Royal Spanish Football Federation facts for kids

Quick facts for kids
Royal Spanish Football Federation

UEFA
Full name	Lua error in Module:Wd at line 1575: attempt to index field 'wikibase' (a nil value).
Short name	RFEF
Founded	29 September 1913; 111 years ago (1913-09-29)
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Headquarters	Las Rozas de Madrid
FIFA affiliation	1914
UEFA affiliation	1954
President	Pedro Rocha (interim)

The Royal Spanish Football Federation (RFEF) is the main group that manages football in Spain. It was started on 29 September 1913, and its main office is in La Ciudad del Fútbol in Las Rozas, a town near Madrid.

The RFEF organizes national cup games like the King's Cup and the Spanish Super Cup. It also helps manage the top national leagues, Primera División and Segunda División, even though LaLiga organizes them. The RFEF also runs other national leagues such as Primera Federación (3rd level), Segunda Federación (4th level), and Tercera Federación (5th level).

This organization is also in charge of choosing the coaches and staff for the men's, women's, and youth national football teams. They also manage the national teams for futsal (indoor football) and beach soccer. As of 2022, the RFEF has over 30,000 registered clubs and more than 1.1 million football players.

How the RFEF Started

Early Days of Spanish Football

The first Spanish football group, called the Federación Española de Clubs de Football (FECF), was created in Madrid on 14 October 1909. This group was the start of what would become the RFEF. Some of the first clubs to join were FC Barcelona, Club Español de Madrid, and Sociedad Gimnástica.

However, not all clubs agreed with this new group. Important clubs like Madrid FC and Athletic Club did not join. This led to two different cup competitions in 1910: one organized by the FECF in Madrid (won by Barcelona) and another by a different group called the UECF (Unión Española de Clubes de Fútbol) in San Sebastián (won by Athletic). Today, both of these tournaments are recognized as official by the RFEF.

In 1913, there was another disagreement about where the 1913 Copa del Rey (King's Cup) would be held. This caused some clubs, including Barcelona and Real Sociedad, to leave the FECF. On 29 November 1912, these clubs formed their own group, the "Spanish Union of Football Clubs" (UECF), in San Sebastián. Again, two separate tournaments were held.

Both the FECF and the UECF wanted to be the main football group in Spain. Even King Alfonso XIII was involved, becoming an honorary president for both groups at different times. However, the international football organization, FIFA, did not accept Spain because it had two different national federations. FIFA said that Spain needed to combine them into one group.

To try and get recognized, the UECF organized an international match against a French team on 25 May 1913. The game ended in a 1–1 tie. After this, King Alfonso XIII and FIFA leaders encouraged the Spanish groups to find a solution.

In July 1913, the two groups, FECF and UECF, decided to merge. They agreed to create a new, single football federation for Spain.

The RFEF is Born

On 1 September 1913, the new federation officially began. They chose the name "Royal Spanish Football Federation" (Real Federación Española de Football). King Alfonso XIII was named its honorary president.

The RFEF was accepted as a temporary member of FIFA on 29 September 1913. It became a full member of FIFA on 27 July 1914. The first president of the RFEF was Francisco García Molinas, who started in January 1914. The two older groups, FECF and UECF, then officially closed down.

To stop the arguments about the King's Cup, the RFEF decided to create regional championships. These regional winners would then play in the national tournament. The 1914 Copa del Rey was the first King's Cup organized by the RFEF. Athletic Club won it by beating FC Espanya 2–1 in the final.

In 1915, the RFEF also started the Prince of Asturias Cup. This was a championship between regional teams, and it helped find talented players for a future Spanish national team. King Alfonso XIII sponsored this tournament.

Spain's National Teams

Men's National Team

On 21 May 1920, the RFEF decided to create the Spanish national team. This team was formed to play in the 1920 Antwerp Olympic Games.

The first official match for the Spanish national team was played on 28 August 1920, in Brussels, Belgium. Spain wore red shirts and won 1–0 against Denmark. The first goal was scored by Patricio Arabolaza. In their first international tournament, Spain won the silver medal at the Olympics after beating the Netherlands.

Women's National Team

After the women's team won the 2023 FIFA Women's World Cup, Spain became one of only two countries (the other being Germany) to have won both the men's and women's World Cups.

Spain also holds a special record in women's football: their youth teams, along with the senior team, are current world champions in all three female age groups: U-17, U-20, and senior level. This has never happened before in women's football.

