La Liga: What to know ahead of new 2026-27 football season

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EXPLAINER

Predictions, news and transfers ahead of the new La Liga season, as Barcelona and Real Madrid renew their title rivalry.

Spain’s top-flight league, La Liga, kicks off the 2026-27 European football season on Saturday, as several players return to club duty less than a month after the FIFA World Cup ended.

Barcelona, whose eight players were part of Spain’s World Cup-winning squad, enter this campaign with hopes of completing a “three-peat” of league titles after winning the 2024-25 and 2025-26 seasons.

When does the new La Liga season start?

The 2026-27 La Liga season begins on Saturday, August 15, with two matches on the opening day.

Further round one matches are also scheduled for Sunday, Monday, and Wednesday.

La Liga first round matches and schedule

Alaves vs Getafe – Saturday, August 15 at 17:30 GMT
Sevilla vs Rayo Vallecano – Saturday, August 15 at 19:30 GMT
Racing Santander vs Villarreal – Sunday, August 16 at 15:00 GMT
Espanyol vs Levante – Sunday, August 16 at 17:00 GMT
Celta Vigo vs Osasuna – Sunday, August 16 at 19:30 GMT
Deportivo vs Elche – Monday, August 17 at 19:00 GMT
Atletico Madrid vs Malaga – Wednesday, 19 August at 19:00 GMT

Why are Barcelona and Real Madrid not playing in the first La Liga round?

In mid-July, La Liga pushed back Barcelona’s and Real Madrid’s opening matches due to the number of players from both clubs involved in the FIFA World Cup semifinals and final.

Among the key Barcelona players involved in the World Cup final were Spain’s Lamine Yamal, Dani Olmo and Ferran Torres, whose extra-time goal led them to their second World Cup title.

Madrid’s talisman, Kylian Mbappe, was joined by midfielder Aurelien Tchouameni in the France side that made the semifinals, while Real playmaker Jude Bellingham was part of England’s bronze-winning side.

When will Barcelona and Real Madrid play their first match?

Barcelona’s title defence begins on August 23 with an away game against Elche, while Madrid face Espanyol away on August 22.

La Liga predictions 2026-27

The title favourites

The Opta supercomputer has predicted a 45.6-percent chance of Barcelona completing a hat-trick of league titles, which would also bring their total to 30 La Liga championships. Barca have not pulled off three titles in a row since the golden Pep Guardiola era from 2008 to 2011.

The simulations gave Madrid a 31-percent probability of success under the experienced Mourinho, who returns for his second stint at the Bernabeu after being in charge between 2010 and 2013.

Atletico Madrid, who finished fourth last season and failed to win a trophy, are third on Opta’s list of favourites for glory this time with a mere 8.6-percent chance, followed by Villarreal at 3.3 percent and Real Betis at 2.1 percent.

The relegation favourites

Sevilla, who were embroiled in the relegation fight for the last two seasons, may not survive this time – that’s what the Opta supercomputer predicts. Sevilla have a 27.7-percent probability of being relegated this season, making them the third-likeliest team to go down.

Newcomers Deportivo, who are back in La Liga for the first time since 2017-18, are the top favourites to be relegated with a 29.2-percent probability, followed by Elche at 28.4 percent.

The best incoming transfers of La Liga 2026-27

Madrid have been busy in the summer transfer window, signing several high-profile players across departments.

Right-back Denzel Dumfries has joined them from Inter Milan, left-back Marc Cucurella arrives from Chelsea and centre-back Ibrahima Konate signed as a free agent after leaving Liverpool.

Veteran midfielder Bernardo Silva also joined on a free deal after exiting Manchester City, while Madrid paid a club-record fee to bring in teenage winger Yan Diomande on a long-term deal from RB Leipzig

At Barcelona, left-winger Anthony Gordon signed from Newcastle United and the versatile Karim Adeyemi joined the Catalan club from Borussia Dortmund.