La Liga postpones Real Madrid and Barcelona's season opener due to World Cup
Real Madrid and FC Barcelona will not begin La Liga on August 15 with the other clubs. Due to their players still competing in the World Cup, their opening matches have been rescheduled for August 26 and 27.
La Liga has officially confirmed the postponement of Real Madrid and FC Barcelona’s opening league matches, moving their start to August 26 and 27, while the vast majority of clubs resume on August 15.
The two Spanish giants cited the presence of their international players in the World Cup to obtain an exemption from Spanish football authorities. La Liga accepted this argument: Real Madrid will face Real Sociedad on Wednesday, August 26, while FC Barcelona will host Athletic Bilbao on Thursday, August 27 for their respective opening day.
These two matches constitute matchday one for both clubs. From matchday two onwards, Real will travel to face Espanyol Barcelona on Saturday, August 22, and Barcelona will challenge Elche on Sunday, August 23 — before their official opening match, due to the calendar structure.
Atlético de Madrid, despite also having World Cup semi-finalists in its squad, does not benefit from the same treatment. Diego Simeone’s club will begin according to the original schedule, hosting Malaga on August 19.
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