Can Mirandés play in the First Division? Requirements and work to be done in case of promotion

Mirandés is close to achieving one of the greatest miracles in Spanish football. This Sunday, June 15, they will play the first leg of their promotion final to the First Division against Real Oviedo at Anduva Stadium. Six days later , on Saturday the 21st, the Carlos Tartiere stadium will reveal the identity of the 20th team that will play in LaLiga EA Sports in the 2025-26 season.

The truth is that, if they beat the Carbayones and advance, Mirandés wouldn't be the team representing the town with the fewest inhabitants in history in the top flight , as Eibar holds that honor. But, in any case, it wouldn't detract one iota from the achievements of the Jabatos, a team with a somewhat peculiar way of managing its resources.

The Miranda de Ebro team (according to INE data in 2024, it has a population of 36,025 ) doesn't even have half of its squad made up of owned players, but has systematically recruited players from La Liga clubs on loan in recent seasons. Its proximity to the Basque Country has allowed it to gain the trust of Athletic Club, Real Sociedad, and Deportivo Alavés, leading them to decide to train their players at Mirandés.

All of this with a structure that is among the most modest in Spanish professional football. In fact, Anduva has the lowest capacity in the top two divisions , even surpassed by the Nuevo Pepico Amat, the ground of Eldense, a team that has been relegated to the First Federation. Eibar and Huesca are not far behind, but they also exceed the capacity of the Jabato stadium, which seats 5,759 , a figure the club lists on its website, although this season there was a slight reduction of about 100 seats. Precisely, everything related to the stadium is what generates the most debate about whether Mirandés could participate in the First Division if they earn promotion on the pitch.

Despite the limited capacity or other situations visible on television, such as a camera shot that is noticeably low compared to other venues, the truth is that there is no impediment to Mirandés achieving promotion to the First Division .

Mirandés, like all teams participating in competitions organized by LaLiga, must comply with the regulations set by the club's management . However, LaLiga remains flexible on various issues, provided, of course, that certain minimum requirements are met. For example, in LaLiga's General Regulations, Section II, Article XIII.10, it is established that "stadiums must have a minimum capacity of 8,000 seats ," although it also states that "the Delegate Committee may, due to demographic, architectural, technical, or historical circumstances of the Club/SAD, accept a reduction in said required minimum capacity ."

Therefore, the expansion of the capacity could be more a response to the club's desire to have greater capacity to generate more revenue from ticket sales than to a requirement from LaLiga.

Even so, Mirandés, whether promoted or not, has already announced that it will not start next season playing at home at Anduva . It will instead be at Mendizorroza , the home of Alavés, as the two clubs have reached an agreement. It could, in fact, happen that Mirandés will host Alavés in the opening matchdays... at Alavés' home. In that case, the second leg match between the two teams would also be held at the same venue.

Mirandés will temporarily move at the start of the 2025-26 season, regardless of the league in which they play, due to the construction of the new Main Stand , located above the dugouts and where the boxes and press area are located. The new stands, once completed, would leave the field suitable for First Division matches, also taking into account that LaLiga EA Sports uses a technology, the semi-automatic offside system, which has not yet been implemented in the Second Division. Construction will begin after the first leg against Real Oviedo, which will be Mirandés' last match of the season in Anduva.