Barcelona, Real Madrid, La Liga and the AFE
Saturday
Barcelona and Real Madrid will not play during La Liga’s opening weekend after fixtures involving clubs with World Cup semi-finalists were pushed back. The arrangement gives affected players mandatory recovery time following the tournament and creates a staggered first matchweek.
Barcelona now begin their title defence on 23 August and Real Madrid start on 22 August, with their original fixtures moved later in the month. La Liga and the players’ union agreed the adjustment after concerns over mandated rest periods.