La Liga returns on Saturday, flush with the status of Spain again being world champions after their success against Argentina in New Jersey last month.
In 2010, the only other time Spain were top dogs, Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo were the big stars helping the league gain global exposure at a time when it could be said with confidence that it was the best league in the world. Back then, Jose Mourinho was manager of Real Madrid, up against Pep Guardiola at Barcelona.
It’s harder now. Messi and Ronaldo are still playing, aged 39 and 41, and Mourinho is back at Madrid, but revenues in England’s Premier League dwarf those in Spain.
And yet Spain has consistently produced more winners of European trophies, boasts the best national side in the world (all the players from Spain’s defensive wall, which conceded just one goal across their eight World Cup matches, now play in La Liga), and has a healthy top flight where attendances, the third highest in Europe behind the Premier League and the German Bundesliga, are increasing.
Spanish teams play in some of the best stadiums on the continent. Barcelona and Real Madrid also remain the most attractive clubs for the world’s top footballers.
Mourinho in way of Barca three-peat
Barcelona are aiming to make it three consecutive La Liga titles as the 2026/27 season starts. It wasn’t supposed to be like this.
Real Madrid, in their revamped Bernabeu after four years of reconstruction, were supposed to be the steady team as Barca faced the upheaval of games away from Camp Nou and frequent financial crises.
Even last season, the Catalans’ home games were played at three different venues, and the return to Camp Nou was delayed four times. It’s still a building site, with the capacity limited to 62,000 in what will eventually be a 105,000-seater venue when completed in the 2027/28 season.
Barca have thrived amid the change. Coach Hansi Flick won the league by four points in 2024/25 and by eight points last season.
Four Barca coaches have won two titles in their first two seasons in the 21st century, but only Guardiola went on to win the league in his third season as well.
Under Flick, Barca conceded more than Madrid, but also easily outscored their main rivals – by 24 goals in 24/25 and 18 last term. The Catalans’ front line shared the goals. Lamine Yamal, Ferran Torres, Robert Lewandowski and Raphinha were all among the top 11 scorers in the league last season, with Madrid only having two: Kylian Mbappe and Vinicius Jr.
Torres, 26, scored the winner in the World Cup final, but now looks set to join Paris Saint-Germain. Barca boast several Spanish players, including Yamal, Pedri, Gavi, Dani Olmo and stellar central defender Pau Cubarsi, who was the best young player in North America this summer.
Barcelona’s most expensive summer signing is Liverpudlian Anthony Gordon from Newcastle United, and he impressed fans by speaking in Spanish (and even Catalan) when he was unveiled. The 25-year-old, who scored for England in the World Cup semi-final, can operate in multiple forward positions and will replace the on-loan Marcus Rashford, whom Barca decided against signing.
The Catalans have also signed German international forward Karim Adeyemi from Borussia Dortmund. It would cause a huge stir if they also signed Rodri from Manchester City, as they intend to. Real Madrid had long been the strongest suitors for Spain’s captain, who wants to return home for family reasons.
Madrid, the world’s most successful football club, have gone back to Mourinho to challenge Barca, just as they did 16 years ago. They’ve been busy in the transfer window. Cult hero and left-back Marc Cucurella has joined from Chelsea, while centre-back Ibrahima Konate is another new arrival.
Bernardo Silva, Denzel Dumfries and Carlos Espi have all moved to the Bernabeu, and more are expected. Mbappe, who left the World Cup with the Golden Boot having scored 10 goals, remains Madrid’s biggest star, though Jude Bellingham’s seven goals for England saw Bellingham's stock rise. Bellingham is a key man for Los Blancos.
Atletico fight to keep Alvarez
And what of the rest? It’s unlikely that a team outside the big two will win the league, but it's implausible that a team outside the big three will triumph.
Atletico Madrid, with several Spanish World Cup winners in their squad (no Real Madrid players were called up to the initial squad), have brought left-back Alex Grimaldo from Bayer Leverkusen. The Spaniard has never played a game in La Liga up to now.
Diego Simeone is in his 15th season as Atletico manager, and his side have also signed Kang-in Lee, who played a part in Paris Saint-Germain’s back-to-back Uefa Champions League-winning squads. They have also managed to hold on to coveted striker Julian Alvarez so far, though Barcelona want him.
Real Betis, who have been unusually consistent this decade under Manuel Pellegrini, will play Champions League football and have signed left-back Fran Garcia, 26, from Real Madrid.
Striker Martin Satriano has joined Getafe on a permanent deal from Lyon after helping Los Azulones reach European football, while Mikel Oyarzabal, Spain's top scorer at the World Cup, stays at Real Sociedad.
His 15 league goals last term put him just one behind the eventual Zarra Trophy winners, Ferran Torres and Yamal.
At Athletic Club, Edin Terzic, having taken over from the successful Ernesto Valverde, will have World Cup winners Unai Simon, Aymeric Laporte and Nico Williams in his squad.
Inigo Perez has come in at Villarreal and will aim to qualify El Submarino Amarillo for Champions League football for a third consecutive season. Benat San Jose has replaced him at Rayo Vallecano.
Spain have five teams in the Champions League this season, while Celta Vigo and Real Sociedad will play in the Europa League and Getafe will play in the Conference League.
Familiar faces back in top flight
Racing Santander return after 14 years, Malaga return after an eight-season absence, while Deportivo La Coruna (also eight years) have also been promoted, which means the first Galician derby against Celta Vigo since 2018.
All three went down to the third tier before they reorganised and rose again. All three are well supported, well respected in Spanish football, and all are in the top 20 of the all-time historical league table. Racing were founder members of La Liga in 1929. The all-time leaders are Real Madrid, followed by Barcelona.
Depor, who are likely to sell out their 32,000-capacity home for each game, have signed veteran forward Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang, 37. Racing will see hometown hero Sergio Canales, 35, return.
Girona, just a year after playing Champions League football, and the Reals of Mallorca and Oviedo were relegated.
La Liga stadiums continue to be developed to bring them up to the standard of any league in the world. Hosting the next World Cup finals helps, but venues at smaller clubs from Osasuna to Levante have been tastefully redeveloped and expanded. La Liga starts on Friday with Alaves versus Getafe and Sevilla versus Rayo Vallecano on the opening day.
Barca had 15 members of last season’s squad at the World Cup. They will need to recover quickly enough to hit the ground running, since history has shown there’s little margin for error in La Liga.
