Málaga

Málaga CF plays at La Rosaleda Stadium (Estadio La Rosaleda), located in the El Perchel area of Málaga, a major port city on the Costa del Sol in Andalusia, southern Spain. With a capacity of 30,044 spectators, La Rosaleda has been Málaga's home since 1941 and takes its name from a rose garden that existed near the site when the stadium was originally constructed. The ground has been substantially modernised over the decades, with new stands replacing older structures, and benefits from an enclosed, compact design that creates good atmosphere for major matches. Málaga is internationally known as a tourist destination and the gateway city of the Costa del Sol.

La Rosaleda hosted Málaga CF's extraordinary Champions League campaign of 2012–13, when the club — under manager Manuel Pellegrini and backed by significant Qatari investment from Sheikh Abdullah Al-Thani — reached the quarter-finals of the UEFA Champions League, defeating Porto and AC Milan before a controversial defeat to Borussia Dortmund in the last eight. That season the stadium hosted Champions League group stage matches against AC Milan, Zenit St. Petersburg, and Anderlecht, generating an extraordinary atmosphere in a city more accustomed to beach tourism than top-level European football. The campaign remains the most celebrated in Málaga's football history.

Following the withdrawal of the Qatari investment and subsequent financial difficulties, Málaga endured multiple relegations and administrative chaos that dropped them from Champions League participants to La Liga 2. The rebuilding process has been difficult, but Málaga's return to La Liga 2 has provided the club with a platform to work back towards La Liga, where the city's significant population and tourist appeal would guarantee reasonable commercial returns. La Rosaleda remains a quality venue for Spanish second-tier football, and the memories of Champions League nights in Andalusia continue to inspire the club's ambitions to recapture something approaching that level.