Barcelona, Real Madrid, and Atletico Madrid Battle for Early La Liga Supremacy in 2026's Opening Five Matches

Real Madrid and Atlético Madrid are firmly in contention to unseat Barcelona, though the current La Liga titleholders are maintaining their grip on the championship.

The opening half of the 2025–26 campaign has concluded, with all 20 Spanish top-division clubs taking a short winter break before resuming competition this weekend. As expected, Spain's three most prominent teams occupy the summit of the table as we enter 2026, with the Catalan side leading the pack.

Barcelona maintain a four-point cushion over arch-rivals Real Madrid, while nine points divide Hansi Flick's squad from third-positioned Atlético Madrid. The trio of giants face crucial encounters over the coming five weeks, however, which could dramatically alter La Liga's championship battle.

Below are the upcoming five league matches for each title challenger.

La Liga Standings

Barcelona's Next Five La Liga Fixtures

Barcelona resume after the winter pause with a challenging away encounter against Espanyol. While the reigning Spanish champions have claimed victory in the previous three Catalan derbies, their city rivals are enjoying a five-match winning run in La Liga and presently occupy fifth position.

Following that is a journey to San Sebastián, which shouldn't present major difficulties for Flick's team. Real Sociedad have managed just four victories this campaign, merely two more than Barcelona's subsequent opponents in relegation-threatened Real Oviedo.

Elche will then await their opportunity to gain revenge against the Catalans following their 3–1 loss in the earlier meeting last November. However, they must end a 50-year winless run against Barcelona to achieve this.

Mallorca confront a comparable obstacle, having failed to secure three points against the Spanish powerhouse since 2009. Most recently, these teams met in their season opener, which concluded in a 3–0 triumph for Barcelona.

Real Madrid's Next Five La Liga Fixtures

Real Madrid must avoid any mistakes to start the new year if they wish to maintain pressure on Barcelona at the table's summit. Xabi Alonso's side will be determined to secure their third consecutive league victory when they host Real Betis at the Bernabéu to begin 2026.

Los Blancos should then easily overcome bottom-placed Levante before a significant challenge awaits at the Estadio de la Cerámica. Villarreal welcome Real Madrid for their final La Liga fixture of January, and the Yellow Submarine have suffered just one home defeat this season.

The 15-time European champions then face Rayo Vallecano. While Real Madrid appear strong favorites on paper, their opponents already forced them to a scoreless stalemate in November.

A visit to the Mestalla completes Real Madrid's next five fixtures. Regardless of either team's table position, matches in Valencia are rarely straightforward for Los Blancos.

Atlético Madrid's Next Five La Liga Fixtures

A sluggish beginning to the 2025–26 season placed Atlético Madrid at an early disadvantage in the La Liga title contest, to such an extent that Diego Simeone's team continues chasing nearly five months into the season.

However, a series of relatively manageable fixtures provides them the ideal chance to continue closing the gap on Barcelona and Real Madrid. Julián Alvarez should easily exploit Real Sociedad's vulnerable defense, while his teammates will be motivated to perform against Alavés following their disappointing 1–1 stalemate with the 14th-placed team in August.

Mallorca next visits the Metropolitano, a ground where they haven't triumphed since 2021. Los Colchoneros then meet a Levante team with only two victories this season.

Similar to Real Madrid, Atlético Madrid's toughest examination comes against Real Betis. Nevertheless, Simeone's squad will enter the encounter confident after already defeating the formidable side 2–0 in October.