Founded after the merger of two clubs, named Racing and Sport, Badajoz became a serious member of the Spanish League in 1931, when Francisco Fernandes Marquesta donated the team their first ground, named El Vivero. Subsequently playing most of their history between the third and second divisions, the club achieved a consistent stay in the latter level during the 1990s.
Never quite good enough to reach La Liga, 11 seasons in the second division came to an end in 2003, with relegation to Segunda División B, the new third level created in 1977. In 2006, Badajoz was saved from folding by the president of a junior club from the city, AD Cerro de Reyes, who replaced them in the third level, with Badajoz falling to the fourth.
On 1 July 2012 Badajoz was relegated to division four, due to a €70,000 debt contracted with its players during the 2011–12 season.[1] being later disbanded through a liquidation process.[2]
After the dissolution, the club was refounded by the supporters with the name of Club Deportivo Badajoz 1905. This re-foundation achieved two consecutive promotions, immediately to Tercera División and, at its third attempt, the club finally came back to Segunda División B on 25 June 2017 by beating CD Calahorra in the last round of the promotion play-offs.[3] In 2019–20, the team dispatched SD Amorebieta, UD Las Palmas and La Liga club SD Eibar to make the last 16 of the Copa del Rey for only the second time, before losing 3–2 to Granada CF after extra time.[4]
In 2020–21, the final season of Segunda B, Badajoz topped both of their groups to qualify for the new Primera División RFEF, but lost by one goal to Amorebieta for a place in the second tier in the play-off final.[5]
Stadium
CD Badajoz plays at Estadio Nuevo Vivero, which had a capacity of 15,200, expandable to 30,000. The club previously played at Estadio El Vivero in the east of the city, before moving a few kilometres south of the Guadiana in 1998 to the new facilities; the first match at the new grounds took place on 2 December 1998, in a friendly goalless match with neighbours CF Extremadura.
^El CD Badajoz, condenado a Tercera (CD Badajoz, doomed to Tercera) Hoy, 1 July 2012 (in Spanish)
^La liquidación del CD Badajoz llega a su fin con la búsqueda de responsabilidades (CD Badajoz liquidation reaches its end with search for responsible parties); Hoy, 20 December 2012 (in Spanish)
^"El Badajoz logra el ascenso y vuelve a Segunda B cinco años después" [Badajoz achieve promotion and return to Segunda B after five years]. ABC (in Spanish). Madrid. 26 June 2017. Retrieved 23 January 2022.
^"El Granada sufre en Badajoz y pasa de ronda a cuartos en la prórroga" [Granada suffer in Badajoz and advance to the quarter-finals after extra time]. ABC (in Spanish). Madrid. 29 January 2020. Retrieved 23 January 2022.
^Ortiz de Lazcano, Javier (22 May 2021). "El Amorebieta hace historia y sube a Segunda División". El Correo (in Spanish). Retrieved 23 January 2022.