La Liga 2026-27 Kicks Off: Mourinho, Chaos and Results

La Liga 2026-27 got under way on Saturday 15 August, but it did so in pieces: of the ten fixtures on the opening matchday, only five were actually played over the weekend, a sixth followed this Wednesday and the other four must wait until next week. The opening round will not be complete until Thursday 27 — an extraordinary start that has generated as much conversation as the football itself.

The main culprit is the calendar: the World Cup ended on 19 July with Spain crowned champions — 1-0 against Argentina in the final, Ferran Torres scoring the winner in extra time — and the clubs who supplied semi-finalists were granted extra days of rest. The league's organisers insisted on starting on the 15th regardless, and the row duly followed. One postponement, though, had nothing to do with any of that: Celta against Osasuna fell victim to a fungus on the Balaídos pitch, with Osasuna publicly furious about the rearranged date.

What was played, match by match

• Alavés 3-0 Getafe: Tenaglia (73'), Mariano Díaz (91') and Mikel Rodríguez (94'), with Kiko Femenía sent off in the first half
• Sevilla 2-1 Rayo Vallecano: Álvaro García put Rayo ahead in the 4th minute; Guridi levelled from the spot (52') and Peque, also from the penalty spot, completed the turnaround in the 97th
• Espanyol 3-0 Levante: a Roberto Fernández brace and a Tyrhys Dolan goal (80')
• Racing Santander 2-2 Villarreal: Andrés Martín, from the penalty spot, and Sergio Martínez made it 2-0; Pape Gueye and Nicolas Pepé hit back with two goals in a minute before the break
• Deportivo 1-1 Elche: Aubameyang put Depor in front on 21 minutes and Marc Aguado headed the equaliser on 76
• Atlético 2-0 Málaga (this Wednesday): Kang-in Lee (70') and Álex Baena (84')

The weekend's small print had a bit of everything: a comeback sealed by a 97th-minute penalty at the Sánchez-Pizjuán, Racing letting a 2-0 lead slip on their return to the top flight after 14 years, and a 37-year-old Aubameyang, signed for €1.5m, marking his debut at Riazor with a left-footed strike in at the far post.

Atlético got their season started on Wednesday

The earliest of the rearranged fixtures was played this 19 August in front of 65,785 spectators at the Metropolitano. Simeone's Atlético saw off Málaga, back in the top division after eight years away, by two goals to nil. The opener carried a special signature: Kang-in Lee, signed from PSG for €35m after winning the last two Champions Leagues, opened his official account for the club in the 70th minute. Álex Baena wrapped it up on 84 with a strike from outside the box.

Mourinho back in the Bernabéu dugout

The great story of the opening weeks sits not in the table but in a dugout. José Mourinho is Real Madrid manager once again, thirteen years after his departure: the club announced him on 11 June on a three-season contract, and his unveiling took place this Tuesday 18. His competitive debut comes this Saturday 22 at 9.30pm CET at the RCDE Stadium against Espanyol — a matchday 2 fixture, because Madrid's league opener against Real Sociedad was among the postponements and will now be played on Wednesday 26.

The Madrid that Mourinho inherits is new across half the squad. The club shattered their transfer record by paying €125m up front, rising to €140m, for Yan Diomande, the 19-year-old Leipzig winger who starred for the Ivory Coast at the World Cup and has signed until 2033. In came Marc Cucurella from Chelsea and Denzel Dumfries from Inter, plus two Premier League veterans on free transfers: Bernardo Silva, presented this very Wednesday, and Ibrahima Konaté.

The back-to-back champions, between records and red tape

Barcelona defend the title they clinched in May by beating Real Madrid 2-0 — a second consecutive league crown and the 29th in their history. They begin on Sunday 23 at home to Elche, likewise in a matchday 2 slot, because their opening fixture against Athletic was pushed back to Thursday 27. Hansi Flick remains at the wheel, and the club have just pulled off the coup of the summer: Rodri, the 2024 Ballon d'Or winner and the World Cup's best player, arrived this week from Manchester City for around €60m.

The problem is bureaucratic, and by now a familiar one: as of 19 August, Barça have only managed to register Héctor Fort as a new arrival, while Anthony Gordon and Karim Adeyemi — around €110m between them, paid to Newcastle and Dortmund — are still without a licence because of the salary limit. The window shuts on 1 September and the clock is ticking.

A double helping next week

The fixture list now doubles up: this weekend brings matchday 2 — with Espanyol v Real Madrid on Saturday and Barcelona v Elche on Sunday as the headline acts — and in midweek come the four postponed games from the first round: Valencia v Betis on Tuesday 25, Real Madrid v Real Sociedad on Wednesday 26, and then Celta v Osasuna and Barcelona v Athletic on Thursday 27. Only then will the table tell the full story.

Three promoted sides, three returns

The three newcomers are three comebacks with real weight behind them: Racing Santander returned to the top flight after 14 years and scratched out a point against Villarreal; Deportivo, back after eight, drew with Elche at Riazor courtesy of their veteran new star; and Málaga, also ending an eight-year absence, went down with dignity at the Metropolitano. None of the three lost their opening match at home — although Málaga's was on the road, and their supporters must wait one more week for the grand reopening at La Rosaleda.

"A champion that cannot register its signings, a Madrid that unveiled Mourinho before settling on a starting XI and a matchday 1 that finishes twelve days after it began: La Liga is back, and very much back to being itself."