April 1927, José María Acha, a director at Arenas Club de Getxo, first proposed the idea of a national league in Spain. After much debate about the size, the Real Federación Española de Fútbol eventually agreed on the ten teams who would form the first Primera División in 1929. Real Madrid, Barcelona, Athletic Bilbao, Real Sociedad, Arenas Club de Getxo and Real Unión were all selected as previous winners of the Copa del Rey. Only three of the founding clubs, Real Madrid, Barcelona and Athletic Bilbao, have never been relegated from the Primera División. The Primera División resumed after the Spanish Civil War, the strongest clubs were Atlético Madrid, Valencia, and Sevilla.

The first Liga title and retained it in 1941. While other clubs lost players to exile, execution, and as casualties of the war, the Atlético team was reinforced by a merger. The pre-war squad of Valencia remained intact and in the post-war years matured into champions, gaining three Liga titles in 1942, 1944, and 1947. Sevilla enjoyed a brief golden era, finishing as runners-up in 1940 and 1942 before winning their only title to date in 1946. Barcelona began to emerge as a force when they were crowned champions in 1945, 1948 and 1949.