Real Madrid Faces Potential Delay for Opening 2025-26 La Liga Fixture
Reports indicate that Real Madrid has formally sought to postpone their inaugural La Liga fixture for the 2025–26 campaign.
Following the conclusion of the 2024–25 season, 18 out of 20 La Liga teams enjoyed their summer break, while Real Madrid and Atlético Madrid journeyed to America for the Club World Cup tournament. Although Diego Simeone's squad was eliminated during the group phase, Real Madrid has advanced to the semifinals.
The transition period between the Club World Cup and the forthcoming La Liga season provides Real Madrid with very limited time for rest and preparation before embarking on another demanding competition. Should Los Blancos reach the Club World Cup final, they would have fewer than six weeks between the conclusion of this summer's tournament and the commencement of their first domestic season under Xabi Alonso's leadership.
As reported by ESPN, this compressed timeline led Real Madrid to petition for a delay of their season opener. The team is scheduled to face Osasuna on Aug. 19 at their home ground, the Santiago Bernabéu.
The report indicates that the Spanish Players' Union forwarded correspondence to the Royal Spanish Football Federation (RFEF), La Liga, Real Madrid, and Osasuna, emphasizing the mandatory six-week minimum period required between competitions. The letter stressed the "significance of adequate rest and proper preseason preparation" for players to prevent avoidable fatigue and injuries.
This petition emerges during increasing discussions about football's expanded fixture calendar. An increasing number of players and coaches are voicing concerns about insufficient rest periods for athletes at elite clubs worldwide. Real Madrid has already participated in 67 matches this season (with more to come), excluding international duties that players also undertake.
If Real Madrid's La Liga season opener proceeds as originally scheduled, Alonso's team would need to play Osasuna on Aug. 19 followed by Real Oviedo just five days afterward. These fixtures would occur merely five weeks following the Club World Cup's conclusion.