La Liga will not change their start date for the 2025/26 season despite rumoured objections from Real Madrid and Atletico Madrid.
Another busy season is on the horizon with Real Madrid and Atletico Madrid also heading into the new campaign on the back of competing at this summer’s FIFA Club World Cup.
The expanded tournament in the USA will extend the 2024/25 season on by a month and 2025/26 is bookended by the 2026 World Cup also in North America.
That will cause more controversy over the amount of games being included in a season with FIFA also looking to reduce the amount of international breaks.
UEFA qualification for the World Cup has been slotted into three windows split across September, October and November.
The exact fixture list is not expected to be announced by La Liga until July but they have confirmed the season will kick off on the weekend of August 16-17.
It will wrap up on May 24, 2026 to allow for a three-week gap to the start of the World Cup.
The lack of space in the calendar will revive frustration over player welfare with AFE regulations requiring footballers to have 30 days of rest in a calendar year, and a period of at least 21 days uninterrupted at the end of the season of holidays.
With rumours growing that Real Madrid and Atletico Madrid could ask to play their first game on the second weekend of the season, president Javier Tebas has spoken out on the matter.
“The derby is not being considered for the first match day, nor is it being considered for Real Madrid or Atletico Madrid to skip the first matchday. We will respect the collective bargaining agreement, the three-week vacation and nothing else,” as per reports from Diario AS.
“We can’t base our competition on the Club World Cup, a competition which neither the European leagues nor the clubs are in favour of.”
