Every pre-season there are clubs whose promotions the mainstream coverage barely notices, tucked beneath the transfer window noise and the usual suspects. This summer, though, a handful of newly promoted sides across Europe deserve a proper look — because their stories range from the romantic to the remarkable, and a couple of them carry genuine historical weight.

Deportivo La Coruña: giants reawakened

The one that will catch the eye of anyone who remembers early-2000s European football is Deportivo La Coruña. This was a club that sat at the top table of Spanish football for a sustained spell — nine top-three finishes in La Liga between 1993 and 2004, and a title in 1999. In the 2003-04 Champions League semi-finals, they were just one José Mourinho-inspired Porto side away from a potential European final. Then, as so often happens, the established order reasserted itself. The slide was long and brutal, eventually depositing Dépor in the regional third tier by 2020.

What followed was a four-year slog back to respectability, and last season they did not merely consolidate in the second tier — they leapt from 15th place to earn automatic promotion. They return to La Liga without the firepower of Juan Carlos Valerón or Diego Tristan, but they are showing genuine intent, signing Mallorca goalkeeper Leo Román and the experienced striker Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang. They are not alone among long-term absentees: Segunda champions Racing Santander are back in the top flight after 15 years, while Málaga — who also fell away in 2018 and briefly touched the third tier — make their own return.

Elversberg: the small-town story refusing to end

German football has a habit of producing these tales, and Elversberg are among the most compelling in recent memory. A club from a Saarland town so small its entire population would fit inside Schalke's Veltins Arena with room to spare, they have risen from the regional leagues as recently as 2021-22 to earn Bundesliga promotion last season as runners-up. The architect of that rise, coach Horst Steffen, was poached by Werder Bremen and lasted only nine months there, while Elversberg carried on under Vincent Wagner — plucked from Hoffenheim's reserve setup — and finished the job. The stadium is being expanded during the season itself to meet the 15,000-capacity threshold required for the top flight. Their first two home visitors? Bayer Leverkusen and Bayern Munich. No gentle introduction, then.

Le Mans: stardust in the Sarthe

Le Mans are perhaps the most intriguing investment story of the summer. Based in the city synonymous with endurance motorsport — their ground sits inside the famous Circuit de la Sarthe — the club had a brief Ligue 1 spell in the 2010s before sliding into financial difficulty. Last August they were taken over by OutField, a Brazilian consortium that has attracted Novak Djokovic, Thibaut Courtois and Formula One drivers Felipe Massa and Kevin Magnussen as part of the project. Their approach, refreshingly, seems grounded: reopening the academy, investing in youth rather than making splashy signings. Ligue 1 has plenty of money-driven projects; whether a measured, youth-first model can survive the top flight will be one of the more interesting experiments of the season.

Amedspor: football's most significant promotion

In terms of cultural and political significance, no promotion in world football this summer comes close to Amedspor's. The club from Diyarbakir — a Kurdish-majority city in south-eastern Turkey, geographically far closer to Iraq and Syria than Istanbul — will make their Turkish Super Lig debut this season. Since embracing their Kurdish identity by adding Amed to their name in 2014, the club have become a focal point for a community who have faced hostility at grounds across the country. Fans were subjected to abuse and physical attacks, and the Turkish FA's response was to ban Amedspor supporters from away fixtures until 2020. The journey from the regional leagues to the top flight has been extraordinary, and the reception they receive — from opponents, officials and the wider football community — will say something meaningful about Turkish football.

A season worth watching beyond the usual suspects

The Champions League and Premier League title race will dominate the column inches between now and May, as they always do. But keep an eye on Galicia, Saarland, the Sarthe and south-eastern Turkey. Promoted clubs at their best remind you why football captures something no other sport quite manages — the sense that any club, from anywhere, can find its way back into the light.

Frequently asked

When did Deportivo La Coruña last play in La Liga?
Deportivo La Coruña were last in La Liga in 2018. They subsequently dropped as far as the regional third tier in 2020 before working their way back up and earning automatic promotion last season.
How big is Elversberg as a club?
Elversberg come from a small town in the Saarland region of Germany whose entire population would fit inside rivals Schalke's Veltins Arena. They rose from regional football in 2021-22 to reach the Bundesliga within just a few seasons.
Who owns Le Mans FC?
Le Mans were taken over in August 2025 by OutField, a Brazilian consortium. The ownership group has attracted high-profile backers including tennis player Novak Djokovic, goalkeeper Thibaut Courtois and Formula One drivers Felipe Massa and Kevin Magnussen.