Nine clubs have been crowned Campeones de Liga. Since the 1950s, _Real Madrid and FC Barcelona have dominated the competition. The former have been champions 30 times while the latter have won it on 18 occasions. However during the 1930s and 1940s and in more recent seasons, the Primera División has been more competitive. Other winners include Valencia CF, Atletico Madrid, Sevilla FC, Deportivo de La Coruña, Athletic Bilbao, Real Sociedad and Real Betis.

In addition to their success in Primera División, Real Madrid and FC Barcelona are two of the most successful teams in European competition history. In 2005/06 FC Barcelona won the UEFA Champions League and Sevilla FC won the UEFA Cup. The Primera División became the first league to do the European "double" since 1997.

The Primera División is currently first in the UEFA rankings of European leagues based on their performances in European competitions over a five-year period, ahead of the English Premier League in second and the Serie A in third. The 2005–06 average attendance of 29,029 for league matches is the sixth highest of any domestic professional sports league in the world. In professional football (soccer) leagues Primera División was third-highest, behind the Bundesliga in first and the Premier League in second.