| Founded | 1977 |
|---|---|
| Folded | 2021 |
| Country | Spain |
| Other club from | Andorra (1 team) |
| Divisions | 4 |
| Number of clubs | 4 groups of 20 teams each (80) 3 groups of 20 teams and 2 group of 21, 8 subgroups of 10 teams each and 2 subgroups of 11 in 2020–21 (102) |
| Level on pyramid | 3 |
| Promotion to | Segunda División |
| Relegation to | Tercera División |
| Domestic cup(s) | Copa del Rey Copa Federación |
| Last champions | Burgos (Group 1) Real Sociedad B (Group 2) UD Ibiza (Group 3) Linares Deportivo (Group 4) Badajoz (Group 5) |
| Broadcaster(s) | FORTA:ETB 1,laOtra,tvG2,TPA IB3, TV Melilla Real Madrid TV,SFC TV |
| Website | Official website |
Segunda División B (English: second division B) was the third tier of theSpanish football league system containing 102 teams divided into five groups, until it was replaced by the new structure in 2021. It was administered by theRoyal Spanish Football Federation. It was below the top two professional leagues, thePrimera División (also known asLa Liga) and theSegunda División, and above theTercera División. The Segunda División B included thereserve teams of a number of La Liga and Segunda División teams. As of the2021-22 season, its successors are thePrimera Federación and theSegunda Federación.
The league's last ever season was in2020-21.For the 2021–22 season, Segunda División B was replaced bySegunda División RFEF, which became the fourth tier due to the creation of a new, semi-professional third division by the Spanish federation (RFEF) called thePrimera División RFEF.
The termSegunda División B was first used in1929. It was used to designate a third level of teams after thePrimera División and aSegunda División A. This division featured 10 teams and at the end of the seasonCultural Leonesa were crowned champions. However, the1929–30 season saw the first of many reorganisations of theSpanish football league system and the originalSegunda División B was replaced by the Tercera División. At the start of the1977–78 season theSegunda División B was revived, replacing the Tercera División as the third level. Initially the division consisted of only two groups. The1986–87 season was played as a single group of 22 teams. It was changed the next year, with 80 teams in four groups from the1987–88 season.
The RFEF approved the expansion of the league initially to five groups of 20 teams each and recommended its further division into 10 subgroups of 10 teams each for ease of schedule, only for the 2020–21 season, due to promotion from the Tercera División groups in the curtailed 2019–20 season being applied. Also, the Segunda División B dropped down to the fourth level and changed its name toSegunda División RFEF on the creation of a new, two-group, 40-team third division calledPrimera División RFEF, which began to play in the 2021–22 season.[1][2] An additional two teams were promoted after the 2020 Tercera División play-offs were called off and could not be replayed.[3] In the 2020–21 season, the 102 qualified teams were divided into three groups of 20 and two groups of 21, subdivided into eight subgroups of 10 and two subgroups of 11.
Segunda División B currently features 80 teams divided into 4 groups of 20. The top four teams from each group, 16 teams in total, qualify for play-offs to determine which four teams will replace the four teams relegated from theSegunda División. Howeverreserve teams are only eligible for promotion to the Segunda División if their senior team is in the Primera División. The top five teams from each group and best two teams regardless of group outside the previous twenty, excluding reserve teams, also qualify for the following seasonsCopa del Rey. The bottom four teams in each league are relegated to the Tercera División. Also, the four 16th-placed teams enter into a relegation playoff to determine the two teams to be relegated. One team is paired with one of the others in home and away series. the two winners remain in the division while the losers are relegated. A reserve team can also be relegated if their senior team is relegated from the Segunda División. Along with teams from the Tercera División, teams from the division also compete in theCopa Federación.
Since the 2008–09 season, the four group winners had the opportunity to be promoted directly and be named the overallSegunda División B champion. The four group winners are drawn into a two-legged series where the two winners are promoted to the Segunda División and enter into the final for the Segunda División B championship. The two losingsemifinalists enter the playoff round for the last two promotion spots.
Until 2019, the four group runners-up were drawn against one of the three fourth-placed teams outside their group while the four third-placed teams were also drawn against one another in a two-legged series. The six winners advanced with the two losing semifinalists to determine the four teams that will enter the last two-legged series for the last two promotion spots. In all the playoff series, the lower-ranked club played at home first. Whenever there was a tie in position (like the group winners in the semifinal round and final or the third-placed teams in the first round), a draw determined the club to play at home first.
In the 2019–20 season, the promotion playoff rules were altered by an RFEF resolution after that season was suspended and later curtailed during thecoronavirus disease pandemic in Spain. Thus, the playoffs were contested differently at neutral venues. The four group runners-up were drawn against one of the three fourth-placed teams outside their group while the four third-placed teams were also drawn against one another in knockout matches. The six winners advanced with the two losing semifinalists to determine the four teams that entered the last single-match series for the two remaining promotion spots.[1]
Starting in 2008–09 season, the four group winners get a spot in the Group Winners Promotion Playoff. The two semifinal winners get promoted to Segunda División and play the final to decide the season champions.
| season champions | season runner-ups | other promoted teams |
| Season | Group winners | Other promoted teams | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Group I | Group II | Group III | Group IV | Group V | ||
| 2020–21 | Burgos | Real Sociedad B | UD Ibiza | Linares Deportivo | Badajoz | Amorebieta |
Goals in playoffs are not counted.
| Sporting positions | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by | Third tier of Spanish football 1977–2021 | Succeeded by |