La Liga · 2026/27
La Liga 2026/27 Opening Rounds Review: Sevilla Lead, Barcelona Hit Five, Mourinho Wins Late
Checked on 25 August 2026. Every score below was taken from a match report and confirmed against a second source, all listed with retrieval dates at the foot of the page. No odds are published here. One structural fact governs everything on this page: matchday 1 is not finished. The league spread the opening round from 15 to 27 August to rest players who went deep at the World Cup, so Spain is in the strange position of having completed most of matchday 2 while four matchday 1 fixtures — including Real Madrid’s and Barcelona’s own openers — are still to come.
That means the table is not just young, it is uneven: Sevilla lead with two matches played while Real Madrid have played one and Athletic Club’s game in hand is against the champions. Every table-based judgement below carries that caveat.
Matchday 1: what has been played
| Date | Result |
|---|---|
| Sat 15 Aug | Alavés 3–0 Getafe |
| Sat 15 Aug | Sevilla 2–1 Rayo Vallecano |
| Sun 16 Aug | Racing Santander 2–2 Villarreal |
| Sun 16 Aug | Espanyol 3–0 Levante |
| Mon 17 Aug | Deportivo La Coruña 1–1 Elche |
| Wed 19 Aug | Atlético Madrid 2–0 Málaga |
Still to play from matchday 1: Valencia v Real Betis (Tue 25 Aug), Real Madrid v Real Sociedad (Wed 26 Aug), Celta Vigo v Osasuna (Thu 27 Aug, moved after pitch damage at Balaídos) and Barcelona v Athletic Club (Thu 27 Aug).
The details worth keeping. Alavés scored all three against Getafe in the final twenty minutes. Sevilla came from behind against Rayo with two penalties, the second in the 97th minute. Deportivo’s return to the top flight after eight years produced a 1–1 draw with a Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang goal, and Atlético beat promoted Málaga through a Lee Kang-in debut goal and an Álex Baena free-kick.
Matchday 2: nearly complete
| Date | Result |
|---|---|
| Thu 20 Aug | Rayo Vallecano 1–1 Alavés |
| Fri 21 Aug | Real Betis 1–0 Real Sociedad |
| Sat 22 Aug | Athletic Club 1–3 Sevilla |
| Sat 22 Aug | Valencia 0–0 Celta Vigo |
| Sat 22 Aug | Espanyol 1–2 Real Madrid |
| Sun 23 Aug | Atlético Madrid 2–2 Villarreal |
| Sun 23 Aug | Getafe 1–0 Racing Santander |
| Sun 23 Aug | Elche 0–5 Barcelona |
| Mon 24 Aug | Osasuna 0–0 Levante |
| Mon 24 Aug | Málaga 1–1 Deportivo La Coruña |
After all of that, Sevilla sit top on six points from two matches, with Alavés and Atlético on four and Barcelona on three from their single game.
Three storylines with substance
Sevilla are the early leaders, and both wins had a shape. A 97th-minute penalty to beat Rayo, then a 3–1 win at San Mamés in which Athletic played most of the match a man down after Yuri’s early red card and, in the local paper’s summary, conceded three goals from three errors. Two wins, six points, and both against opponents whose afternoons broke in Sevilla’s favour. Real form, favourable circumstances — the two are not mutually exclusive, and neither result distinguishes between them yet.
Barcelona’s title defence opened with a statement in instalments. The champions’ first league match of the season was matchday 2 away at Elche — their matchday 1 fixture against Athletic comes on 27 August — and they won it 5–0, with Raphinha opening from the penalty spot and Adeyemi doubling before half-time. One match, five goals, no data on how this team handles resistance, because Elche offered none.
José Mourinho’s return to La Liga started with a 90th-minute winner. Real Madrid’s first match of the season — their matchday 1 tie was also deferred — was won 2–1 at Espanyol: Jude Bellingham headed in from an Arda Güler cross on ten minutes, Alex Calatrava equalised, and Carlos Espí scored the winner in the 90th. New managers at Real Madrid (Mourinho), Athletic (Edin Terzić) and elsewhere make this, like England, a league where early results and new-coach noise are tangled together.
The counterpoint round: Atlético followed their opening win by twice surrendering a lead in a 2–2 with Villarreal, and four of the ten matchday 2 fixtures produced draws, two of them goalless.
