La Liga 2025-26 Season Opener: What to Expect

La Liga returns this weekend with a unique start. While the season kicks off, the major clubs, Barcelona and Real Madrid, are absent from the lineup.

Who’s Playing in the Opening Weekend?

The first match features Deportivo Alaves against Getafe, starting Saturday at 7.30pm local time. Later, Sevilla will compete with Rayo Vallecano. On Sunday, Racing Santander makes its La Liga comeback with a match against Villarreal at their El Sardinero stadium. Other weekend games include Espanyol facing Levante. On Monday, Deportivo La Coruna will contest with Elche. Atletico Madrid will play against Malaga, a second-division play-off winner, on Wednesday.

Racing Santander’s return to La Liga marks an emotional moment for fans.

Delayed Matches and Reasoning

Four matches have been postponed to late August. This is due to an agreement between La Liga and the Spanish players’ union, AFE. The agreement enforces a mandatory rest period for players whose national teams reached the World Cup semi-finals. This affects players like Barcelona’s Lamine Yamal and Real Madrid’s Marc Cucurella.

Barcelona and Real Madrid’s Season Start

Barcelona will begin their title defense against Elche on August 23. This gives their World Cup-winning players additional recovery time. Real Madrid, managed by Jose Mourinho, will start the season on August 22 against Espanyol.

The originally scheduled matches for both clubs are now set for the end of the month. Barcelona will play Athletic Club at the Camp Nou on August 27, while Real Madrid faces Real Sociedad at the Bernabeu on August 26.

Training and Preparations

Top players involved in the World Cup have only recently resumed training. This includes Yamal, Pedri, Dani Olmo, and Pau Cubarsi for Barcelona. In Madrid, Cucurella and other World Cup participants like Jude Bellingham, Kylian Mbappe, and Aurelien Tchouameni miss recent friendlies.

Agreement and Planning

La Liga initially wanted the season to begin on August 15. However, AFE opposed the mid-August start due to insufficient rest for World Cup players. After discussions, a split opening gameweek proposal was approved on June 9 by club representatives. The season calendar received approval at the Spanish football federation’s annual assembly on June 30. Real Madrid representatives did not attend these meetings.

The new arrangement allows clubs with players who reached the World Cup semi-finals to delay opening matches. This change results in La Liga matches every day from August 15 to 31, except one. The distribution also accommodates the need for evening kick-offs during high temperatures for safety reasons.

Atletico Madrid’s Case

Atletico Madrid had the most players in the World Cup final, with four from Spain and five from Argentina. Despite the option to delay their match, concerns arose due to upcoming concerts by The Weeknd at their stadium. Thus, Atletico’s match against Malaga proceeds as scheduled.

The availability of players like Julian Alvarez is uncertain, as he recently returned to training. Atletico’s management remains firm about not selling Alvarez, despite interest from Barcelona.

Other Clubs’ Matches

Real Betis delayed their match against Valencia to August 25 due to Giovani Lo Celso’s World Cup involvement. Celta Vigo was supposed to start against Osasuna, but turf issues at their stadium postponed the game to August 27.