Real Madrid are playing their opening match of the La Liga season on Tuesday despite the club having asked multiple times to postpone their first game of the season after playing the FIFA Club World Cup earlier this summer. The team coached by Xabi Alonso will play their first match against Osasuna while the other teams will kick off their new season from Friday to Monday, with the two opening games to take place on Friday between Girona and Rayo Vallecano and between Villarreal and Real Oviedo.
But why are Real not even playing on the opening weekend?
How to watch and odds
- Date: Tuesday, Aug. 19 | Time: 3 p.m. ET
- Location: Estadio Santiago Bernabeu — Madrid, Spain
- Watch: ESPN+
- Odds: Real Madrid -433; Draw +488; Osasuna +1025
Why are Real Madrid playing on Tuesday?
Real Madrid’s relationship with La Liga has been tense over the past years for multiple reasons. The tension rose under the management of La Liga chief Javier Tebas, when the Blancos agreed to join the Super League project in 2021 and then Florentino Perez refused to participate in the deal with the fund CVC a few months after. In 2024, a court dismissed a lawsuit brought by Real Madrid and Athletic Club which claimed that “La Liga’s CVC investment deal was illegal.”
This week, Real Madrid issued a statement on Tuesday opposing La Liga’s plans to move Barcelona’s match at Villarreal to the U.S. in December, arguing the decision would compromise the competitive integrity of Spain’s top flight.
After playing until the semifinals of the FIFA Club World Cup in the summer when they were knocked out by PSG, Real Madrid have asked La Liga to postpone their opening match of the season but their demand was refused by the league, and for this reason, Xabi Alonso’s team’s opening game was placed on Tuesday, much earlier than they wanted.
It’s been typical for La Liga to spread their opening weekend of games across several days, with seemingly the best that La Liga could do was place their match on Tuesday.
The Blancos started their preseason on August 4 while at the end of July a Spanish football federation judge rejected their request, ruling that “while the collective agreement which governs Spanish football included a requirement for a minimum of 21 days’ holiday for players, there was no such obligation for a minimum amount of physical and tactical preparation time ahead of a new season.”
However, Real Madrid thought the federation would keep their word after a meeting that took place in May, according to COPE. During the meeting between La Liga and the AFE (Spanish Footballers’ Association), team captains were assured that any club reaching the Club World Cup semifinals would be allowed to delay their opening league fixture, the report states.
However, it didn’t happen. Real Madrid will face Osasuna on Tuesday to start their 2025-26 campaign, the first one under manager Xabi Alonso after the Blancos decided to part ways with Carlo Ancelotti in May, while the Italian coach joining the Brazilian national team ahead of the 2026 World Cup.
