The 2026-27 La Liga season kicks off this weekend, with no shortage of storylines involving Barcelona and Real Madrid, as well as many other top-flight teams.
A novelty this year is the season kicking off without either Barca or Madrid in action — as a staggered kick-off has been introduced, allowing more rest for clubs whose international players went deep into this summer’s World Cup.
The opening game will see Deportivo Alaves host Getafe at 7.30pm local time (6.30pm UK time, 1.30pm ET) on Saturday.
Champions Barcelona — who had eight players in Spain’s World Cup-winning squad — begin their title defence at Elche on Sunday, August 23. Jose Mourinho’s first game of his second spell as Real Madrid manager is away at Espanyol on Saturday, August 22.
Here’s The Athletic’s annual guide on what to look out for, as we attempt to predict how things might go…
Who do you think will win the title and why?
Barcelona look in a really strong position, having won the last two titles under Hansi Flick, finishing last season 12 points ahead of a Madrid team who ended the campaign in total disarray.
But… the only team to have won three consecutive La Liga titles in the 21st century were Pep Guardiola’s dominant Barca side from 2009-2011, and it was Mourinho who put an end to that run in his first spell at the Bernabeu.
Madrid have added substantially to their squad this summer, spending €240million ($277m) on Yan Diomande, Marc Cucurella, Bernardo Silva, Denzel Dumfries, Ibrahima Konate and Carlos Espi. Vinicius Junior extending his deal amid interest from Arsenal means they have plenty of attacking options.
Vinicius Junior renewed his deal at Real Madrid (David Balogh/Getty Images)
Meanwhile, Barca are still looking for new forwards after Robert Lewandowski’s exit, while World Cup final goalscorer Ferran Torres is close to a move to Paris Saint-Germain.
So new arrivals Anthony Gordon (€80m from Newcastle United) and Karim Ayedemi (€22m from Borussia Dortmund) should get chances to impress.
Much will depend on who makes the best start to the season, and there is a decent chance Mourinho’s arrival provides a boost for Madrid, while Barca start slowly as other World Cup winners including Lamine Yamal, Pedri, Pau Cubarsi — and potentially Rodri, if he joins from Manchester City — take time to recover.
Who will make up the rest of the top four?
Champions League qualification for a 15th consecutive season under Diego Simeone should not prove too difficult for Atletico Madrid, whether or not Barca target Julian Alvarez stays at the Metropolitano (more on that later…).
Villarreal finished ahead of Atletico in third last year, and go into the new season with an impressive new coach in Inigo Perez, but have not done much summer transfer business so far.
Real Betis also made the Champions League by finishing fifth last term, so Manuel Pellegrini’s squad will have to deal with at least eight extra games.
An outside bet to break through are Celta Vigo, who have a host of homegrown players developing under one of their own in coach Claudio Giraldez.
One must-watch match in the opening weeks?
Real Madrid hosting Real Sociedad in their rearranged game on Wednesday, August 26 stands out.
Mourinho’s first game back at the Bernabeu should be box-office given the divisions his last spell in charge from 2010 to 2013 caused at Madrid — and his behaviour when managing Benfica against Madrid in the Champions League last year.
American coach Pellegrino Matarazzo’s La Real should provide an early test for Madrid, who have plenty of new players and a returning Portuguese coach. The San Sebastian team won last season’s Copa del Rey, and have Spain’s World Cup-winning centre-forward Mikel Oyarzabal.
Pellegrino Matarazzo led Real Sociedad to Copa del Rey glory last season (Fran Santiago/Getty Images)
Madrid have not impressed in pre-season and struggled to create chances in their 1-0 victory at Deportivo La Coruna on Wednesday. But most of their big names, including Kylian Mbappe and Jude Bellingham, have yet to feature after returning late from the World Cup.
The staggered start to the season should help, and a statement win against tough opponents like Real Sociedad would be an excellent way for Mourinho’s second coming to get up and running.
Which team have had the most interesting transfer window?
