History of Real Betis in Timeline

Real Betis Balompié, commonly known as Real Betis, is a professional football club based in Seville, Andalusia, Spain. They compete in La Liga, the highest tier of Spanish football. Their home matches are played at the Estadio de La Cartuja which has a capacity of 70,000.

October 1905: Sevilla FC Founded

In October 1905, Sevilla FC, Betis' city rivals, were founded as the first club in Seville.

September 1907: España Balompié established

In September 1907, España Balompié, a second club in Seville, was established by students from the local Polytechnic Academy.

1909: España Balompié officially recognised

In 1909, España Balompié was officially recognised, one year after its establishment.

1909: Move to Campo del Prado de Santa Justa

In 1909, Real Betis moved to the Campo del Prado de Santa Justa.

1914: Merger with Sevilla Balompié

In 1914, Betis Football Club merged with Sevilla Balompié. The club also received royal patronage in the same year, adopting the name Real Betis Balompié.

1914: Real Betis receives royal patronage

In 1914, Real Betis received patronage from King Alfonso XIII, leading to the addition of 'Real' (Royal) to the club's name.

1914: Team becomes Real Betis Balompié

In 1914, when the team became Real Betis Balompié, various kits were used, including yellow and black stripes, green T-shirts and a reversion to the blue top and white shorts uniform.

1916: First Copa Andalucía

In 1916, the first Copa Andalucía was held, marking the first official derby of the Sevilla area.

November 1918: First Game at Campo del Patronato Obrero

On November 1, 1918, Real Betis played their first game at the Campo del Patronato Obrero against Sevilla, resulting in a 5–1 loss.

1929: Construction of Estadio de la Exposición

In 1929, the Estadio de la Exposición (later known as Estadio Benito Villamarín) was constructed.

June 1931: Betis reaches Copa del Presidente de la República final

On 21 June 1931, Betis reached the Copa del Presidente de la República final for the first time, losing 3–1 to Athletic Bilbao in Madrid.

1932: Betis wins Segunda División title

In 1932, Betis marked their 25th anniversary year by winning their first Segunda División title, finishing two points ahead of Real Oviedo, thus becoming the first club from Andalusia to play in La Liga.

1934: First Top Division Match

In 1934, Real Betis and Sevilla played for the first time in the Spanish top division during the 1934–35 season, resulting in a 0–3 home defeat for Sevilla and a 2–2 draw at Betis. Betis ended up winning the national championship that season.

April 1935: Real Betis wins La Liga

On 28 April 1935, under coach Patrick O'Connell, Betis won La Liga, their only top division title to date, finishing one point ahead of Madrid FC.

1935: Real Betis wins La Liga

In 1935, Real Betis won the La Liga title, marking their first and only top division title to date.

1936: Decline after winning La Liga

In 1936, Betis went down to seventh place after winning the league the previous year. This decline was due to the dismantling of the championship-winning team because of the club's poor economic situation and the arrival of the Civil War.

1936: Official move to Estadio de la Exposición

In 1936, Real Betis officially moved into the Estadio de la Exposición, now known as Estadio Benito Villamarín, after playing a number of games at the stadium since its construction.

1939: Return to full name after Spanish Civil War

In 1939, after the Spanish Civil War, the club reverted to its full name, Real Betis Balompié.

1939: Betis relegated after Civil War resumption

In 1939, after the resumption of the league following the Civil War, Betis was relegated, five years after winning the title, highlighting the club's decline.

January 1943: Betis lost 5-0 to Sevilla

On January 1943, Betis suffered a 5–0 defeat against Sevilla, which contributed to their eventual relegation.

1947: Relegation to Tercera División

In 1947, Real Betis reached an all-time low when the club were relegated to Tercera División.

1954: Return to the second level

In 1954, the side returned to the second level, gaining the distinction of being the only club in Spain to have won all three major divisions' titles.

1955: Manuel Ruiz Rodríguez stepped down as Chairman

In 1955, Manuel Ruiz Rodríguez stepped down from running the club believing he could not offer further economic growth, he was replaced by Betis most famous former president, Benito Villamarín.

September 1958: Betis wins at Ramón Sánchez Pizjuán Stadium

On September 21, 1958, in the first game held at the Ramón Sánchez Pizjuán Stadium, Real Betis won against Sevilla with a score of 4–2.

