Zamora CF · History

Zamora Club de Fútbol is the football club of Zamora, in Castile and León, and has played in Primera Federación, the Spanish third tier, since 2024, when it went up through the play-offs. It was founded on 23 October 1968. The team wears red and white vertical stripes, which is where the nickname «rojiblancos» comes from; the club is also known as the «viriatos». Home games are played at the Estadio Ruta de la Plata, which holds 7,813. Zamora has never played in the Spanish second division: it has spent 25 seasons in Segunda B and 24 in Tercera.

Founding

The city lost its leading side when Atlético Zamora, which competed from 1944 to 1964, folded because of financial problems. Four years later a group of supporters led by Germán Díez Costa, who became the first president, met at the Bar Central on Calle Balborraz and then at the Bar Capitol to set up a new club. Zamora CF was formally constituted in October 1968 and registered with the Western Federation, based in Valladolid. The red and white colours were taken from the city’s first team, Athletic Club Zamora.

From regional football to Segunda B

Zamora made its debut in Primera Regional in 1969-70. In 1970-71 it won the Regional Preferente and moved up to Tercera División. It went down in 1974 and came straight back a year later. In 1977-78 it won its first Tercera title, which earned a place in the newly created Segunda División B, where it made its debut in 1978-79. Its best finish in that period was third in 1981-82. Financial trouble then sent the club back to Tercera. It returned to Segunda B in 1983, and after the federation restructuring of 1986 it dropped back into the Castile and León group of Tercera, where it spent eleven straight seasons. It won that league in 1992-93.

Sixteen straight seasons in Segunda B

The club went up to Segunda B in 1997 and was relegated the same season. It went up again in 1999 after winning Tercera in 1998-99, and this time stayed for sixteen consecutive seasons. It reached the promotion play-offs for the second division in 2001, 2003, 2005, 2008 and 2009. Its best finish of that era was second in 2002-03, and in 2005 it was knocked out by Castellón. On 1 September 2002 the club opened the Estadio Ruta de la Plata with a 1-1 draw against CD Ourense. Before that it had played at the Ramiro Ledesma from 1968 to 1987 and at La Vaguada from 1987 to 2002. In the 2005-06 Copa del Rey it reached the round of 16 against FC Barcelona, losing 3-1 in Zamora on 3 January 2006 and 6-0 at the Camp Nou.

Relegation in 2015 and the climb back

On 17 May 2015, on the closing matchday of the league, Zamora was relegated to Tercera. It topped its group in 2015-16 and again in 2018-19, but lost in the promotion play-offs both times. During the 2018-19 season it became a sociedad anónima deportiva, a public limited sports company. In 2019-20 it won Group VIII again and, after the pandemic stoppage, went up in the promotion play-off held in Palencia in 2020. A third-place finish in Segunda B in 2020-21 earned it a spot in the first edition of the Primera RFEF. In 2021-22 it finished 17th and dropped to Segunda Federación.

Primera Federación

In 2022-23 Zamora finished fifth in Segunda Federación and lost in the play-offs to Deportivo Alavés B. The next season it came third and in 2024 won promotion to Primera Federación through the play-offs, with Luis Rivas scoring in the deciding tie. It finished ninth in 2024-25. In 2025-26 it was third in Group 1 and reached the play-offs for promotion to the second division. In the semi-final it lost 2-0 away to Villarreal B, then won the return leg 2-0 with two goals from Carlos Ramos and went through on its higher league position. In the final it beat CE Sabadell 1-0 at the Ruta de la Plata but lost the second leg at the Nova Creu Alta, and it was Sabadell that went up to the second division in June 2026.

Honours

Zamora has six Tercera División titles, from 1977-78, 1992-93, 1998-99, 2015-16, 2018-19 and 2019-20, the last five in Group VIII. Its best Segunda División B finish was second place in 2002-03. Its best Copa del Rey run was to the round of 16 in 2005-06, against FC Barcelona.