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Real Madrid members will gather at the club's Basketball Pavilion on Sunday to participate in the 2026 presidential election vote.
Incumbent president Florentino Pérez triggered a snap election near the end of what proved to be a frustrating season on the pitch for Madrid, pledging to guide the club back on track if given another term.
His challenger is businessman Enrique Riquelme, who has promised sweeping changes to the club's direction in order to restore Madrid to the summit of European football.
Here's everything you need to know ahead of election day.
Real Madrid Elections Closing Time
The last ballot in the presidential election will be cast at 2:00 p.m ET (8:00 p.m CEST), after which the counting process will begin.
That process is expected to take roughly two hours, with the results and the election winner anticipated to be announced sometime between 4:00 p.m and 5:00 p.m ET (10:00 p.m and 11:00 p.m CEST).
Enrique Riquelme Clings to Haaland, Klopp Dreams
A cornerstone of Riquelme's campaign has been the pledge of high-profile signings. Manchester City forward Erling Haaland is his primary target, and the 37-year-old has even gone so far as to promise to cover the membership fees of every Real Madrid member should he fail to deliver.
Likewise, former Liverpool boss Jürgen Klopp is his dream candidate to take over from Álvaro Arbeloa in the dugout. Representatives of both Klopp and Haaland have openly dismissed the speculation, yet Riquelme stood firm in his final public address.
"I'm not going to risk my professional reputation, neither in sports nor in business, at 37 years old," he stated.
"I have put forward a serious candidacy, I have made a commitment, and I continue to stand by it — if I am elected president of Real Madrid, the players I have named will be wearing Real Madrid colours this summer. Just as we did yesterday, through a concise but detailed press release in both Spanish and English to leave no room for doubt, we confirmed that our coach, following Raúl's arrival, is Jürgen Klopp.
"We intend to begin convincing him from next Monday. And I am almost certain that we will succeed — that Jürgen Klopp will be Real Madrid's head coach next season. It will be the work of the sporting department and, just as I have stated clearly regarding the players, I can say that we will do everything in our power, as he is currently our sole candidate, to make Jürgen Klopp the next Real Madrid manager.
"And he will be a coach who wants to operate within a professional, serious club where he genuinely holds authority. Something that, today ... is not possible, with a Real Madrid president meddling in dressing room affairs. That is likely why Jürgen Klopp has not wanted to coach Real Madrid until now."
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Pérez Laughs Off 'Ridiculous' Competition
Pérez, for his part, had little regard for Riquelme's pledges, pointing out that both Haaland and Klopp — the twin pillars of his rival's campaign — have already publicly dismissed any such possibility.
The incumbent president has already secured an agreement with José Mourinho as the incoming manager, with Ibrahima Konaté and Denzel Dumfries confirmed as new arrivals and a club-record bid of $174 million (€150 million) set to be submitted for a player widely understood to be Bayern Munich's Michael Olise.
"Being a Real Madrid member is a way of life," Pérez said. "And also a great responsibility, because Real Madrid needs us. I urge you to vote because our future is on the line. The members understand there are two ways of doing things. Real Madrid members will not stand for lies; anything-goes behaviour is simply not acceptable.
"We, the members, will not allow the image of Real Madrid to be tarnished. There are those who have no shame and use the Real Madrid badge to embarrass the membership.
"We have had to endure the disgrace of a fabricated story being broadcast on a television programme to mislead the members. And then, minutes later, the player's father... the agent and the club itself — which was Manchester United — City, sorry — vehemently denied it and threatened legal action.
"That is something that clearly doesn't embarrass them in the slightest. But for every Real Madrid member, and for me personally, it is profoundly shameful.
"And this farcical situation appears to have no end. Last night they floated the name of a coach, claiming they were going to approach him ... and he responded within minutes, telling them not to bother. But didn't they already have a coach — currently active, signed at the start of the season? Honestly ... these people will stop at nothing.
"Do these people genuinely want to run Real Madrid? Look, the Real Madrid shirt is not stained by lies. The symbols of Real Madrid are not defiled and do not deserve to be disrespected by someone seeking to become president of Real Madrid. We had enough during [Ramón] Calderón's dark three-year tenure; we have no need to witness the same lies and the same disgrace all over again."