La Liga Season Preview 26/27: What Fans Can Expect

The La Liga 26/27 Season Preview looks ahead to the 96th season of Spain’s top division. 20 teams, 380 matches, 38 matchdays: The format is the same as always, but the faces at the top are not. New faces are on the coaching benches at Real Madrid, Athletic Bilbao, Villarreal, and three other clubs.

The season kicks off on August 15, 2026, and the season finale is scheduled for May 30, 2027. Because the 2026 World Cup didn’t end until mid-July, four matches from the first matchday were postponed. This gives players who have been competing in long tournaments additional time to recover. The season opener will feature matches such as Deportivo Alavés vs. Getafe and Sevilla vs. Rayo Vallecano.

Three clubs are returning to the Primera División, and all three are big names that have been absent for a long time.

The teams promoted from the Segunda División:

• Racing Santander: Second-division champions and back in the top flight after 14 years. After earning promotion to the Segunda División in 2021–22, they climbed the ranks step by step: 12th place, 7th place, 5th place, then the title.
• Deportivo La Coruña: an eight-year wait, including several years in the third division. The 2000 Spanish champions are back.
• Málaga CF: The most emotional promotion of the season. The Andalusians prevailed over Almería in the playoffs and are returning after eight years.

The teams relegated to the Segunda División:

• Real Oviedo: Gone after just one season; their relegation was already confirmed on May 11, 2026.
• Girona FC: Four years in the top flight, including a stint in the Champions League, end with a drop to the second division.
• RCD Mallorca: Back in the second division after five years in the Primera División.

So, the bottom line is that three of the 20 starting spots have been filled by new teams, without a single true newcomer among them. For Real Oviedo, the return to the Segunda is particularly bitter: The club had only returned in the summer of 2025 after a 24-year absence.

FC Barcelona enters the tournament as the defending champion and favorite. The Catalans clinched their 29th league title on Matchday 35 with a 2-0 victory over Real Madrid in El Clásico—their second consecutive title under Hansi Flick.

The margins are tight. The numbers from last season explain why:

• Offense: Barcelona scored 95 goals, while Real Madrid scored 77. In terms of expected goals (xG), the Catalans led 86.62 to 78.
• Defense: Here, the picture changes slightly. Real had the league’s best defense, conceding 35 goals, while Barça conceded 36—just one more.

At Real Madrid, however, the shake-up is even more significant: José Mourinho returned 13 years after his last day on the job in Madrid, signed a three-year contract, and took over on July 13. He succeeds Álvaro Arbeloa and inherits a team that has gone two consecutive seasons without a major title. The defense, in particular, has been bolstered: Ibrahima Konaté arrived on a free transfer from Liverpool, along with Marc Cucurella and Denzel Dumfries to strengthen the wings. But the team has also added depth on offense—for example, with Yan Diomande from Leipzig.

Barcelona, on the other hand, must make up for the departure of Robert Lewandowski and has replaced Marcus Rashford on the left wing with Anthony Gordon of Newcastle United. Atlético Madrid remains the third title contender, but has not recently closed the gap on the two powerhouses.

Three teams are automatically relegated from La Liga; there is no relegation playoff in Spain. The teams considered most at risk of relegation are:

• Málaga CF
• Elche CF
• CA Osasuna
• Deportivo La Coruña

Euphoria is on the side of the promoted teams: Racing, Depor, and Málaga bring large fan bases and packed stadiums with them. The jump in division works against them. They need new signings with Primera División experience. Sevilla FC is also considered a potential relegation candidate: On paper, the team has the quality to achieve much more, but 43 points last season were barely enough to avoid relegation.

• 11.76 million viewers: That’s how many people watched last season’s games, averaging 30,944 per match. The record was set by the Clásico at the Bernabéu, which drew 78,107 spectators.
• Top Scorer: Kylian Mbappé scored 25 goals and claimed the trophy. He heads into the season as a favorite once again.
• Five Spanish clubs are competing in the Champions League: Barcelona, Real Madrid, Villarreal, Atlético Madrid, and Real Betis qualified through La Liga.
• Six new coaches at clubs that were already in the top flight last season: José Mourinho (Real Madrid), Edin Terzić (Athletic Bilbao), Íñigo Pérez (Villarreal), Luis Miguel Ramis (Osasuna), Martín Anselmi (Elche), and Beñat San José (Rayo Vallecano).

Bet on La Liga games now

In Germany, Austria, and Belgium, DAZN remains the go-to choice: The streaming service will broadcast all 380 matches live and exclusively and has extended its contract with La Liga early, through 2031. What’s new is that Switzerland is back on board starting this season.

Important for planning your weekend: Unlike in the Bundesliga, there is virtually no “conference” schedule in Spain. La Liga spreads each matchday from Friday through Monday and schedules the ten games individually, usually between 2:00 p.m. and 9:30 p.m. It’s not until the final matchday that games kick off simultaneously.