Football's grandest domestic stages do not always open with their grandest actors present. As La Liga's 2026-27 season begins, the absence of Barcelona, Real Madrid, and three other clubs — held back by the demands of a World Cup that asked everything of them — quietly reframes the opening weekend as a space for smaller stories to breathe. In the margins of the expected spectacle, clubs returning from long exile, squads reshaped by departure, and even a fungus-stricken pitch remind us that football's meaning is never confined to its most famous names.
La Liga season opens without Barcelona, Real Madrid due to World Cup scheduling
They conceded 61 goals on their way to winning the second division
Mark
Why does the World Cup schedule force La Liga to stagger its opening weekend like this?
Mimi
The clubs that went deep into the World Cup—Barcelona, Real Madrid, and the others—their players need recovery time. You can't ask someone to play a World Cup semifinal on one weekend and then demand they're ready for a league match the next. UEFA and the league agreed to give those teams an extra week.
Mark
So the smaller clubs get to start first. Does that give them an advantage?
Mimi
Not really. It's more about fairness to the players. But it does mean the opening weekend is a bit fragmented—you're not seeing the traditional power matchups. Racing Santander gets the spotlight instead of Barcelona.
Mark
Racing hasn't been in the top flight since 2012. What's their realistic chance?
Mimi
They won the second division, which is impressive, but they conceded 61 goals getting there. That's a massive vulnerability. They'll need to tighten up defensively or they'll be in real trouble.
Mark
What about Deportivo? Eight years is a long time to be away.
Mimi
They've spent money to build a squad that can compete. The return to Riazor after eight years will be emotional, but emotions don't win matches. They'll need that investment to translate into results.
Mark
Sevilla looks weaker than last year, you said. How much weaker?
Mimi
They've lost three important players—Sow, Adams, Gudelj. They were already struggling last season. Now they're thinner. It's a concerning trajectory.
Mark
And Celta Vigo might not even play because of a fungal infection on the pitch?
Mimi
That's the situation. They chose to play rather than postpone, but nature may have other plans. It's an unusual problem for a professional club to face.
The Pulse
- Five of La Liga's most powerful clubs are missing from opening weekend, leaving a competitive vacuum that reshapes the entire first round of fixtures.
- Racing Santander's return to the top flight after 14 years and Deportivo's first home league match in eight signal a league quietly restructuring itself around new and returning voices.
- Sevilla enters the season visibly weakened after losing three key players, while Levante must replace a striker sold to Real Madrid — both clubs navigating rebuilds in real time.
- Celta Vigo's decision to play rather than postpone may be rendered moot by a fungal infection threatening the Balaidos pitch, turning principle into farce.
- Atletico Madrid, unburdened by deep World Cup involvement, steal a march on rivals by playing Wednesday — an early competitive advantage in a season already defined by imbalance.
Football's grandest domestic stages do not always open with their grandest actors present. As La Liga's 2026-27 season begins, the absence of Barcelona, Real Madrid, and three other clubs — held back by the demands of a World Cup that asked everything of them — quietly reframes the opening weekend as a space for smaller stories to breathe. In the margins of the expected spectacle, clubs returning from long exile, squads reshaped by departure, and even a fungus-stricken pitch remind us that football's meaning is never confined to its most famous names.
The 2026-27 La Liga season opens this weekend in fragmented fashion. Barcelona, Real Madrid, Athletic Club, Real Betis, and Real Sociedad are all absent from the first round — their players granted an extra week to recover after advancing deep into the FIFA World Cup. What remains is a patchwork of compelling, smaller narratives.
Saturday sees Deportivo Alaves host Getafe in a tactical curiosity: both coaches have previously managed the opposing club, giving the match an unusual undercurrent of familiarity. Sevilla, meanwhile, welcome Rayo Vallecano to the Sanchez Pizjuan, though neither side inspires great confidence. Rayo are without their home ground and unconvincing in preseason; Sevilla have lost Djibril Sow, Akor Adams, and Nemanja Gudelj, leaving the squad thinner than the one that already struggled last term.
