Where to watch La Liga opening weekend: Live stream, schedule for Spanish soccer league

Will Barcelona be able to retain its La Liga title for the third year in a row? Or will rivals Real Madrid, Atlético Madrid or a dark horse contender win it all?

Here’s everything to know about when the Spanish soccer season starts, where to stream every match and when all of your favorite teams will take the pitch.

When does La Liga start?

La Liga’s 2026-27 season begins this Saturday, Aug. 15, with Alavés hosting Getafe in the opening match — but don’t expect a normal opening weekend.

Because several clubs had players competing deep into the 2026 FIFA World Cup, this season’s calendar was reorganized to avoid overloading players that were still on international duty in July.

The result? Many of the league’s biggest clubs, including Barcelona, Real Madrid and Atlético Madrid won’t actually appear until later in the week:

• Atlético Madrid vs. Málaga, originally a matchday-one fixture, was moved to Wednesday, Aug. 19.
• Barcelona vs. Athletic Club, Real Madrid vs. Real Sociedad and Valencia vs. Real Betis were all pulled from opening weekend and will instead be played midweek, Aug. 25-27.
• Those same three clubs — Barcelona, Real Madrid and Valencia — will play their actual first games of the season next weekend, Aug. 22-23.

Where to watch La Liga games in the U.S.

When it comes to where to watch La Liga, ESPN holds exclusive U.S. broadcast rights through the 2028-29 season.

You can watch all 380 matches in the U.S. with an ESPN Select (the tier formerly known as ESPN+) or ESPN Unlimited subscription, starting at $13 a month.

ESPN Select and Unlimited get you every match regardless of a cable subscription, but if you also want access to the ESPN, ESPN2, ESPN Deportes and (occasional) ABC broadcasts too, those channels are available through live-TV streaming bundles via DIRECTV, Fubo, Sling and Disney+.

• Where to watch La Liga in English: Selected marquee matches — think El Clásico and the Madrid derby — will also air on ESPN, ESPN2 or ABC. At least 20 matches are expected across those broadcast channels this season.
• Where to watch La Liga in Spanish: ESPN Deportes will carry at least 200 matches in Spanish across the season, in addition to every match’s Spanish-language stream on ESPN Select.
• Where to watch La Liga for FREE The occasional ABC broadcast can be picked up free over the air with an antenna, though ABC’s La Liga slate is limited and shouldn’t be relied on for full-season access. You can also catch game for free via the aforementioned streaming bundles as many offer free trials.

La Liga schedule, table 2026-27

Click here to see the schedule in full screen.

Key dates to circle on the calendar:

• Aug. 15: Season opener, Alavés vs. Getafe
• Aug. 19: Atlético Madrid vs. Málaga (rescheduled)
• Aug. 22-23: Matchday two, including first games for Barcelona, Real Madrid and Valencia
• Aug. 25-27: Barcelona vs. Athletic Club, Real Madrid vs. Real Sociedad, Valencia vs. Real Betis (rescheduled midweek fixtures)
• Sept. 20: Madrid derby, Atlético Madrid hosts Real Madrid
• Oct. 25: First El Clásico of the season, Barcelona hosts Real Madrid at Camp Nou
• April 4: Madrid derby return leg, Real Madrid hosts Atlético
• May 9: Second El Clásico, Real Madrid hosts Barcelona at the Santiago Bernabéu
• May 30: Scheduled end of the regular season

Who was promoted and was relegated in La Liga?

The biggest story at the beginning of a new season is always the promotions. Three clubs move up from the second division this season: Racing Santander, Deportivo La Coruña and Málaga. They replace Mallorca, Girona and Real Oviedo, all relegated at the end of the 2025-26 season.

Players to watch

Many of the World Cup’s biggest stars play in La Liga, making this league one fans who fell in love with the sport this summer will want to follow .

From Real Madrid’s Kylian Mbappe, Vini Jr. and Jude Bellingham to Barcelona’s stacked lineup featuring many of the winning Spanish National Team’s biggest stars, including Lamine Yamal, Pedri and the rumored transfer of Spanish captain Rodri from Manchester City, this season is going to be one to watch.

International breaks look a little different this year

Another change? La Liga also tweaked its fall schedule to better accommodate the international calendar. Instead of three separate one-week breaks, the league is taking one two-week pause and one additional one-week break in the fall.

This means there will be no league matches on the weekends of Sept. 26, Oct. 3 and Nov. 14. There’s also a break scheduled for the weekend of March 27. The traditional winter pause returns in late December into early January.

At least six Spanish clubs are also expected to juggle Champions League or other UEFA competition fixtures alongside their league slate, which can shift league kickoff times and dates as the season moves along.