About Rayo Vallecano

Rayo Vallecano is a Spanish football club from the Puente de Vallecas district of Madrid, founded on 29 May 1924 as Agrupación Deportiva El Rayo. Proud of its working-class roots and neighbourhood identity, the club adopted its famous red diagonal stripe in 1949, inspired by River Plate, after an agreement with Atlético Madrid. Since 1976 it has played at the Campo de Fútbol de Vallecas.

Always in the shadow of Real Madrid and Atlético, Rayo became one of Spain's best-known yo-yo clubs, moving between La Liga and the Segunda División through the 1980s and 1990s. Its first European campaign came in the 2000–01 UEFA Cup, entered through the Fair Play ranking, when the club reached the quarter-finals before losing to Alavés.

Rayo has spent more than twenty seasons in the top flight, won the Segunda División in 2017–18 and returned to Europe in the 2025–26 Conference League. By historical record it is the third club of the Community of Madrid.