Exactly two months and one day ago, thousands of Rayo Vallecano fans packed Vallecas Stadium to witness the historic Rayo Vallecano vs. Crystal Palace Conference League final. Eight weeks later, the Community of Madrid announced that the Vallecas-based team would have to vacate its stadium immediately. The reason? To carry out urgent construction work.
This was reported on Tuesday by online outlets such as elDiario.es following a press conference by Mariano de Paco, the Community of Madrid’s Minister of Culture, Tourism, and Sports, in which he announced the Community of Madrid’s decision to provisionally suspend the administrative concession of the Vallecas Stadium to Rayo Vallecano.
This emergency measure was adopted to “ensure public safety” after receiving the results of the audit conducted prior to the comprehensive renovation planned for the Vallecas stadium, which will involve, among other changes, an increase in its seating capacity: “We conducted an audit of the stadium that yielded rather disheartening results regarding its maintenance.”
In the councilor’s words, as reported by the aforementioned outlet, “What has happened is intolerable,” and for that reason, the Community of Madrid is terminating the concession contract to urgently begin the construction work. Although it is not known exactly how long the work will take, de Paco speaks of “months,” which could be “two or six.”
What will happen to the first La Liga matches?
Although the regional government has expressed its intention to carry out the work as quickly as possible without affecting the La Liga schedule, this situation leaves Rayo Vallecano without a stadium in which to play less than a month before its first home game and other upcoming matches during the new season—in which, by the way, Beñat San José will make his debut as head coach following the departure of Íñigo Pérez–.
This is because, as in so many other respects, Rayo is a rare exception when it comes to its stadium within Madrid’s soccer ecosystem: it is the only team in the First Division that does not have its own stadium, but instead plays at a publicly owned facility.
“The Federation and LaLiga are aware of this. They are working on it,” De Paco noted. The news comes just a few days after the club announced its 2026–2027 season ticket campaign.
Construction and Renovation of Rayo Vallecano’s Stadium
The audit referred to by de Paco highlights poor maintenance conditions in areas such as hygiene, sanitation, and health and safety, so the work will focus on rectifying these deficiencies starting this Wednesday. Once
Even before this audit, the stadium’s condition had already been highlighted, as in an inspection published by El Confidencial in 2024 or through complaints from fans and players themselves.
The preliminary audit that led to this work is the first step toward the comprehensive renovation planned for the Vallecas stadium facilities, which would allow for an increase in capacity by thousands of spectators, the construction of a new grandstand, and the adaptation of the field’s dimensions to the standards set by LaLiga for the First Division and international competitions.