Real Betis Balompié

Real Betis Balompié, based at the Estadio Benito Villamarín in Seville with a capacity of 60,720, won the Copa del Rey in 2022 and have been a consistent Europa League presence since 2021.

Seville is the only Spanish city with two clubs in La Liga’s permanent upper tier, and the local derby between Betis and Sevilla FC, the Gran Derbi, is one of the most intensely felt rivalries in Spanish football. It is also an anomaly: two clubs from the same city who both regularly qualify for Europe. Betis plays in green and white, Sevilla in white; the rivalry is not about colours but about which half of the city you belong to. Betis supporters have a saying, manque pierda (even if we lose), which captures the relationship between the fanbase and the club’s historical inconsistency.

Manuel Pellegrini took over in 2020 and transformed Betis from a relegation candidate into a Europa League regular. The Copa del Rey win against Valencia on penalties in April 2022 was the club’s first trophy since 2005 and triggered celebrations across Seville that lasted through the night. Sergio Canales and Nabil Fekir, when both were fit and in form, provided one of La Liga’s most creative midfield pairings. Isco’s arrival in 2022 added a different layer of technical quality.

Lo Celso’s midfield distribution and Ayoze Pérez’s goal-scoring record have sustained Betis’s upper-mid-table position. The challenge for Pellegrini is maintaining European football while competing against clubs with significantly larger wage structures.

When does Real Betis play? Matches at the Benito Villamarín typically kick off at 14:00, 16:15, or 21:00 CET (UTC+1). Seville sits in Andalusia in southern Spain, same timezone as Madrid. The 21:00 CET kickoff is a popular Saturday night slot: 20:00 GMT in London, 15:00 ET in New York. Check Seville time for up-to-date conversions. See the La Liga schedule for all upcoming fixtures.