1958: Betis returns to the top division

In 1958, during Benito Villamarín's reign as president, Betis returned to the top division in the 1958–59 season.

1961: Purchase of Estadio Heliópolis

In 1961, Benito Villamarín purchased the Estadio Heliópolis, which is seen as a key point in the history of the club.

1964: Betis finishes in third place

In 1964, during Benito Villamarín's reign as president, Betis finished in third place.

1965: Villamarín stepped down from his position

In 1965, Villamarín stepped down from his position after ten years at the helm of the club.

1974: Consolidating place in the top level

In 1974, Betis consolidated their place in the top level in the 1974–75 season.

June 1977: Real Betis wins its first Copa del Rey title

On 25 June 1977, Real Betis won its first ever Copa del Rey title, defeating Athletic Bilbao 8-7 on penalties after a 2-2 draw. The season ended with the club finishing fifth in the league.

1977: Real Betis wins the Copa del Rey

In 1977, Real Betis won the Copa del Rey.

1982: Benito Villamarín hosts FIFA World Cup matches

During the summer of 1982, the Benito Villamarín hosted two matches as part of the 1982 FIFA World Cup.

1982: UEFA Cup qualification

In 1982, Betis achieved UEFA Cup qualification.

1984: UEFA Cup qualification

In 1984, Betis achieved UEFA Cup qualification.

1984: Spain qualifies for UEFA Euro

In 1984, the Benito Villamarín witnessed the Spain national team's 12–1 victory over Malta to qualify for UEFA Euro 1984.

1992: New league rules and regulations

In 1992, Betis faced new league rules due to restructuring as an autonomous sporting group (SAD), needing 1,200 million pesetas.

September 1994: Real Betis played its 1,000th game in La Liga

On 11 September 1994, Real Betis played its 1,000th game in La Liga.

1994: Return to top flight and UEFA Cup qualification

After three seasons in the second division, in 1994 Betis returned to the top flight for the 1994–95 season, subsequently achieving a final third position, thus qualifying to the UEFA Cup.

1997: Copa del Rey final loss

In 1997, 20 years after winning the trophy for the first time, Betis returned to the final of the Copa del Rey, losing 2–3 against Barcelona after extra time.

2000: Relegation from La Liga

In the 1999–2000 season, Real Betis were relegated from La Liga.

2002: Third round of the UEFA Cup

In 2002, under Víctor Fernández, Betis reached the third round of the 2002–03 UEFA Cup, being knocked out by Auxerre (1–2 on aggregate).

2004: Serra Ferrer returns as manager

In 2004, Serra Ferrer returned as manager and guided the team to the fourth position in the top flight.

June 2005: Copa del Rey win against Osasuna

On 11 June 2005, Betis returned to the Vicente Calderón for the Copa del Rey final, lifting the trophy for only the second time after an extra-time winner by youth graduate Dani in a 2–1 win against Osasuna.

2005: Real Betis wins the Copa del Rey

In 2005, Real Betis won the Copa del Rey.

2005: First European qualification since 2005-06 Champions League

In the 2012–13 season, Betis finished seventh in La Liga and qualified for the 2013–14 UEFA Europa League, the first European qualification for the club since the 2005–06 Champions League.

2005: Copa del Rey win

On 23 April 2022 Betis won the Copa del Rey final, which was their first trophy after 17 years, since they won their second Copa del Rey on 2005 against Osasuna (2–1).

2006: Luis Fernandez replaces Serra Ferrer

In the summer of 2006, Serra Ferrer was replaced by Luis Fernandez for the 2006–07 season.

2007: Centenary year celebrations

Betis celebrated their centenary year in 2007. The festivities included a special match against Milan, the reigning European Champions, on August 9, with the hosts winning 1–0 thanks to a Mark González penalty. Seven days later, the club won the Ramón de Carranza Trophy held in neighbouring Cádiz, beating Real Zaragoza on penalties in the final, having defeated Real Madrid in the semi-finals.

2007: Copa del Rey match suspended due to violence

In 2007, a Copa del Rey match was suspended after Sevilla manager Juande Ramos was struck by a bottle of water. The match was later played out three weeks later in Getafe with no spectators.