National League

On 30 June 1926, football in Spain officially became professional, like in England. This important step led to the creation of the "Campeonato Nacional de Liga," which is now known as La Liga. The first season of La Liga started in February 1929 and ended in June 1929.

Ten clubs played in the first league season. Six of them were chosen because they had won the Copa del Rey. Three others were chosen because they had been runners-up in the cup. The last spot was decided by a special tournament, which Racing de Santander won. Barcelona became the first La Liga champion, with Real Madrid finishing second.

Competitions Organized by RFEF

The RFEF organizes many national football competitions.

• Men's competitions:
  • Primera Federación (3rd division)
  • Segunda Federación (4th division)
  • Tercera Federación (5th division)
  • Copa de S.M. el Rey (King's Cup)
  • Supercopa de España (Spanish Super Cup)
  • Copa Federación

• Women's competitions:
  • Primera Federación (2nd division)
  • Segunda Federación (3rd division)
  • Tercera Federación (4th division)
  • Copa de S.M. la Reina (Queen's Cup)
  • Supercopa de España (Women's Spanish Super Cup)

• Youth competitions:
  • División de Honor Juvenil (1st youth division)
  • Liga Nacional Juvenil (2nd youth division)
  • Copa del Rey Juvenil (Youth King's Cup)
  • Copa de Campeones Juvenil (Youth Champions Cup)

Major Wins and Trophies

The RFEF's national teams have won many important tournaments.

Men's National Football Team

• FIFA World Cup

• Winners (1): 2010

• UEFA European Championship

• Winners (3): 1964, 2008, 2012

• UEFA Nations League

• Winners (1): 2023

• Olympic Games

• Gold medal (1): 1992
• Silver medal (3): 1920, 2000, 2020

Women's National Football Team

• FIFA Women's World Cup

• Winners (1): 2023

• UEFA Women's Nations League

• Winners (1): 2024

National Youth Teams

Men's Youth Teams

• FIFA U-20 World Cup

• Winners (1): 1999

• FIFA U-17 World Cup

• Runners-up (4): 1991, 2003, 2007, 2017

• UEFA U-21 Championship

• Winners (5): 1986, 1998, 2011, 2013, 2019

• UEFA U-19/18 Championship

• Winners (11): 1952, 1954, 1995, 2002, 2004, 2006, 2007, 2011, 2012, 2015, 2019

• UEFA U-17/16 Championship

• Winners (9): 1986, 1988, 1991, 1997, 1999, 2001, 2007, 2008, 2017

Women's Youth Teams

• FIFA U-20 Women's World Cup

• Winners (1): 2022

• FIFA U-17 Women's World Cup

• Winners (2): 2018, 2022

• UEFA Women's U-19 Championship

• Winners (5): 2004, 2017, 2018, 2022, 2023

• UEFA Women's U-17 Championship

• Winners (4): 2010, 2011, 2015, 2018

National Futsal Team

Men's Futsal Team

• FIFA Futsal World Cup

• Winners (2): 2000, 2004

• UEFA Futsal Championship

• Winners (7): 1996, 2001, 2005, 2007, 2010, 2012, 2016

Women's Futsal Team

• UEFA Women's Futsal Championship

• Winners (3): 2019, 2022, 2023

Regional Federations

The RFEF works with 19 regional football federations across Spain's different regions and cities. These include:

• Andalusia: Royal Andalusian Football Federation
• Aragon: Royal Aragonese Football Federation
• Asturias: Royal Football Federation of the Principality of Asturias
• Balearic Islands: Balearic Islands Football Federation
• Basque Country: Basque Football Federation
• Canary Islands: Canarian Football Federation
• Cantabria: Royal Cantabrian Football Federation
• Castile and León: Royal Castile and León Football Federation
• Castilla–La Mancha: Castilla–La Mancha Football Federation
• Catalonia: Catalan Football Federation
• Ceuta: Ceuta Football Federation
• Community of Madrid: Royal Madrid Football Federation
• Extremadura: Extremaduran Football Federation
• Galicia: Royal Galician Football Federation
• La Rioja: Riojan Football Federation
• Melilla: Royal Melillan Football Federation
• Region of Murcia: Football Federation of the Region of Murcia
• Navarre: Navarre Football Federation
• Valencian Community: Valencian Community Football Federation

Presidents of the RFEF

Here is a list of the people who have been president of the Royal Spanish Football Federation:

See also

In Spanish: Real Federación Española de Fútbol para niños