Deportivo Rayo Zuliano
Venezuelan football club
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Deportivo Rayo Zuliano is a Venezuelan professional football club based in Maracaibo. Founded in 2005, the club play in the Venezuelan Primera División, hosting their home matches at the Estadio José Pachencho Romero.
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| Full name | Deportivo Rayo Zuliano | ||
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| Nickname | Azul Amarillo | ||
| Founded | 2005 | ||
| Ground | Estadio José Pachencho Romero | ||
| Capacity | 40,800 | ||
| Chairman | Javier Portillo[1] | ||
| Manager | Johanny García | ||
| League | Liga FUTVE | ||
| 2025 | Liga FUTVE, 11th of 14 | ||
| Website | https://rayozuliano.com/ | ||
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History
Founded in 2005, Deportivo Rayo Zuliano played in the 2005–06 edition of the Torneo Aspirantes, the third division in the country, before spending a year inactive. The club later entered the inaugural season of the Venezuelan Tercera División, narrowly missing out on promotion to Segunda División B in 2007–08 and then achieving mid-table campaigns in 2008–09 and 2009–10.[2]
In 2010, Rayo Zuliano ceased to play in the Tercera División, and only returned to a professional status in 2021, after merging with Atlético Furrial and being admitted in the year's Segunda División.[3] After an eighth position finish in their group in 2021, the club led their group in 2022, but were knocked out in the promotion phase.
On 12 December 2022, it was announced that Rayo Zuliano would merge with Primera División side Zulia, taking their place in the top tier.[4] The merger was officially confirmed on 28 January 2023.[5] Rayo Zuliano were able to place eighth in their first Primera División campaign, which allowed them to qualify for the 2024 Copa Sudamericana.[6]
Current squad
As of 11 March, 2026 Note: Flags indicate national team as defined under FIFA eligibility rules; some limited exceptions apply. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.
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Managers
Alex García King (2021–22)
Elvis Martínez (2023–24)[7]- Javier Villafráz (2024–25)
- Johanny García (2025–)
