sports
Coming up: six promoted teams to look out for in Europe this season
Former European heavyweights, investment projects and teams from tiny towns will liven up the top tiers
TL;DR
- Deportivo, absent from La Liga since 2018, are back after a four-year battle through the tiers, aiming to stabilize with signings like Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang.
- Schalke won the German second-tier title, while Elversberg, from a small town, saw a spectacular rise under coach Horst Steffen.
- Ligue 1 sees investment influx with Paris FC and Strasbourg, while promoted Troyes joins City Football Group, and Le Mans is backed by a Brazilian consortium.
- Amed SK, representing Kurdish identity in Diyarbakir, makes its Turkish Super Lig debut after rising from the lower leagues.
- Wisla Krakow, a decorated Polish club, returns to the top division after four seasons, bolstered by analytics and academy players, and winning the Polish Cup as a second-tier team.
- Vaduz, from Liechtenstein, competes in the Swiss top tier but cannot win the title or claim European spots, while Thun confounded expectations by winning the Swiss title last season.