Sunday carries the weekend's most historic moment: Racing Santander return to La Liga for the first time since 2012, facing Villarreal and their new coach Inigo Perez. The occasion is joyful, but the arithmetic is sobering — Racing conceded 61 goals on their way to promotion, a defensive record that will need urgent correction. Espanyol and Levante, two clubs that narrowly survived relegation last season, meet in a match shadowed by Levante's failure to replace striker Carlos Espi, who has departed for Real Madrid.
Celta Vigo chose to play their home match against Osasuna rather than request a postponement — a principled decision driven by their Europa League calendar. That decision may yet be taken out of their hands: a fungal infection on the Balaidos pitch now threatens the fixture entirely.
Monday night belongs to Deportivo, returning to La Liga after eight years away. The atmosphere at Riazor promises to be electric for their first home league match in nearly a decade. Their opponents Elche arrive in a very different mood — a new coach, and the departures of Alvaro Rodriguez, Aleix Febas, Rafa Mir, and Andre Silva leave the club's direction unclear. Atletico Madrid, one of the few major sides unaffected by World Cup fatigue, round out the opening round on Wednesday against Malaga, already a step ahead of rivals still finding their footing.
The 2026-27 La Liga season begins this weekend, but not quite as expected. Five of the league's biggest names—Barcelona, Real Madrid, Athletic Club, Real Betis, and Real Sociedad—will sit out the opening round of matches. The reason is straightforward: their players went deep into the FIFA World Cup, advancing beyond the semifinals, and the league has given them an extra week to recover before throwing them back into domestic competition.
This staggered start means the first weekend belongs to the smaller clubs and those whose World Cup involvement ended earlier. Deportivo Alaves hosts Getafe on Saturday in a match with its own narrative thread—both coaches have previously managed the other team. Alaves coach Quique Sanchez Flores and Getafe's Jose Bordalas know each other's methods intimately. That same day, Sevilla welcomes Rayo Vallecano to the Sanchez Pizjuan, though Rayo arrives in uncertain form. The Madrid club cannot use its home stadium at Vallecas for the moment, and its preseason performances have been unconvincing. Sevilla, meanwhile, looks diminished. The club has lost Djibril Sow, Akor Adams, and Nemanja Gudelj—departures that have left the squad thinner than the one that already struggled through much of last season.
Sunday brings Racing Santander back to the top flight for the first time since 2012. The occasion is historic for the club, but the challenge is immediate: they face Villarreal, managed by Inigo Perez in his debut with the club. Racing's path to promotion was successful, but their defense was a liability—they conceded 61 goals on their way to winning the second division, a number that will need dramatic improvement to survive in La Liga.
Espanyol hosts Levante in a meeting between two clubs that narrowly avoided the drop last season. Levante has a particular problem to solve: their striker Carlos Espi has departed for Real Madrid, and finding a replacement of comparable quality will not be simple. The club must rebuild on the fly.
Celta Vigo could have requested a postponement for their home match against Osasuna, given that striker Borja Iglesias was part of Spain's World Cup-winning squad. Instead, the club chose to play, prioritizing their UEFA Europa League schedule in the weeks ahead. But even that decision may not matter—the match is now under threat because of a fungal infection affecting the pitch at Balaidos Stadium.
Monday night belongs to Deportivo, a club returning to La Liga after eight years away. The atmosphere at Riazor Stadium will be electric when they face Elche in their first home league match in nearly a decade. Deportivo has invested in building a competitive squad, signaling serious intent. Elche, by contrast, is in transition. Martin Anselmi has replaced Eder Sarabia as coach, and the club has lost Alvaro Rodriguez, Aleix Febas, Rafa Mir, and Andre Silva—a significant turnover that leaves their trajectory uncertain.
Atletico Madrid, one of the few major clubs not held back by World Cup depth, will play Malaga on Wednesday, getting a head start on the rest of the league. The opening weekend, then, is less a unified beginning and more a patchwork of stories: some clubs rebuilding, some returning, some simply trying to hold together what they have left.
Notable Quotes
Racing conceded 61 goals despite winning the second division, a number that will need dramatic improvement to survive in La Liga— Match analysis
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