An unusual start to La Liga
FC Barcelona will kick off the 2026/27 La Liga season this Sunday. Hansi Flick's team begin the league campaign with the goal of winning a third consecutive league title. The large number of Barça players involved in the 2026 World Cup, including eight world champions, has delayed the start of the competition for the current La Liga champions.
The blaugranes will make their debut this Sunday at the Martínez Valero Stadium against Elche, kick off at 9.30pm CEST, a venue where they have won on each of their last eight visits. Four days later, on Thursday at 9pm CEST, Barça will host Athletic Club at the Spotify Camp Nou.
To round off these opening three matchdays, Flick's men will remain in Barcelona to face Rayo Vallecano on Monday, 31 August at 9.30pm CEST. Three matches in eight days.
Only twice before
Only on two occasions in their entire history have Barcelona played their first three league matches within a period of eight days or less. Normally, La Liga does not schedule midweek fixtures during the opening rounds, and only in the 1985/86 and 2020/21 seasons did a similar situation arise.
In the 1985/86 season, Barça began their league campaign in Santander. Coached by Terry Venables, the team was defending the league title with a squad featuring players such as Bernd Schuster, Alexanco, and Urruti, among others. The difference compared with this season is that, back then, all teams played their first three league matches within a seven or eight-day period, whereas this year only some clubs will do so.
The other precedent is much more recent. The 2019/20 season was heavily affected by the global coronavirus pandemic, which forced the suspension of all competitions. This exceptional situation delayed the conclusion of the UEFA Champions League, which, from the quarterfinals onward, was played as a single-elimination tournament in Lisbon between August 12 and August 23.
As a result, the start of the 2020/21 La Liga season was delayed for clubs that had participated in the latter stages of European competitions, creating a compressed schedule similar to the one Barça will face this season.
As a result, the start of the 2020/21 La Liga season, which marked Ronald Koeman's debut as head coach, was delayed until September 27, when Barcelona defeated Villarreal 4-0. Four days later, the blaugranes secured a 3-0 victory away to Celta Vigo. Finally, on 4 October, they concluded this run of three matches in seven days with a 1-1 draw against Sevilla at Camp Nou. All of these matches were played behind closed doors.