diyarbakır's Kurdish name, offered congratulations on the club's promotion.
In Poland, Wisła Kraków return to the Ekstraklasa after four years away, having used their time in the second tier to strengthen their academy and analytics department, with former player Jakub Błaszczykowski now a minority investor. Their comeback was marked by a 2-1 win over Katowice. The city's football landscape has grown further with the promotion of Wieczysta Kraków via the playoffs, meaning Kraków now boasts three top-flight clubs, alongside the historic "Holy War" rivalry with Cracovia.
Finally, FC Vaduz have returned to Switzerland's top flight, though as a Liechtenstein-based club, they remain ineligible to win the title or claim a Swiss European qualification spot. They instead compete in the Conference League as Liechtenstein Cup winners. Vaduz secured promotion dramatically on the season's final day after league leaders Aarau surrendered a 2-0 lead against Yverdon, though two opening defeats suggest a title surprise similar to last season's champions, Thun, appears unlikely.
Based on reporting from The Guardian.