CE Mercadal 2025/26 Tercera Division: Squad, fixtures & league table

CE Mercadal are back as Menorca’s sole representative in Tercera Division for the 2025/26 and they are once again under veteran coach Lluis Vidal.

After being joined by Migjorn and Alaior in the Balearics group over the past two seasons, Mercadal find themselves once again flying the flag for Menorca in national competition.

As always, survival will be the main aim, though an encouraging start to the season may have them looking up for a change.

Mercadal have now spent 16 of the last 18 seasons in Tercera, finishing as high in 4th back in 2014/15 which got them a shot at the play-offs to the then Segunda Division B (now Segunda Federacion).

Relegation in 2018/19 saw them return to Regional Preferente Menorca, where they were champions for two seasons, including one invincible campaign. Since their return to Tercera, they have finished 13th, 9th, 10th and 12th.

New faces in the squad

Their summer signings included winger Javi Ortiz, who was top scorer for Menorca champions Sporting Mahon last season, and Koke Rodriguez, who tasted Tercera with Migjorn last year.

Another signing with Tercera experience is Marc Mercadal, who joins after three seasons with Alaior, alongside his team-mate Angel Lopez and Angel Martinez from CD Menorca.

Striker Elliot Galan returned to Mercadal in the summer too, after spending a season in the regional league with CF Norteno. He previously spent eight seasons at Mercadal, scoring 55 goals in more than 200 appearances, before initially departing for CE Alaior in 2023.

An eye-catching recruit in the summer was strong defender Ayouba Kone, who joined from Villarreal. Hailing from Mali, he joins compatriot Karim Sidibe in the squad. Kone had trials with Valencia Mestalla and CE Sabadell in the summer.

Another interesting signing was that of winger Roger de la Villa, who has spent the last two years playing in Gerard Pique’s Kings League. Midfielder Simon Vidal also returned following a spell at Atlético Mancha Real.

The return of Lluis Vidal as manager

Leading Mercadal once again is Mahon-born coach Lluis Vidal, who returns to the club after a year’s sabbatical for his third stint in charge. He was brought back to replace Miquel Capo, perhaps surprisingly dismissed following the end of last season.

Vidal was coach of Mercadal from September 2013 to June 2017, leading them to their best ever finishes in Tercera Division, including the 2015 campaign where they reached the play-offs for promotion to Segunda Division B.

He returned again in February 2022, shortly after leading CD Migjorn to the Menorca Cup, to replace Pere Vadell, and steered Mercadal to safety that year. He was replaced by Capo in the summer of 2024.

Although there are 18 teams in the division, there is potential for as many as five teams to be relegated, owing to the possible Balearics teams coming down from above. A similar tale cost CE Alaior their Tercera Division place two years ago, and Mercadal will surely be hoping to stay as far away from that as possible.

CE Mercadal 2025/26 squad

CE Mercadal 2025/26 fixtures & results

Latest League Table – Tercera Division Group 11