Third Spanish League: The Start of the New Season and the Ambitions of the Western Province Teams

The Third Division is back in action! The Western Province will be represented by seven teams: CD Atlético Paso, CD Mensajero, CD San Miguel, CD Marino, Real Unión, Tenerife C, and Tenisca. The same number as last season. The league kicked off yesterday with a match between Telde and Arucas.

The format of the Third Division remains unchanged. There will again be 18 clubs, with the champion automatically qualifying for the Second RFEF. The teams finishing second through fifth will compete for the second spot in this league. They will play a playoff, and the winner will face a team from the peninsula in a decisive match. The bottom four teams will be relegated.

Last season, Las Palmas Atlético was promoted to the Second RFEF, and Tenerife B has been established there for two seasons. It's hard to say who will be the main favorite in the Third Division this time. Looking at the statistics, the western teams have a slight advantage: four teams from Tenerife (Real Unión, San Miguel, Tenerife B, and Marino) and three from Palma (Mensajero, Tenisca, and Atlético Paso). The east is represented by 11 teams, including strong rivals such as San Fernando and Tamaraceite, who last time played in the playoff final for promotion to the Second Federation, the always competitive San Mateo, Arucas from Aythami Artiles, and Unión Sur Yaiza, who were relegated last season and are eager to return. Speaking of the western teams, the favorites are considered to be the teams from La Palma: Mensajero, who were the best western club last season after Ibarra, and Atlético Paso, who were recently relegated. Both teams have ambitions to fight for high places.

Today, the team from Palma debuts in a match against Tamaraceite. This team has several familiar faces from Tenerife: Matías Pezzolesi and Roberto Gutiérrez. The technical secretary is Jony Vega. The club has undergone a major overhaul: they have signed 21 new players, and they will be coached by Maxi Barrera.

Mensajero also wants to make a statement. Cristian Pérez Borbo has replaced Fabián Rivero as coach and will try to reach the top of the Third Division. The team has also been revamped, signing 10 new players. Worth noting are the return of Omar Fleitas, the arrival of Ayoze Placeres, and the contract renewals of Vianney, Celihueta, and former "white and blue" player Óscar González.

We won't talk about the squad yet, but it's worth mentioning Sociedad Deportiva Tenisca, a historic club that has returned to the Third Division after three seasons. They scored over 100 points in Preferente and finished 23 points ahead of second place. This already suggests that the team will be competitive. In addition, they have renewed the contract of top scorer Jorge Gómez (23 goals last season), Agoney El Pirata González, who has already become a symbol of the club, Alejandro Truyol in defense, and Kylian in goal. The team relies on most of the players who crushed everyone last season. Ceire Vargas will also continue to coach the team and wants to continue making history in the Mirca district after returning to the Third Division.

Today, the team from Palma debuts against Real Unión, one of the teams that has attracted the most attention before the start of the championship. After the absorption of Santa Úrsula and its revival, the organization led by Carlos Saturnino García returns Santa Cruz to having a representative in the fifth tier of Spanish football after three decades. Miguel Delgado has assembled a team with over 15 new players, many of whom were key figures in that Heliodoro Cup final in which Santa Úrsula competed at the Rodríguez López. The team's goal is to maintain its place in the league.

Tenerife C debuts in the Third Division. Last season, the team was promoted under the guidance of Cristo Marrero, who decided not to renew his contract. Now, the coach will be Raiko García, who comes from Juvenil Provincial blanquiazul and has experience in this league after working at Atlético Tacoronte. The second team of Tenerife is betting on maintaining the core of the team that won promotion. The squad mainly consists of talents from the island. Player development is the main priority. Fran Sabina and Gabri de Vuyst have already moved from the C team to the first team.

Marino has a lot of experience and compensates for the inexperience of Tenerife C. It is the most stable team in the western bloc, having played in the Third Division for the longest time – five seasons. They have always been in the middle of the table, although last season they were in the playoff zone for most of the time but then lost form. To correct this and fight for high places again, the team from the south, now under the guidance of Cristian Castelo, is betting on 10 new players. The latest champion of the Heliodoro Cup will feature former "white and blue" players Moha Ramos, Fede Olivera, Samu Arbelo, Jarni, and Lie.

Arcángel San Miguel probably has the least chance of success. The team was relegated due to the relegations of Yaiza and Atlético Paso, as well as the failure of San Fernando to get promoted. They returned to the league thanks to the vacancy left by UD Ibarra. However, they will find it difficult to compete in this 25/26 season due to structural problems. They entered the market late and have a squad designed for Preferente. Sanmi, however, has retained most of the players with whom they achieved promotion in the 23/24 season: Dani Sánchez remains the coach, and players such as Giovanni Rodríguez, Ale Cruz, and Brian Torres, who previously played for the "white and blues," remain in the team. They have been joined by Yeray González.