Boosted by new U.S. financial giant Apollo Sports Capital joining Atletico’s ownership group in March, the Metropolitano side have invested more than €100m on experienced internationals Morten Hjulmand, Lee Kang-in and Alejandro Grimaldo, while long-time target Cristian Romero is set to join from Tottenham Hotspur.
Yet all that business has been overshadowed by the Alvarez saga. Barcelona believe the Argentina striker wants to join, but Atletico are unwilling to sell for anything close to the €100m or so that the Camp Nou outfit are currently able to offer.
It is difficult to know what is best for Atletico — keeping an unhappy player, or allowing their most talented star to leave with the season already underway.
Can Atletico Madrid hold on to Julian Alvarez? (Javier Soriano/AFP via Getty Images)
Which team have had the worst transfer window?
Getafe’s Luis Milla was one of La Liga’s outstanding midfielders last season, so losing him along with long-time midfield partner Mauro Arambarri in the same window looks a big blow, especially with El Geta heading into a season with Conference League commitments.
Can this iteration of 𝙏𝙝𝙚 𝙅𝙤𝙨𝙚 𝙈𝙤𝙪𝙧𝙞𝙣𝙝𝙤 𝙀𝙭𝙥𝙚𝙧𝙞𝙚𝙣𝙘𝙚 be a success at Real Madrid?
Tom Williams
Which team are well set to spring a surprise?
Athletic Club stumbled through most of last season, in part due to star forward Nico Williams never reaching 100 per cent fitness.
The Bilbao side’s new coach is former Borussia Dortmund manager Edin Terzic, as the club who famously only use players born or developed in the Basque Country once again tap into the knowhow and experience of outside coaches.
Howard Kendall, Jupp Heynckes and Marcelo Bielsa are among those who have previously harnessed Athletic’s local talent and adapted to the club’s philosophy to leave lasting legacies at San Mames.
Terzic definitely has talent to work with. Spain’s World Cup-winning goalkeeper Unai Simon and defender Aymeric Laporte are joined by young midfielders Mikel Jauregizar and Peio Canales (returning after impressing on loan with Racing Santander, who won the second division and will play in La Liga this season).
Who looks most likely to underperform?
Sevilla and Valencia have been battling for this unwanted prize over the last few seasons. Both are big clubs with long-running financial issues that make it very difficult to match their fans’ expectations.
Sevilla’s situation is the most precarious, with key players from last season, including forward Akor Adams and young right-back Juanlu, leaving this summer. Their biggest outlay so far is €6.5m on Scotland Under-21 striker Robbie Ure from Swedish side IK Sirius.
🥶 Nuestro nuevo 9️⃣🏴 pic.twitter.com/vypLGHSPVl
— Sevilla Fútbol Club (@SevillaFC) August 11, 2026
Valencia have also had to wheel and deal — although there is excitement at Mestalla about new 19-year-old Japanese forward Ryunosuke Sato, who joined from FC Tokyo.
It would be a shock were either to be relegated, but European qualification looks a long shot too.
How are the promoted clubs shaping up?
Racing Santander, Deportivo La Coruna and Malaga are all historic clubs returning after long spells away, during which they have all suffered plenty of off-pitch turmoil.
Deportivo have been the biggest spenders so far. Leo Roman (signed from Real Mallorca) is an excellent goalkeeper, while Jonathan Asp Jensen (Bayern Munich) and Bright Ede (Motor Lublin) are promising youngsters. Their most interesting arrival is 37-year-old former Dortmund, Arsenal and Barcelona striker Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang, who has joined from Marseille.
There is also romanticism around the return of Sergio Canales to Racing, with the 35-year-old former Real Madrid and Real Betis playmaker coming back to his hometown club 16 years after first leaving for the Bernabeu.
