Valencia CF: an epic promotion one year after relegation from the top flight
The Valencian club returned to the top flight just one year after being relegated from the Primera División. Mikel Crespo's side returned to the elite after finishing 3rd in the regular league season, and overcoming CD Alba Fundación in the semi-finals and Villarreal CF in the final to secure promotion to Liga F Moeve.
10 JUN 2026
Just one year after being relegated from Liga F Moeve, Valencia CF has returned to the top flight. The 2024/2025 season saw the departure of a historic side in our football. After a lifetime in the elite, the 'blanquinegro' side was relegated to Primera RFEF as the bottom-placed team with 23 points, four points from safety. For the new project in the second tier, the club opted for Mikel Crespo to lead the team from the dugout. The coach arrived with extensive experience in the second division after spells at Deportivo Alavés and CD Alba Fundación Femenino, and with a promotion to the Primera División with the 'babazorro' side. Furthermore, six players remained from the relegation squad, among them Pauleta Sancho, the team captain. The left-back stayed with the 'che' side to pursue a single objective: to return the team of her life to the place it deserves.
In the regular league season, the Valencia side finished in 3rd place in the standings with 46 points after achieving twelve wins, ten draws, and only four defeats. In addition to scoring 35 goals, making them the third-highest scoring team in the championship, they conceded only 18, the second-best defensive record. This third-place finish gave them access to the playoffs, meaning the 'blanquinegro' side had to take the long road to promotion, albeit with the second leg at home for having finished higher than their rivals in the regular season. In the semi-finals, Valencia CF faced CD Alba Fundación Femenino (8th place with 33 points). The first leg at the Manchego club's ground ended in a 0-0 draw, and in the return leg, Mikel Crespo's side won 4-3 to qualify for the final, where they faced another Valencian team.
The grand final for promotion to the top flight pitted Valencia CF against Villarreal CF (6th place with 38 points). Only one could remain. The first leg ended in a 0-0 stalemate, and both teams met for the return leg at an Antonio Puchades packed to the rafters. The 'groguet' side took the lead with a goal from Aixa Salvador in the 21st minute. Time ticked on and the score remained unchanged. The 'che' side were running out of time, but just as the referee was about to blow the final whistle, Leyre Monente picked up a rebound at the edge of the area and, in the final minute of the match, forced extra time with a 1-1 equaliser. In extra time, the 'che' side maintained their advantage and, with the final whistle, the victory for the 'blanquinegro' team was confirmed as there were no penalties, with the team better positioned in the regular league season going up directly.
Celebrations erupted at the Antonio Puchades with Leyre Monente as the great protagonist of the duel. “I stayed at the edge of the area to see if the rebound would fall to me. What madness. Everyone celebrating. The most important goal of my life,” highlighted the goalscorer, who was embraced by all her teammates. Furthermore, the midfielder had an intuition that she could score. “I was warming up wishing they would bring me on because for several weeks I had the intuition that I was going to score a goal,” analyses the Riojan, who thought of her grandmother because “she passed away two weeks ago. She gave me that push to score.” A goal that will forever be etched in the history of the 'che' team. Additionally, this season has seen a historic milestone for the 'blanquinegro' club with the promotion of the first women's team to Liga F Moeve, the B team to 2ª RFEF, the C team to 3ª RFEF, and the D team to the Autonómica Valenciana.