Real Madrid’s first game of the 2026-27 La Liga campaign will be delayed due to the participation of Madrid players deep in the World Cup, while other games from the opening gameweek of the Spanish season also set to be played around 10 days later than originally planned.The new Primera Division season is set to begin on the weekend of August 14-15, with Madrid taking on Real Sociedad at the Bernabeu, while defending champions Barcelona are at home to Athletic Club of Bilbao and Atletico Madrid host newly-promoted Malaga.Spain’s players union AFE objected to the mid-August start as players whose countries went deep into the World Cup, which ends on July 19, would be denied the required time for both rest and pre-season preparations.A solution to ‘split’ the opening gameweek was unanimously agreed by La Liga’s club representatives on June 9, while the season calendar was approved at the Spanish federation’s annual assembly on June 30.“The AFE collective agreement will be fulfilled for all players,” Javier Tebas, president of La Liga, said last week.“All players will get three weeks of rest, from their last game at the World Cup, and three weeks of preparation. We can divide the first gameweek into six games until August 14 and another three or four midweek (later) in August, between gameweek two and three.”Madrid are the first team impacted by the solution. Either Morocco’s Brahim Diaz or France trio Kylian Mbappe, Aurelien Tchouameni and Ibrahima Konate will be in the tournament’s last four, depending on the outcome of Thursday’s quarter-final between the nations in Foxborough, Massachusetts.Madrid’s game against Real Sociedad – who themselves have Spain’s Mikel Oyarzabal and Portugal’s Gonzalo Guedes, preparing to meet in a last 16 tie on Monday – will now be played midweek towards the end of August.This means that Jose Mourinho’s first game of his second spell as Madrid manager will be at Espanyol on the weekend of August 22-23 (exact kick off dates and times are yet to be confirmed).Real Sociedad’s visit to the Spanish capital – and likely other games too – will then be played the following midweek.Madrid did not send representatives to the La Liga and RFEF meetings which fixed the new season calendar. The club often boycott such occasions due to poor relations between Madrid president Florentino Perez and La Liga chief Tebas.Sources at La Liga say that postponing any fixtures in gameweek two has not been considered, regardless of which countries make the World Cup final on July 19.Real Sociedad are aware of their first game being moved, in accordance with what had been planned when the calendar was set. Madrid were contacted for comment but did not immediately reply.Jul 6, 2026Connections: Sports EditionSpot the pattern. Connect the termsFind the hidden link between sports terms