Why are Barcelona and Real Madrid not playing in the opening week of La Liga?

La Liga 2026/27 has started, yet Barcelona and Real Madrid have not taken the field. These two Spanish powerhouses, together with some other clubs, have been arranged to play at a later date because of the mandatory rest period for players who competed in the 2026 World Cup.

Barcelona and Real Madrid have not played in La Liga yet because of the 2026 World Cup.

Out of the 10 matches scheduled for the opening round of La Liga, only six took place as planned. The remaining four matches were postponed following an agreement between La Liga and the Spanish Footballers' Association (AFE), including those involving Barcelona and Real Madrid. The reason stems from a regulation requiring players whose national teams reached the semifinals of the 2026 World Cup to have adequate rest before returning to club football.

The Spanish national team reached the World Cup final and defeated Argentina on July 19 to claim the title. This meant that many La Roja stars, including Barcelona's Lamine Yamal and Real Madrid's Marc Cucurella, could not immediately return to play in La Liga's first round.

Barcelona was particularly affected, with up to eight players in the Spanish squad for the World Cup. As a result, the defending champions will begin their title defense with an away match against Elche on August 23, instead of playing in the opening round this weekend. Real Madrid also had to wait. The Spanish royal club will play their first match of the season at Espanyol on August 22.

Both Barcelona and Real Madrid have not yet played in La Liga Round 1 because they have players who appeared in the 2026 World Cup semifinals. Photo: Barcelona FC and Real Madrid FC

After that, both giants will return to their home stadiums. Real Madrid will host Real Sociedad on August 26, while Barcelona will face Athletic Bilbao one day later, on August 27.

Initially, La Liga wanted to hold all 10 matches of the first round this weekend. However, the AFE opposed that plan and had grounds to make this request, as the rest period agreement had been approved by the Spanish Football Federation on June 30. In the end, the parties agreed on a plan to hold the first round in mid-August, but not in full. The schedule was spread out to ensure the rights and health of players who had just completed a lengthy World Cup campaign.

Splitting the round also helped La Liga reduce the impact of the hot weather in Spain during the peak summer period. Matches were scheduled more frequently in the evening to minimize the risk of affecting players' health.

Atletico Madrid is another notable case. The Madrid-based club had up to nine players who appeared in the 2026 World Cup final, including four Spanish internationals: Alex Baena, Alejandro Grimaldo, Marcos Llorente, and Marc Pubill, along with five Argentine players: Julian Alvarez, Giuliano Simeone, Juan Musso, Nahuel Molina, and Thiago Almada. Among these, Molina and Almada have moved to other clubs.

Atletico had been allowed to postpone their opening match against Malaga to late August. However, the Metropolitano stadium was already booked for concerts by Canadian artist The Weeknd on August 28, 29, and 30. Therefore, Atletico was forced to play earlier than expected. This leaves the availability of players returning from the World Cup, such as Llorente, Baena, or Alvarez, still uncertain.

Thus, the absence of Barcelona and Real Madrid from the opening round of La Liga is not due to professional issues or normal scheduling. It is a direct consequence of regulations protecting rest time for players after the 2026 World Cup, and it also reflects La Liga's efforts to balance a packed schedule with player health.