What this shifts in season-long markets
Title markets have almost no new information, by design. The two favourites have played one match each, both against opponents from the bottom half of last season’s expectations, and both won. Sevilla’s six points sit on top of the table without telling you much about May. A long-dated position taken now is still capital locked for nine months, exitable only through a cash-out offer made at the operator’s discretion.
Table-reference specials are unreadable until 27 August. Any market that settles on league position — “top after X rounds” and its relatives — is currently comparing clubs with different numbers of matches played. We flagged this property of the staggered calendar in our season start guide; it is now live rather than theoretical.
Promoted-club markets got their first real inputs, and they point in different directions. Racing Santander drew with Villarreal and then lost narrowly at Getafe. Deportivo have drawn twice. Málaga lost to Atlético and drew with Deportivo. Nobody has been overwhelmed; nobody has won. Survival prices built on these five data points are built on almost nothing.
The standing arithmetic is unchanged: a 20-runner relegation or top-scorer book carries far more margin than a two-way market, for the reasons in our guide on how betting odds work, and staking against a nine-month lock-up is covered in the bankroll guide.
What comes next
The remaining matchday 1 fixtures run Tuesday to Thursday, headed by Real Madrid v Real Sociedad on 26 August and Barcelona v Athletic Club on 27 August. Matchday 3 then starts on Friday 28 August — Racing Santander v Elche and Alavés v Villarreal — and continues through the weekend with Sevilla v Atlético Madrid on Saturday 29 and Real Madrid v Málaga on Sunday 30 August. In the UK and Ireland, Premier Sports carries the main package with the Saturday primetime match on Disney+.
Kick-off times in Spain’s rolling scheduling system are confirmed late and moved often. Check the fixture on the day.
Frequently asked questions
Who is top of La Liga after the opening rounds?
Sevilla, with six points from two matches, after beating Rayo Vallecano 2–1 and Athletic Club 3–1. The table is uneven: several clubs, including Real Madrid and Barcelona, have played fewer games.
Has every team played its first match?
No. Four matchday 1 fixtures remain: Valencia v Real Betis (25 August), Real Madrid v Real Sociedad (26 August), Celta Vigo v Osasuna and Barcelona v Athletic Club (both 27 August).
How did Barcelona start their title defence?
With a 5–0 win at Elche on 23 August, in what was their first league match of the season. Their own matchday 1 fixture, at home to Athletic Club, is played on 27 August.
How did Mourinho’s first league match at Real Madrid go?
A 2–1 win at Espanyol on 22 August, through Bellingham’s early header and a 90th-minute goal from Carlos Espí, after Calatrava had equalised.
How are the promoted clubs doing?
No wins yet, but no collapses either: Racing Santander drew 2–2 with Villarreal then lost 1–0 at Getafe, Deportivo have drawn both matches, and Málaga lost 2–0 at Atlético before drawing 1–1 with Deportivo.
Why are there no odds on this page?
Because prices moved through the round and will move again. We describe what happened and how much it can support, rather than quoting a number that expires.
Sources
- La Grada: LaLiga 26/27 jornada 1 round-up and jornada 2 round-up, used as the primary Spanish results record for both rounds. Retrieved 25 August 2026.
- ESPN match pages as the independent check on individual scores, including Atlético 2–0 Málaga, Racing 2–2 Villarreal, Espanyol 3–0 Levante and the LaLiga fixtures and results page for the 24 August results and upcoming schedule. Retrieved 25 August 2026.
- Wikipedia: 2026–27 La Liga, current table and results record as of 24 August 2026, including Sevilla’s lead and Barcelona’s 5–0 at Elche. Retrieved 25 August 2026.
- Deia: Athletic 1–3 Sevilla, as it happened, for the red card and match detail. Retrieved 25 August 2026.
- Telemundo Deportes and Futbolred reports on Real Madrid’s 2–1 win at Espanyol on Mourinho’s league return, with scorer detail cross-checked against Clarosports. Retrieved 25 August 2026.
- FOX Sports: Deportivo 1–1 Elche box score. Retrieved 25 August 2026.
Method. Every printed score was matched between a Spanish round-up report and an independent scoreboard before publication. The pending matchday 1 fixtures are listed as pending, with dates, rather than projected. The table statement (Sevilla six points, uneven games played) follows the league record as of 24 August 2026 and is labelled with that date. No odds, promotions or prices appear on this page.
Responsible gambling
A staggered opening keeps markets open for nearly two weeks longer than a normal round, which quietly extends the window in which a position can be revisited, doubled or chased. The calendar is doing that; nothing obliges you to follow it.
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