Racing Santander have returned to La Liga for the first time since 2012 (Juan Manuel Serrano Arce/Getty Images)
Malaga face the biggest challenge — the Andalusians’ surprise promotion via the second-division play-offs last year was quickly followed by renewed legal battles over the club’s ownership, between rivals Sheikh Abdullah Al Thani of Abu Dhabi and local construction and hotel empresario Jamal Satli Iglesias.
Who are the best youngsters to look out for?
Yamal is still just 19, and Barca fans will be hoping he gets enough rest and recovery this summer to set him up for a less injury-affected season.
Madrid’s Thiago Pitarch, also 19, impressed after making his debut in February, but may struggle for minutes this term given his midfield competition.
Back at Barca, 18-year-old striker Hamza Abdelkarim has yet to make his La Liga debut but featured in four games for Egypt at the World Cup, and scored a quick-fire double on his first friendly appearance for the Catalans this month.
Real Betis’ young winger Jose Antonio Morante — who finished joint-top scorer in this summer’s Under-19 European Championship as Spain won the title — could be given lots of opportunities to impress.
Another to watch out for is Deportivo’s Yeremay Hernandez, 23, a wide attacker stepping up to the top flight after 27 goals and 18 assists in 86 second-division games.
Which under-the-radar player have big clubs been sleeping on?
Valencia midfielder Javi Guerra looks primed to make a big step forward.
A product of the club’s Paterna academy, Guerra has flashed great potential in his four seasons with the senior team, without yet demonstrating the consistency of a truly top player.
Valencia will be hoping Javi Guerra can firmly become an elite player with them (Aitor Alcalde/Getty Images)
All the recent turmoil at Valencia has not helped his career progression, but Guerra enjoyed a strong end to last season, and earned a first senior Spain cap in a friendly in June.
Many different clubs have considered moves for the rangy midfielder over the years, and Atletico came closest to signing him in summer 2024. But Valencia supporters will be hoping the 23-year-old can stay and really kick on with them over 2025-26.
A great storyline involving La Liga we might have missed over the summer…
There is never a dull moment around Rayo Vallecano, by far La Liga’s strangest club.
Rayo enjoyed a superb 2025-26 campaign, reaching a first-ever European final and, while they were narrowly beaten by Crystal Palace, it was still a brilliant achievement to make it that far.
But it was always unlikely to lead to a new era of stability. A mid-July audit of Estadio Vallecas found serious security, maintenance and health issues at the rickety old stadium, and Rayo’s hierarchy then refused permission for staff from Madrid’s regional government (the stadium’s owners) to enter to fix these problems.
Estadio Vallecas has long been in need of a makeover (Ricardo Rubio/Europa Press via Getty Images)
A week-long stand-off ensued, during which the possibility of Rayo moving multiple La Liga games 250 kilometres north to Burgos was mooted. The club and regional government have both had different design and financing ideas for modernising the crumbling Vallecas stadium.
This week it was confirmed Rayo’s first La Liga home game on August 20 against Alaves will be played across Madrid at Segunda club Leganes’ Estadio Butarque (as happened last season, when the Vallecas pitch was waterlogged in February).
Nobody can say for sure when Vallecas will be ready to host games again. New Rayo coach Benat San Jose has a huge job on his hands, especially with key players from last year leaving, including left-back Pep Chavarria (who has moved to Chelsea) and centre-half Nobel Mendy (Hull City).
Give us your boldest prediction for the season…
It will take at least a few months for Mourinho to get into any serious rows.
His previous spell on the Bernabeu bench was filled with arguments and feuds, with the Portuguese angrily taking on referees, journalists, opposition coaches and even his own players.
The 63-year-old’s return to the Spanish capital has so far been remarkably low-key. There has been no high-profile presentation to the local media or fans and he has not given interviews to anyone outside club media.
Few inside and outside the Bernabeu doubt Mourinho will blow up at some point — most likely when his team suffer an unexpected defeat or are victims of a controversial refereeing decision.
But if Madrid can hit the ground running with some positive early results and big wins, maybe, just maybe, Mourinho’s return to La Liga will continue to be peaceful… for a while, at least.
