La Liga returns this weekend, but it looks a little different. Six matches are scheduled for the opening matchday, but the league’s giants, Barcelona and Real Madrid, aren’t playing. Here’s the breakdown.
Who is Playing in the Opening Weekend?
The first match features Deportivo Alaves against Getafe today at 7.30pm local time (6.30pm UK, 1.30pm ET). Later, Sevilla will face Rayo Vallecano. On Sunday, Racing Santander will play Villarreal at their El Sardinero ground. Espanyol takes on Levante, and on Monday, Deportivo La Coruna hosts Elche. Atletico Madrid will play Malaga on Wednesday.
Racing Santander celebrates their return to La Liga. (Juan Manuel Serrano Arce/Getty Images)
Four matches originally scheduled for opening week have been moved to late August. This change comes from an agreement between La Liga and the Spanish players’ union, AFE, allowing breaks for players whose teams reached the World Cup semi-finals. Spain’s success at the World Cup has postponed games for players like Barcelona’s Lamine Yamal and Real Madrid’s Marc Cucurella until the second weekend.
When Do Barcelona and Real Madrid Start?
Barcelona, the reigning champions, begin their season against Elche on Sunday, August 23. This delay gives the eight Barcelona players from Spain’s World Cup-winning team time to recover. Real Madrid, now managed by Jose Mourinho, will face Espanyol on Saturday, August 22. Originally, Barcelona and Madrid’s first matches were scheduled for earlier in August but are now rescheduled for later that month. Barcelona will meet Athletic Club on Thursday, August 27. Madrid will play Real Sociedad on Wednesday, August 26.
Barcelona had eight players in Spain’s World Cup-winning squad. (Eric Verhoeven/Soccrates/Getty Images)
Top players such as Yamal, Pedri, Dani Olmo, and Pau Cubarsi have only just resumed training. Meanwhile, Cucurella, Jude Bellingham, Kylian Mbappe, and Aurelien Tchouameni also recently returned to their clubs. Marc Cucurella didn’t feature in Madrid’s friendly against Deportivo La Coruna after his return.
Background of the Schedule Change
La Liga wanted the 2025-26 season to start on August 15. However, the AFE objected, arguing that players needed more time to rest. Following discussions, La Liga clubs agreed on June 9 to ‘split’ the opening gameweek. Clubs with players involved in World Cup semi-finals could push back their matches 10 days.
This staggered start spreads games from August 15 to 31, accommodating scheduling and avoiding the high temperatures that necessitate evening kick-offs.
Atletico Madrid’s Position
Atletico Madrid had nine players in the World Cup final. La Liga allowed them to postpone their opener against Malaga but Canadian artist The Weeknd’s concerts at their stadium forced a reschedule. Consequently, the match is on Wednesday. Players such as Llorente and Baena returned to training recently, while Julian Alvarez may miss out due to ongoing transfer speculation with Barcelona.
Julian Alvarez returning to Atletico training. (Dennis Agyeman/Europa Press via Getty Images)
Scheduling for Other Clubs
Real Betis has delayed their match against Valencia to Tuesday, August 25 because midfielder Giovani Lo Celso was part of Argentina’s squad that reached the World Cup final. Celta Vigo also rescheduled their game against Osasuna to Thursday, August 27 due to a disease affecting their stadium’s pitch.