The promotion phase in Second Division B has come to an end. Before, professional football did and there are simply three places to be awarded in Third. So that, The bronze category of the 2020-21 season is taking shape in what will be, for many reasons, a historic campaign. Without going any further, it will be the last time that it can be considered the third category in hierarchy within Spanish football, since the Second B Pro will be born facing the 21-22. In addition, it will start with a total of one hundred teams, due to the suppression of declines due to the break that forced the pandemic.
The hundred teams of Segunda B
20 clubs from the Third Division celebrate the possibility of playing with the best. The 4 of Second and the 12 eliminated in the promotion phase, on the contrary, regret it. Another 64 sealed the permanence when the Federation confirmed that the rest of the regular season would not be disputed and would go directly to the Playoff. These are the 97 teams confirmed for next season in Segunda B:
Descended from Second: Numancia *, Deportivo de la Coruña *, Extremadura and Racing.
Losers of the promotion phase: Marbella, Ibiza, Valladolid Promesas, Bilbao Athletic, Yeclano, Atlético de Madrid B, Peña Deportiva, Atlético Baleares, Badajoz, Cultural Leonesa, Cornellá and Barcelona B.
Those who upload from Third: Compostela, Covadonga, Laredo, L'Hospitalet, Atzeneta, Navalcarnero, Zamora, El Ejido, Betis B, Poblense, Tamaraceite, Lorca Deportiva, Villanovense, Mutilvera, SD Logroñés, Tarazona and Socuéllamos.
Those who repeat in Second B: Coruxo, Rayo Majadahonda, Real Madrid Castilla, Inter de Madrid, Pontevedra, Langreo, Racing de Ferrol, Oviedo B, Melilla, Celta B, Sporting B, Las Palmas B, Las Rozas, Marino de Luanco, Getafe B, UD Sanse, Real Sociedad B, Amorebieta, Osasuna B, Burgos, Guijuelo, Haro Deportivo, Alavés B, Calahorra, Salamanca, Barakaldo, Leioa, Unionistas, Real Unión, Arenas Club, Izarra, Tudelano, Lleida, Villarreal B, Olot, Espanyol B, Andorra , La Nucía, Ebro, Levante B, Llagostera, Nástic, Ejea, Valencia B, Prat, Hércules, Badalona, Orihuela, Córdoba, San Fernando, Linense, Real Murcia, Sevilla Atlético, UCAM Murcia, Cádiz B, Villarrubia, Recreativo, Don Benito, Atlético Sanluqueño, Algeciras, Talavera, Granada B, Mérida and Villarrobledo.
Still to be decided: the winner of the tie between Portugalete and Sestao River and two winners between Linares, Alcoyano, Marino and Lealtad de Villaviciosa, to whom the aforementioned Portugalete could join if he lost the match to play.
Format
ACE He has been telling the innovative format that the bronze division will adopt, with some details still to be confirmed. The RFEF, as already confirmed, It will divide the category into five groups of twenty, which, in turn, will be divided into ten subgroups of ten.. They will play a frenetic round-trip of 18 matches per club to decide, based on their results, how the following subgroups are formed, which they will be in which ascents, descents and stays are decided. The best three of each of the subgroups will have the right to dispute an intermediate phase to achieve promotion Second Division. The top thirty would be divided after the first phase in five new subgroups of six teams each. The best three of each of them (a total of 15) would play the traditional promotion phase together to the best room of the five mentioned subgroups.
Unlike in other years, the so-called route of champions would disappear. In other words, the leaders of these subgroups would not have a double chance. However, The RFEF is studying possible advantages for the first classified. After the dispute of that kind of Playoff the four teams that return to professional football would be known. Those defeated from that Playoff, the four descents from LaLiga SmartBank and those not classified for the promotion phase yes belonging to the subgroups of the best would form the Second Division B Pro of the season 21-22.
Ten promotions left
More accounts: 12 Playoff losers, plus four declines, plus the 14 worst of the top subgroups make up 30 teams. That is, they are still pending 10 upgrades to the new Segunda B Pro. These will come out of the second subgroup formed after the dispute of the first phase. This will comprise a total of 40 teams: the fourth, fifth, sixth and seventh teams classified from the ten initial subgroups. The format that is being considered right now from the RFEF, and which could still be touched up, is a kind of Cup, in which 10 would go up to what will be a new bronze category. Other awards are also studied for those who fail.
The descent to Third
The three worst teams from each of the ten initial subgroups would dispute among themselves, in the absence of a format, the phase of descent to the Third Division. This, in addition, is more important than ever, since all its participants would already be descending one level for the season in question. When there is a Second B Pro, the Second B would become the fourth category of Spanish football and the Third Division, the fifth.
This will be the Second Division B of the 2020-21 season
INITIAL PHASE
-Ten subgroups of ten.
-The best three of each go to the promotion phase to Second.
-Fourth, fifth, sixth and seventh pass to promotion group to Second B Pro.
-Eighth, ninth and tenth go to the relegation phase to the Third Division.
SECOND PHASE, INTERMEDIATE ASCENT GROUP
-It is made up of 30 teams, the best three from each initial subgroup.
-It is divided into five groups of six teams.
-The best three of each of those groups go to the final promotion phase.
-The best quarter of the five groups also goes through the promotion phase.
-The fifth and sixth, along with the four worst quarters, do not opt for promotion to Second, but guarantee their presence in Second B Pro.
SECOND PHASE, FINAL GROUP FOR THE ASCENT
-It is made up of 16 teams, the best three from each subgroup of the intermediate promotion phase and the best fourth.
-They dispute traditional qualifiers, as until now, but with the nuance that the former do not have a double chance.
– Ways are studied to give a privilege to the leaders.
SECOND PHASE, ASCENT GROUP A SECOND DIVISION B PRO
-It is made up of 40 teams, the fourth, fifth, sixth and seventh of the initial ten subgroups.
-The remaining ten places in the Second Division B Pro will be disputed. The first thirty places are for the four descents of the Second Division, the losers of the final group for the promotion and those not classified for this from the intermediate phase for the promotion.
-It is considered that this group disputes promotions in a format similar to that of the Copa del Rey.
-Those who are not victorious could have another award for the mere fact of achieving the classification.
SECOND PHASE, PERMANENCE GROUP
-It is made up of 30 teams, the eighth, ninth and tenth of the initial ten subgroups.
-They would fight to avoid descending to the Third Division.
-They would have no option to play the Second Division B Pro.
Competition dates
The Royal Spanish Football Federation has informed the clubs that the competition schedule will be decided next week. and it will also talk about the composition of the groups and the format. The idea today is that the season starts the weekend of September 26 and 27. Of course, all planning is subject to the evolution of the pandemic and the possible contagions that may occur in the clubs.
Same, the positive of the girlfriend of a footballer from Portugalete could disrupt the playoff of the Third Division. In the absence of knowing the results of the tests, if there are positives the series would have to be postponed and the second chance phase too. That would force the competition to last well into August, which would already cast doubt on the start of the 20-21 at the end of September. It is still too early to clarify whether the postponement of the Basque final could influence the calendar in such a way, although it is true that there is some margin to maintain control.