Real Madrid, Barca Liga starts delayed

Real Madrid and FC Barcelona will see their opening matches of the 2026-2027 season delayed due to players' involvement in the World Cup semi-finals. Real Madrid, now under José Mourinho, will start on August 22 away to Espanyol, while Barcelona begin on August 23 at Elche. La Liga rescheduled their original openers against Real Sociedad and Athletic Bilbao to August 26 and 27 respectively. Atletico Madrid, also affected, will keep their opener on August 19 against Malaga.