The Guardian previews six clubs newly promoted to Europe's top domestic leagues this season, highlighting contrasting paths to the top flight. They range from former European heavyweights returning after long absences to small-town clubs and investment-backed projects making unlikely climbs up the football pyramid.

Deportivo La Coruña, once part of Spanish football's "big four" and champions in 1999, are back in La Liga after seven years away, having recovered from dropping into the regional third tier in 2020, and have signed Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang. Elversberg, from a small town in Saarland, reached the Bundesliga after rising from regional leagues in 2021-22 and must expand their stadium to meet the 15,000-capacity requirement. Le Mans, backed by Brazilian consortium OutField since last August, return to Ligue 1 with a youth-focused strategy, while Amedspor, from the Kurdish-majority city of Diyarbakir, make their first-ever appearance in Turkey's Süper Lig.