La Liga delays Real Madrid, Barcelona season openers over World Cup commitments

La Liga has postponed the opening fixtures of Real Madrid and Barcelona to allow players involved in the closing stages of the 2026 FIFA World Cup additional time to recover before the new season.

Real Madrid, now under Jose Mourinho in his second spell as manager, were scheduled to host Real Sociedad on the opening weekend. However, the fixture has been moved to August 26, with Mourinho’s first league match now set to be an away clash against Espanyol on August 22.

READ ALSO: Aston Villa rival Newcastle for £50m-rated World Cup breakout star Manzambi

Barcelona’s campaign has also been rescheduled. The reigning champions will now begin their title defence away to Elche on August 23 after their home opener against Athletic Bilbao was pushed back to August 27.

La Liga said the changes were necessary because several players from both clubs remain involved in the World Cup semi-finals, making it difficult for them to prepare adequately for the start of the domestic season.

Despite having players still competing at the tournament, Atletico Madrid’s opening fixture against Malaga will go ahead as scheduled on Wednesday, August 19.

The 2026-27 La Liga season will officially kick off on August 15, with Alaves hosting Getafe, while Sevilla welcome Rayo Vallecano in the opening round of matches.

The revised schedule is expected to give Spain’s World Cup stars sufficient recovery time before returning to club duties following the conclusion of the tournament.