2007: Disappointing centenary year seasons

The two seasons that encompassed the centenary year (2006–07 and 2007–08) were disappointing, with the club having four different managers and barely avoiding relegation in both seasons.

2008: Real Betis was relegated to the second division

Betis' 2008–09 season culminated with a 1–1 draw against Real Valladolid at home. As a result, the club finished 18th in the table and consequently was relegated to the second division on goal difference.

February 2009: Betis wins at Pizjuán but is relegated

On February 2009, Betis won 2–1 at the Pizjuán but was eventually relegated from the top flight, while Sevilla finished in third position.

June 2009: Protest march in Sevilla

On 15 June 2009, over 65,000 Beticos joined the protest march in Sevilla to urge majority owner Ruiz de Lopera to sell his shares of the club.

2009: Miki Roqué plays for Real Betis

In 2009, Miki Roqué played for Real Betis.

July 2010: Lopera sells shares to Bitton Sport

On 7 July 2010, Ruiz de Lopera sold 94% of his shares (51% of Betis total shares) to Bitton Sport, fronted by Luis Oliver, for €16 million.

October 2010: Stadium Renamed

On October 27, 2010, the stadium returned to its first denomination after a decision by the club's associates.

2011: Strong start to the season

In 2011, under Pepe Mel, Betis started the 2011–12 season with four wins in as many games, with Rubén Castro retaining his goal scoring form from the previous season.

2012: Betis finished seventh in La Liga

In the 2012–13 season, Betis finished seventh in La Liga and qualified for the 2013–14 UEFA Europa League, the first European qualification for the club since the 2005–06 Champions League.

2013: Real Betis relegated from La Liga

During the 2013-14 season, Real Betis were relegated from La Liga

2013: European campaign ended in the quarter-finals

In the 2013–14 season, Betis' European campaign ended in the quarter-finals after losing on penalties to local rivals Sevilla. The team was relegated from La Liga with three games still to play, but returned immediately as champions with two games to spare.

February 2017: Celtic-inspired hoops against Málaga CF

On February 28, 2017, on the 37th Andalusia Day, Real Betis wore Celtic-inspired hoops against Málaga CF.

2017: Special hooped kit produced to coincide with Andalusia Day

In 2017, the club officially acknowledged the link with Celtic by producing a special hooped kit to coincide with Andalusia Day.

2017: Finished sixth in La Liga and earned a spot in the Europa League

In the 2017–18 season, under Quique Setién, Betis finished sixth in La Liga and earned a spot in the Europa League.

2018: Reached the Copa del Rey semi-finals

The 2018–19 campaign was very positive; the club reached the Copa del Rey semi-finals and topped their group in the Europa League, before eventually being knocked out by Stade Rennais in the round of 32.

November 2019: 10,000 Betis fans visit team training

On November 2019, more than 10,000 Betis fans visited the team training before the last derby in 2019.

2019: Finished 15th

Pellegrini guided Betis to a sixth-place finish and a Europa League spot, an improvement since the previous season (2019–20) which saw Betis finish 15th.

July 2020: Manuel Pellegrini appointed as Betis manager

On 9 July 2020, Manuel Pellegrini was appointed as Betis manager ahead of the 2020–21 season.

2021: Qualified for the UEFA Europa League

April 2022: Betis wins Copa del Rey final against Valencia

On 23 April 2022, Betis won the Copa del Rey final against Valencia after drawing 1–1 after 120 minutes and winning 5–4 on penalties. It was the first trophy after 17 years, since they won their second Copa del Rey on 2005 against Osasuna (2–1).

2022: Real Betis wins the Copa del Rey

In 2022, Real Betis won the Copa del Rey.

2022: Fifth in the league

2023: Sixth in the league

The club displayed consistency under Pellegrini's management by qualifying for the UEFA Europa League for three consecutive seasons, finishing fifth and sixth in the 2021-22 and 2022-23 seasons, respectively. The club qualified for the Conference League after a seventh-place finish in 2023-24 season and reached the club's first ever European final the following season. However, they lost to Chelsea 1-4.

2025: Move to Estadio de La Cartuja

Due to a major renovation on Estadio Benito Villamarín, Real Betis will play their home matches at Estadio de La Cartuja from the 2025-26 season until 2028.

2028: Return to Estadio Benito Villamarín