World Cup semifinals delay Barcelona’s, Real Madrid’s La Liga starts

La Liga has postponed Barcelona's and Real Madrid's opening matches for the 2026-2027 season due to the involvement of several players from both clubs in the World Cup semifinals. France face Spain on Tuesday, while England take on Argentina on Wednesday. Defending champions Barcelona will start their season on August 23 at Elche, while Real Madrid will play their first game under Jose Mourinho on August 22 at Espanyol. Their original openers against Athletic Bilbao and Real Sociedad have been moved to August 27 and 26 respectively.