Rayo Vallecano returning home after stadium ban lifted

Article posted by Coliseum, September 17^th, 2026

Image: Estadio de Vallecas, 4theliberty, CC0

Spanish LaLiga club Rayo Vallecano will be allowed to play matches at its Vallecas Stadium again after the Madrid Regional Government lifted a ban on the venue’s use.

El Pais said that the regional government is restoring the stadium concession for the time being, though it will continue to push for its termination.

The team will return to its home ground to face Athletico on October 10.

The suspension had been imposed due to the stadium’s poor condition prior to the start of the LaLiga season.

Since then, Rayo has been forced to play two of its matches at the Butarque Stadium in Leganés, and other venues—such as El Plantío in Burgos—had even been considered.

The match against Espanyol will once again be played in “exile” at the Leganés club’s ground, with the return to Vallecas scheduled for October 10 against Athletico.

The 14,708-seat Vallecas Stadium is a football stadium in the Madrid district of Puente de Vallecas, Spain. Up until 2026, it has hosted the football matches as the home of the LaLiga team Rayo Vallecano.

Rayo Vallecano is a Spanish professional football club based in the Puente de Vallecas district of Madrid (Spain). The club competes in LaLiga, the top flight of Spanish football.

Vallecas Stadium in disrepair

On July 28, Mariano de Paco, the Madrid regional government’s Minister of Culture, Tourism, and Sport, announced the precautionary suspension of the Vallecas Stadium concession.

This decision followed an audit that identified several serious issues, concluding that there was a state of “widespread obsolescence” and “severe regulatory non-compliance” that compromised the stadium’s safety and operational viability.

Since then, a tug-of-war has ensued between the club’s board and the regional government over who was to blame for the team’s inability to play its home matches.

First, the club denied entry to the Community of Madrid workers who were set to begin stadium renovation work; the regional government responded by filing a complaint with the National Police.

That same afternoon—after the stadium gates had been blocked and the workers had left the area—the club took action behind closed doors. Several people began collecting trash in large bags from between the seats and sweeping the stands’ stairways.

Rayo stepped up efforts to clean the stadium and repair the defects identified in the audit so they could return to Vallecas as soon as possible.

The Vallecas-based club then submitted an audit certifying the stadium’s safety and sanitary conditions.

It said in a statement, “The club simply asks—indeed, implores—the Regional Minister to demonstrate personal, professional, and political honesty by keeping his word (and following his own judgment) and immediately lifting the precautionary measure preventing Rayo Vallecano from playing matches at its home ground, the Vallecas Stadium.”

The Community of Madrid said in response, “The new audit concludes that the inspected facilities are operational and in suitable condition for normal use, thanks to significant material and documentary improvements compared to the situation described in the initial audit.”

However, it emphasized that the process to revoke Rayo’s concession remains in effect “due to a serious breach of obligations.”

“The Community of Madrid reiterates the need to carry out a comprehensive renovation project for the Vallecas Stadium, ensuring a refurbished ground in the medium term where the Rayo team can play,” it concluded.

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