Nota de Prensa
LUN 26.01.2026
The study, conducted by LALIGA, analyses how football is experienced and passed down in Spain. It reveals that 57% of fans go to a bar at least once a month to watch matches, while 37% attend the stadium with the same frequency.
Football passion in Spain does not arise spontaneously or by chance: it is inherited. This is the perception of one in every two Spaniards (52%), who believe that football fandom is mainly passed down within the family environment, according to a study promoted by LALIGA as part of its new campaign ‘42 Legacies, 42 Ways of Winning’. This initiative aims to strengthen the sense of belonging and highlight the emotion, culture and history of the 42 LALIGA clubs. In addition, 7 out of 10 football-loving children support the same club as their father or mother, with the Community of Madrid and Catalonia being the regions where this phenomenon is most common.
Alongside the family factor, territorial identity also plays a relevant role: 24% of Spaniards link their football fandom to geographical proximity to the stadium or club. This figure rises significantly in regions such as the Basque Country (37%), Asturias (33%), and the Valencian Community (28.4%).
In the words of Ángel Fernández, LALIGA’s director of Brand and Global Strategy: “Football legacy is one of LALIGA’s greatest values. It is the sum of 42 cultures, 42 ways of feeling and winning, united by a shared sense of belonging. With this campaign, we want to highlight everything fans inherit from their families and continue to grow with each new generation.”
The findings are part of ‘42 Legacies, 42 Ways of Winning’, a comprehensive and cross-cutting LALIGA initiative designed to actively involve fans by making them part of a collective narrative built around their personal stories and experiences. The campaign includes the launch of a main brand spot that conveys the importance of football legacy, as well as special stadium activations and social media content developed in collaboration with the clubs.
Family legacy under the spotlight
Football legacy is passed down in multiple ways and in different directions. Among Spaniards who inherited their passion for football within the family, the data is clear: 76% started following football due to the direct influence of their father or mother, while 18% did so through siblings. Particularly noteworthy is the so-called “reverse legacy”: 8% of those who inherited football passion within the family acknowledge having received it from children, nieces/nephews or grandchildren. This reflects football’s ability to build intergenerational bonds in both directions and ensures the continuity of interest in the sport across future generations. This phenomenon is especially significant in the Balearic Islands (15%) and Catalonia (12%), both above the national average.
Within this shared narrative, the role of women is gaining greater visibility. 16% of fans say they inherited their passion for their club from a female family member, a figure that is particularly significant in the Balearic Islands (24.6%) and Catalonia (17.5%), where transmission through mothers, grandmothers or sisters is more prominent.
The importance of this legacy is unquestionable for the vast majority of Spaniards. 93% consider it important or very important to pass down club loyalty between generations, with Andalusia once again leading as the region that places the greatest value on this family-driven aspect of football (94%).
How and with whom we experience football
Beyond the origin of fandom, the study also explores how and with whom football is experienced. The home remains the main setting for watching matches: 87% of Spanish fans say they watch football at home at least once a month. However, the social dimension of football remains strong outside the home. 57% state that they go to a bar at least once a month to watch matches, compared to 37% who attend the stadium with the same regularity.
Among those who go to the stadium, football once again proves to be a shared experience. Half attend with their partner and 46% go with their children—a figure that rises in the Canary Islands (55%), Asturias (52%) and Madrid (50%). Fans from Andalusia and Murcia stand out for attending matches with their father more frequently than the national average (29% and 40% respectively, compared to 24.75%). The Balearic Islands (33.4%), the Valencian Community (33%) and Cantabria (31%) record higher-than-average attendance accompanied by women, while the Balearic Islands and Cantabria also show a notable presence of grandparents in the stands.
The hours leading up to matches further reinforce this sense of belonging. Asturias has the highest concentration of bar attendance in Spain (61%), while the Basque Country stands out for higher street consumption prior to matches (36.4% compared to the national average of 27%). Among those who watch football in bars, three out of four Spaniards always go to the same establishments, highlighting the strong bond between football, meeting places and local identity.
Sevilla FC and Real Madrid, the clubs most inherited within families
At club level, family legacy is also key to ensuring that passion for team colours endures over time. Among LALIGA clubs, two stand out for having fan bases that most commonly inherited their allegiance within the family environment: Sevilla FC (64.85%) and Real Madrid (57.29%).
In terms of direct transmission, the father-to-child legacy is the most common across all clubs, with Valencia CF (51.92%), Sevilla FC (47.84%) and Athletic Club (46.31%) leading the way. Real Betis ranks as the club with the strongest intergenerational legacy, with 24.01% of fans inheriting their passion from grandparents to grandchildren—well above the club average (15.34%). When focusing on women as the transmitters of legacy, Real Sporting de
Gijón (27.01%) stands out as the club most frequently passed down by mothers, exceeding the average across clubs. In terms of reverse legacy, fans of Deportivo de La Coruña, Girona and Mallorca are those most likely to have adopted their club allegiance through their children, coinciding with these clubs’ sporting progression in recent years.
© LALIGA - 2026