La Liga faces fixture reshuffle as World Cup reaches decisive stage
Madrid, July 7
Spain's victory over Portugal in the World Cup Round of 16 has increased the likelihood that several opening-weekend matches in the upcoming 2026-27 season of La Liga will be postponed.
La Liga is scheduled to begin on the weekend of August 15-16, but an agreement provides that clubs with players involved in the World Cup semifinals will not be required to begin their domestic campaign until a week later. Any postponed fixtures are expected to be rescheduled between the second and third rounds of the season.
Real Madrid's opening match against Real Sociedad has already been affected. Real Madrid has players representing both France and Morocco, including Kylian Mbappé, Aurelien Tchouameni, and Brahim Diaz. With France and Morocco meeting in the quarterfinals, at least one Madrid player is guaranteed to reach the semifinals, reports Xinhua.
Spain's progression has further complicated the situation, with more La Liga clubs now certain to have players involved in the latter stages of the tournament.
Spain's football players' union maintains that players are entitled to a minimum of three weeks' vacation each summer. With the World Cup ending on July 19, finalists would not have sufficient recovery time before the start of the new domestic season if they were required to play on the opening weekend.
Other major European leagues have largely avoided the issue by delaying the start of their seasons. The Premier League is set to begin its 2026-27 campaign on the weekend of August 22-23.
Meanwhile, Spain remains the only team yet to concede a goal in the FIFA World Cup 2026, allowing goalkeeper Unai Simon to extend his World Cup finals record for consecutive minutes without conceding to 609.
Aymeric Laporte has also been influential in possession, completing around 90 percent of his passes overall and 85 percent of those played in the opposition half, helping Spain build attacks from the back while maintaining defensive stability.
Against Portugal, Laporte and Cubarsi gave Ronaldo little room to operate. The veteran forward managed just 19 touches throughout the match, only three of them inside the penalty area, as Spain's defenders kept the five-time Ballon d'Or winner largely anonymous.
Spain's defensive record has been built on a collective effort, but the balance provided by Cubarsi's athleticism and Laporte's experience has been central to the team's success. As Ronaldo's World Cup came to an end, Laporte's revival continued with Spain still firmly in the hunt for the title.
— IANS
Reader Comments
Honestly, La Liga should just follow the Premier League and delay their start too. Players need proper rest. Imagine Kylian Mbappé playing in a World Cup final on July 19 and then being asked to start the season three weeks later? That's not right. Three weeks vacation is a bare minimum.
As an Indian fan who watches La Liga regularly, this is hugely disappointing. The opening weekend is always special - we plan our viewing parties around it. But I guess player welfare comes first. Madrid's fixture vs Sociedad will be missed. At least we'll get to see Spain potentially go all the way!
La Liga's schedule has always been a mess compared to other leagues. First the Supercopa in Saudi Arabia, now this. I get it's because of World Cup but Premier League managed it better. Also, Barça fans will be worried about their Spanish players' fatigue. Cubarsi is just 19 but already playing like a veteran
Respect to Spain's defenders but let's not get carried away - Ronaldo is 40+ now, of course he'll be quiet. The real test will come against Brazil or Argentina in semifinals. And yeah, La Liga should've planned this better. Postponing matches in August just creates fixture congestion later in the season
I just hope this doesn't affect the smaller La Liga clubs negatively. Real Madrid can handle a postponed match, but what about teams like Almeria or Las Palmas who need every point early on? The financial disparity in La Liga is already huge. Players' union is right to
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