Malaga CF promotion

WATCH LIVE: Malaga CF's open-top bus celebration tour gets under way

The route is exactly the same as the one taken two years ago, following promotion to the Second Division, and includes visits to the Cautivo, the Divina Pastora, the city hall and the Diputación

Players on the open-top bus outside La Rosaleda on Monday evening. (Marilú Báez. Live footage: Canal Málaga)

Málaga

22/06/2026 Actualizado a las 18:40h.

The parade honouring the heroes of Malaga CF's promotion to Primera began shortly before 6pm this Monday evening at La Rosaleda stadium.

The route ... the open-top bus will take is the same as two years ago, when Malaga were promoted to the Segunda División, with a few minor adjustments. The crowds on the city’s streets this Monday are expected to be even larger than those seen in 2024.

The open-top bus carrying the Málaga players set off from La Rosaleda, heading for the church of San Pablo, where the offering to El Cautivo will take place. This is a very emotional moment for some of the players and members of the coaching staff or support staff, who are deeply devoted to this figure of Christ, which is always present in the changing room, in some lockers or even tucked away under their shin guards. The parish priest of this church, José Manuel Llamas, a great supporter of the team, will welcome the players.

The procession is expected to pass by the Diputación building in Plaza de la Marina at 7pm and at 7.45pm, the main event will take place on the balcony of Malaga City Hall, with the players addressing the fans, and some of them acting as spokespeople.

There is a great deal of curiosity about who will be in charge of the introductions or acting as the ‘announcer’, as is usually the case in such situations. There is also keen interest in hearing, once again, from the team’s manager, Juanfran Funes. This will surely be the part of the event that draws the largest crowd of fans.

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The procession will end at the Capuchinos parish church (8.45pm) to pay homage to the Divina Pastora, the patron saint of sport. Every season, the entire squad visits this church and the captains go up to the shrine to lay flowers around the statue.

The timetables are approximate and are usually difficult to stick to. The convoy comprises two open-top buses: the first carrying the main players, and the second carrying other club staff and media representatives.

It should be noted that, although the most conventional course of action would have been for the parade to take place this Sunday, this was not possible due to a lack of police resources to organise all the necessary security measures and traffic diversions, according to the mayor of Malaga, Francisco de la Torre. It was also due to the clash with the World Cup match between Spain and Saudi Arabia, which kicked off at 6pm on Sunday.