2026/27 La Liga Season: Start Dates and Opening Weekend Kickoff Times
When Does the 2026/27 La Liga Season Begin?
The 2026/27 La Liga season kicks off on Saturday, August 15 with Alaves hosting Getafe. This year’s schedule is staggered because teams with players who reached the World Cup semifinals were allowed to postpone their opening matches. Every club took this option except for Celta Vigo, which will face Osasuna on Sunday, August 16, despite Borja Iglesias’ involvement in Spain's World Cup win.
This means that the usual heavyweights—Real Madrid, Barcelona, and Atletico Madrid—will have their first games delayed. Atletico Madrid now plays their opening fixture against Malaga on Wednesday, August 19.
Matches originally planned for the first weekend like Valencia vs Real Betis, Real Madrid vs Real Sociedad, and Barcelona vs Athletic Club will be held midweek between August 25 and 27. Those teams will start their seasons on matchweek two during the weekend of August 22-23.
Matchweek One Schedule (2026/27)
- Saturday, August 15: Alaves vs Getafe – 1:30 p.m. ET
- Saturday, August 15: Sevilla vs Rayo Vallecano – 3:30 p.m. ET
- Sunday, August 16: Racing vs Villarreal – 11:00 a.m. ET
- Sunday, August 16: Espanyol vs Levante – 1:00 p.m. ET
- Sunday, August 16: Celta vs Osasuna – 3:30 p.m. ET
- Monday, August 17: Deportivo vs Elche – 3:00 p.m. ET
- Wednesday, August 19: Atletico Madrid vs Malaga* – 3:00 p.m. ET
- Tuesday, August 25: Valencia vs Real Betis* – 3:00 p.m. ET
- Wednesday, August 26: Real Madrid vs Real Sociedad* – 3:00 p.m. ET
- Thursday, August 27: Barcelona vs Athletic Club* – 3:00 p.m. ET
*These fixtures were rescheduled from the opening weekend due to World Cup commitments.
El Clasico Dates for 2026/27
The first El Clasico at Camp Nou will take place on Sunday, October 25 when Barcelona host Real Madrid. The return fixture at Santiago Bernabeu is set for Sunday, May 9. Kickoff times haven’t been finalized and might shift within those weekends to suit TV broadcast needs.
Beyond La Liga, these two giants will meet in the 2027 Supercopa de España in February and could face off in the Champions League knockout rounds or Copa del Rey matches.
End of Season and Winter Break Details
The last round of La Liga fixtures is scheduled for Sunday, May 30. Recent seasons have all final matches starting simultaneously, following the Premier League’s approach. For example, in 2025/26 all games kicked off at 7 p.m. CEST (1 p.m. ET) on the final day.
There is a winter pause with no games played from December 22 to January 2, giving teams a break over Christmas and New Year.
