Girona’s painful defeat against Real Betis at Montilivi has left them seriously threatened with relegation, as they are just two points above the danger zone (17th place, two points clear of relegation) with a crucial match against Leganés ahead. Girona, which had hoped to shine in their dream Champions League season, has faced numerous challenges and is now embroiled in a dramatic campaign. The only similar case currently is in Germany, where Heidenheim, after participating in the Conference League, is in the relegation zone.

In the 21st century, four teams from Europe’s top leagues have been relegated in the same season they participated in the Champions League. Two cases occurred in Spain (Celta Vigo 2003/04 and Villarreal 2011/12) and two in Italy (Sampdoria 2010/11 and Chievo 2006/07, who eventually played in the Europa League).

If we expand the scope to all European competitions, 23 such cases have been recorded this century, with Spain accounting for the most (seven instances). Reasons such as the difficulty of retaining key players in non-elite teams, squad rebuilding challenges, fatigue from additional matches, and the complexity of managing team dynamics contribute to this phenomenon.

Spain: From peak to trough, Celta Vigo in the 2003/04 season, featuring stars like Savo Milošević and Jesuli, reached the Champions League Round of 16 but were just one point above relegation in La Liga and eventually went down. This also happened to them in the 2006/07 Europa League. Villarreal in 2011/12 failed to earn a single point in the Champions League group stage and were relegated. Other Spanish teams like Alavés, Real Zaragoza, Betis, and Espanyol have also been relegated in seasons they participated in European competitions.

Italy: Sampdoria’s nightmare in the 2010/11 season saw them eliminated in the Champions League qualifiers and later in the Europa League, followed by relegation after losing key players like Antonio Cassano. Chievo also suffered relegation in their only Champions League appearance (2006/07) after early elimination. Fiorentina and Empoli faced similar fates in seasons they played in the Europa League.

England: A rare occurrence in the Premier League, only two teams this century have been relegated after European participation. Hull City in 2014/15 was one, having qualified via the FA Cup but previously flirting with relegation.

Germany and France: Limited cases in Germany include four relegations after Europa League participation, the latest being Köln in 2017/18. France has also seen four cases, though two involved the now-defunct Intertoto Cup, making comparisons difficult.

This shows that European competition participation can be challenging for less-established teams, with poor resource management and competitive pressure potentially leading to relegation. Girona now finds itself in this precarious position and must fight for survival.