Spanish La Liga is the shortened form of Liga Nacional de Futbol Prefesional (LFP) and is often referred to simply at La Liga (the league). It consists of 20 teams, the lowest three being relegated to the Segunda Division and replaced by the three highest in that division. Thus, teams do their best to rise to the top of the Segunda Division for a chance to be promoted to La Liga. Since its founding in 1929, nine of the 59 teams that have competed in La Liga have been champions; dominating the championship over the years have been Barcelona with 21 championships and Madrid with 31.

According to the IFFHS, La Liga is ranked as best football league in the world and the second strongest one in Europe. It's also the most popular with attendance averaging just over 29,000 spectators for matches in the 2008-09 season.

Players in La Liga can claim the citizenship of the country their ancestors came from. If they do not have European ancestry, they can claim the citizenship of Spain after they have played in Spain for five years. At times it can lead to some confusion; Leo Franco, an Argentine of Italian ancestry, can also claim Spanish citizenship.