Barcelona and Real Madrid will not feature in the opening round of La Liga fixtures after an agreement to give players involved in the latter stages of the World Cup more time to recover.
The champions will begin their title defence at Elche on 23 August, while Real Madrid visit Espanyol on 23 August, their first game under Jose Mourinho in his second spell as manager.
Both clubs will then play their postponed opening fixtures in midweek, with Madrid hosting Real Sociedad on 26 August and Barcelona facing Athletic Club at Camp Nou on 27 August.
Atletico Madrid are also absent from the first weekend. Their campaign begins at home to Melaga on Wednesday, meaning they have a shorter delay than the two title contenders.
The unusual opening schedule follows an agreement between La Liga and the Spanish players’ union (AFE). Clubs with players whose national teams reached the World Cup semi-finals were allowed to postpone their opening matches so those players could receive the required break between the tournament and the new domestic season.
The work can’t wait. 🙅♂️ pic.twitter.com/7Qtbz023wT
— FC Barcelona (@FCBarcelona) August 13, 2026
Spain won the World Cup final against Argentina on 19 July, leaving several Barcelona players with little time to prepare for the original 15 August start. Lamine Yamal, Pedri, Dani Olmo and Pau Cubarsi returned to Barcelona training on Wednesday, while Madrid’s World Cup players have also only recently resumed work.
The arrangement affects more than the two biggest clubs. Seven Spanish teams had players involved in the semi-finals, although Barcelona and Athletic Club, and Real Madrid and Real Sociedad, were drawn against each other in the opening round. Atletico, Real Betis and Celta Vigo were the other clubs involved.
Celta’s fixture against Osasuna was postponed for a different reason. A fungus outbreak affected the pitch at their stadium, while Borja Iglesias had played only briefly for Spain at the World Cup.
⚔⚽🔥 pic.twitter.com/BqtOmO40Fd
— Real Madrid C.F. (@realmadrid) August 13, 2026
The only concerns to the opening weekend would be commercial, as the league would be opening without its two biggest attracts in Barcelona and Real Madrid. But La Liga do not seem minded about that.
The Spanish league could have followed its peers across Europe, such as the Premier League which starts on 21 August, or the Bundesliga on 28 August. But La Liga insisted on an August 15 start, even though the AFE argued the early date would leave World Cup semi-finalists without enough time for both rest and pre-season preparation.
The clubs unanimously approved the split opening round on 9 June. The Spanish football federation approved the season calendar later that month. The arrangement means La Liga fixtures will be played on almost every day between 15 and 31 August.
