FC Sevilla, once a regular in the Champions League and a serial winner of the Europa League, has slowly but surely descended into a relegation battle. The club now faces its most critical moment, with the threat of dropping to the second division looming larger than ever.
Just seven months ago, in October 2025, the Estadio Ramon Sanchez-Pizjuan was electric. Right-back Jose Angel Carmona, a local youth product, sealed a remarkable 4-1 victory over champions Barcelona with a 90th-minute goal. The stadium erupted in jubilation, a stark contrast to the current dire situation.
At the time, coach Matias Almeyda, who had taken over that summer, expressed his euphoria, stating, «I wished the game would never end.» Sevilla’s position in La Liga improved to sixth after this impressive win, and it seemed the club was on an upward trajectory after two worrying seasons.
While the victory over Hansi Flick’s star-studded Barcelona was aided by several brilliant saves from goalkeeper Odysseas Vlachodimos and a missed penalty from Robert Lewandowski, it offered a glimmer of hope. However, looking back at that sunny Sunday afternoon now evokes a deep sense of melancholy.
Sevilla’s present reality is a fierce fight against relegation. Currently sitting in 18th place, they face the prospect of dropping to the second division for the first time in 26 years. Back in the 1999-2000 season, when Deportivo La Coruna and Real Zaragoza were top contenders, Sevilla’s fellow relegated clubs were Atletico Madrid and rivals Betis – a testament to how long ago that was.
The fading glory of five Europa League titles (2014-2023) and five Champions League knockout stage appearances (2008-2021) is a painful reminder of past successes. The club’s current predicament, however, did not materialize out of thin air. In hindsight, club executives might regret not showing more patience with Julen Lopetegui, the last coach to last more than nine months at the helm.
Lopetegui had guided Sevilla to four consecutive fourth-place finishes, securing Champions League qualification, and also delivered their sixth Europa League title in 2020. Despite these achievements, Lopetegui had limited backing and was dismissed after a disappointing start to the 2022-23 season, which saw the team in 17th place after seven games.
FC Sevilla: A Gradual Decline
Lopetegui’s departure was particularly dramatic and emblematic of the growing chaos surrounding FC Sevilla. News of his impending sacking leaked before a Champions League match against Borussia Dortmund, with the official announcement only coming after a 4-1 defeat. The fans were visibly upset, and Lopetegui himself was emotional, stating, «It’s sad and painful to leave a team I love very much and that will undoubtedly always remain in my heart.» The 59-year-old is now the manager of the Qatar national team.
Although Sevilla’s myth was briefly reignited by their Europa League triumph in 2023, their sporting decline had already begun. The fact that seven different coaches have failed to bring about a sustainable turnaround in the past three and a half years suggests Lopetegui was not the sole culprit.
Adding to the turmoil, there’s a long-standing feud between the current president, Jose Maria del Nido Jr., and his father, former club chairman Jose Maria del Nido Sr., which has cast a shadow over the club. The persistent sporting crises are largely linked to the financial difficulties plaguing the club, making sustained success without patience an impossibility.
This season, due to financial concerns, Sevilla has the second-lowest wage cap in La Liga, a significant drop from their previous season’s lowest among all Spanish leagues. This has inevitably impacted the quality of the squad, rendering their ambitions of competing in European competitions unattainable. In the 2019-20 season, Sevilla spent nearly €189 million on new players, a figure that plummeted to a mere €250,000 in 2025-26. The club has resorted to creative solutions, signing aging stars like Alexis Sanchez and Cesar Azpilicueta on free transfers and loaning Odysseas Vlachodimos. Local talents like Jose Angel Carmona and Isaac Romero are now getting more opportunities, but turning this necessity into a strength requires patience and potentially accepting a major setback.
That major setback now looms larger than ever. In the 2024-25 season, Sevilla narrowly avoided relegation, holding only a four-point lead over the drop zone after a 2-3 loss to Celta Vigo in the 35th round. Upon their return to the training center, around 400 masked fans confronted the players, throwing eggs and even stones at the team bus. Police intervention was required, and the frightened players were only able to return home the following morning.
The relief after securing survival was immense. Antonio Cordon was appointed as the new sporting director, and in a bold move, Matias Almeyda, a former player, was appointed as head coach. For the Argentinian, it was his first stint in one of Europe’s top-five leagues, having previously only coached AEK Athens. Despite a promising start, Almeyda, managing a team lacking the stalwarts of its golden era like Ivan Rakitic, Ever Banega, and Lucas Ocampos, couldn’t consistently deliver positive results.
FC Sevilla Faces Potential Final Collapse
From their victory over Barcelona at the end of October until Almeyda’s dismissal in late March, Sevilla managed only four more league wins in five months. With the team languishing in 15th place, the situation became dire, and the club pulled the plug. Experienced Spanish coach Luis Garcia, who knows La Liga well, took over, but under his leadership, the team has continued to slide.
In Garcia’s first game in early April, Sevilla lost 0-1 to bottom-placed Oviedo. Two weeks later, they suffered a 0-2 defeat against second-to-last Levante. In between, a surprising 2-1 victory against Atletico Madrid offered a glimmer of hope. However, a closer look revealed that this win was not entirely unexpected, as Atletico’s coach Diego Simeone had heavily rotated his squad for the match, resting most of his key players ahead of their Champions League quarter-final second leg against Barcelona. Antoine Griezmann, Julian Alvarez, Marcos Llorente, and Giuliano Simeone were absent, and Ademola Lookman only came on for the last 20 minutes.
Sevilla, of course, paid no attention to Atletico’s circumstances and secured a crucial three points. However, this was followed by the loss to Levante and then the heartbreaking defeat against Osasuna. Sevilla led until the 80th minute, only to concede an equalizer and then a 1-2 winner in the ninth minute of injury time. «We are devastated,» said coach Garcia after the final whistle. «They are crying, they are deeply hurt,» he described the players’ state of mind. Left-back Gabriel Suazo struggled for words, saying, «I have a lump in my throat. I would give my life for this club.» Captain Nemanja Gudelj added, «It hurts, it hurts a lot.»
Before the Atletico match, Garcia made a statement that perhaps perfectly encapsulates the club’s current dilemma. «Sevilla is a great club in Spain and in Europe,» he said, expressing understanding for the fans’ frustration. Perhaps it’s time to acknowledge that the present is no longer as grand as the club’s 21st-century past.
Sergio Ramos certainly hopes Sevilla can regain its former glory. The former Real Madrid captain, who began his career at the Andalusian club, returned for a year in 2023-24. In the winter, the 40-year-old, who has been a free agent since January, sought another comeback at Sevilla. However, president del Nido Jr. vetoed the move, stating Ramos could not be both a player and an owner.
The former Spanish international intends to take over Sevilla as the head of an investment group, reportedly offering nearly €400 million to become the owner. Whether Ramos’s takeover will materialize remains uncertain. However, all parties involved surely wish to avoid a restart in the second division under one of the club’s most famous sons.
«This is the toughest challenge I have ever had to face,» coach Garcia recently stated, summarizing Sevilla’s dire situation. «I don’t think I’ve ever worked harder in my life. I will give everything. We are in intensive care, but we can still get out.»
FC Sevilla’s Remaining Fixtures in La Liga
| Matchday | Opponent |
|---|---|
| 34 | Real Sociedad (H) |
| 35 | Espanyol Barcelona (H) |
| 36 | FC Villarreal (A) |
| 37 | Real Madrid (H) |
| 38 | Celta Vigo (A) |