The 1939–40 La Liga was the ninth season since its establishment and the first one after the Spanish Civil War, which forced the suspension of the competition for three years. The season started on December 3, 1939, and finished on April 28, 1940.
Despite being relegated in the previous season, Atlético Aviación won its first title ever.
Format changes
For this season, the team qualified in the 10th position would face the second qualified team from Segunda División in a single-game play-off at a neutral venue. The winner would play the next season of La Liga.
Team locations
Due to the several damages in Estadio Buenavista after the Spanish Civil War, Oviedo did not play this season. However, the Spanish Football Federation assured them a berth in the 1940–41 La Liga.
Athletic Madrid changed its name to Athletic Aviación, after its merge with Aviación Nacional. Despite being relegated to Segunda División, it remained in the league by winning a play-off match against Osasuna for occupying the vacant berth after the resignation of Oviedo. Due to the damages at Estadio Metropolitano de Madrid, they played their games during this season at Estadio Chamartín, and one game at Vallecas.
Celta and Zaragoza made their debut in La Liga.
League table
| Pos | Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Qualification or relegation |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Atlético Aviación (C) | 22 | 14 | 1 | 7 | 43 | 29 | +14 | 29 | |
| 2 | Sevilla | 22 | 11 | 6 | 5 | 60 | 44 | +16 | 28 | |
| 3 | Athletic Bilbao | 22 | 11 | 4 | 7 | 57 | 44 | +13 | 26 | |
| 4 | Madrid FC | 22 | 12 | 1 | 9 | 47 | 35 | +12 | 25 | |
| 5 | Español | 22 | 11 | 2 | 9 | 43 | 43 | 0 | 24 | |
| 6 | Hércules | 22 | 9 | 5 | 8 | 41 | 34 | +7 | 23 | |
| 7 | Zaragoza | 22 | 7 | 7 | 8 | 30 | 40 | −10 | 21[a] | |
| 8 | Valencia | 22 | 9 | 3 | 10 | 40 | 36 | +4 | 21[a] | |
| 9 | Barcelona | 22 | 8 | 3 | 11 | 32 | 38 | −6 | 19[b] | |
| 10 | Celta (O) | 22 | 9 | 1 | 12 | 45 | 50 | −5 | 19[b] | Qualification for the relegation play-offs |
| 11 | Betis (R) | 22 | 6 | 4 | 12 | 26 | 51 | −25 | 16 | Relegation to the Segunda División |
| 12 | Racing Santander (R) | 22 | 6 | 1 | 15 | 37 | 57 | −20 | 13 |
Rules for classification: 1) points; 2) head-to-head points; 3) head-to-head goal difference; 4) goal difference; 5) number of goals scored.
(C) Champions; (O) Play-off winners; (R) Relegated
Notes:
Results
Relegation play-off
The play-off match was played at Estadio Chamartín in Chamartín de la Rosa.
| Team 1 | Score | Team 2 |
|---|---|---|
| Celta | 1–0 | Deportivo La Coruña |
Top scorers
| Rank | Goalscorers | Team | Goals |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 |  Victorio Unamuno
|
Athletic Bilbao | 20 |
| 2 | Raimundo Blanco
|
Sevilla | 18 |
| 3 | Vilanova
|
Hércules | 17 |
| 4 | Campanal I
|
Sevilla | 16 |
| 5 | Guillermo Gorostiza
|
Athletic Bilbao | 14 |
| Agustín
|
Celta | ||
| Antonio Chas
|
Racing Santander | ||
| Mundo
|
Valencia | ||
| 9 | Manuel Alday
|
Madrid FC | 13 |
| 10 | Simón Lecue
|
Madrid FC | 12 |
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