LaLiga has published the detailed schedule of the first three rounds of the 2026/2027 season. The games will start on August 15, but not all teams will start the competition on the same date. Due to the late end of the World Cup, the matches of Real Madrid and FC Barcelona, ​​among others, were postponed, many of whose players still participated in the decisive phase of the tournament.

The new campaign will start just a few weeks after the World Cup final in North America. Such a short break created a serious problem for clubs with a large group of representatives. After the end of the tournament, the players must first be granted leave and then undergo a full preparation period.

This applies most strongly to Real Madrid and FC Barcelona. There were many important players from both Spanish giants in the national teams fighting for medals. Therefore, the league authorities included regulations allowing changing the dates of the first matches so that the World Championship participants would not have to return to the competition without proper regeneration.

Real Madrid and FC Barcelona will start the season from the second round

Originally, Real was supposed to start the season with a home match against Real Sociedad, while Barcelona was to host Athletic Club. However, both meetings were postponed to the last week of August. The team from Madrid will face their rival on August 26, and the Catalan team will play the overdue match a day later.

This means that Real and Barcelona will start the season only during the second round. The team led by Hansi Flick will play away to Elche on August 23. The day before, Madrid’s team will face Espanyol. For both teams, this will be the first official test after extremely short preparations.

Why did LaLiga decide to make changes?

The competition regulations provide for the possibility of postponing meetings of clubs whose players have participated in the world championship for a long time. After the end of the holiday, players should be given about three weeks to prepare their bodies for the next season. Otherwise, the risk of injuries and overload would significantly increase.

The changes also included the match between Valencia and Real Betis. This meeting will take place on August 25. The remaining matches of the first round will be played according to the original schedule, and the season will open on Friday, August 15.

Schedule of the first round of LaLiga 2026/2027

August 15, Friday

• Deportivo Alavés – Getafe, godz. 19:30
• Seville – Rayo Vallecano, godz. 21:30

August 16, Saturday

• Racing Santander – Villarreal, 17:00
• Espanyol – Levante, time 19:00
• Celta Vigo – Osasuna, godz. 9:30 p.m.

August 17, Sunday

• Deportivo de La Coruña – Elche, godz. 21:00

August 19, Wednesday

• Atlético Madrid – Málaga CF, 9:00 p.m

August 25, Tuesday

• Valencia – Real Betis, godz. 21:00

August 26, Wednesday

• Real Madrid – Real Sociedad, 9:00 p.m

August 27, Thursday

• FC Barcelona – Athletic Club, time 21:00

An unusual start to the season in Spain

The changes will make the table incomplete after the first round, and the two main candidates for the championship will start fighting for points with a delay. However, the most important thing for the training staff will be the health of the players who, after a long club season, immediately participated in a demanding national team tournament.

LaLiga therefore decided to compromise between maintaining the inauguration date and protecting the players of the largest clubs. The season will start as planned, but the first weeks will bring several outstanding matches. The full picture of the league table will only be known at the end of August, when Real Madrid and FC Barcelona will play their postponed matches.