Real Madrid set to play five matches in August

LaLiga has confirmed the kick-off times for the first three matchdays of the 2026–27 season. The competition will start the weekend of Saturday, August 15 as originally agreed with the clubs.

However, this opening round will begin in two phases. The first teams in action are those not affected by the 2026 World Cup as they don’t have players involved in the semifinals.

It is in that second group that Real Madrid appear with Mourinho’s men curiously set to play the second matchday before their first. Real Madrid will begin the campaign by facing Espanyol on Saturday, August 22 at 9:30 p.m. (local time) at the RCDE Stadium, a fixture that, according to the published schedule, belongs to the second matchday of the competition.

It will be on Wednesday the 26th when Madrid play at the Santiago Bernabéu for the first time this league campaign. It will mark José Mourinho’s return to the stadium that was his home for three seasons from 2010–2013, and which he visited again in January and February of this year with Benfica for a Champions League match and tie and their opponent will be Real Sociedad.

Four days later, Madrid will host Málaga at the Bernabeu again, the side from the Costa del Sol are one of the newly promoted teams to the first division, along with Racing and Deportivo. Málaga travel to the Bernabéu on Sunday, August 30 starting at 5:00 p.m. in a third matchday league game. That will close their official commitments for August, although there are two friendlies scheduled beforehand with the possibility of a third.

The first of those friendlies will be played in Austria, specifically in Klagenfurt at the Wörthersee Stadion, against Italy’s Fiorentina. ‘La Viola’ have just signed Víctor Valdepeñas for eight million euros with the match is set for August 1 at 6:00 p.m. (local time).

‘Los Blancos’ have visited Austria near the Slovenian border twice in recent years: first in 2021 to face Milan (0–0), and last year, when they beat WSG Tirol in Innsbruck in another friendly (0–4, goals by Militao, Mbappé (2) and Rodrygo).

On August 12 they will make their return to Spanish soil as Mourinho’s men travel to A Coruña to contest the LXXXI edition of the Trofeo Teresa Herrera. José Mourinho’s side will meet Deportivo at Riazor on August 12 at 9:00 p.m. (local time). Real Madrid team return to a tournament they have won nine times: 1949, 1953, 1966, 1976, 1978, 1979, 1980, 1994 and 2013. In fact, 2013 was the last time they traveled to the Galician capital to play this trophy.

There is still the possibility that Madrid could make another trip in Europe as part of the pre-season activity. In Germany over the past few days, a rumor is growing that suggests that Madrid could face Schalke 04 as part of the German club’s 25th-anniversary celebrations, which are held on August 13, though options are being considered to play that match on August 16.

Get closer to the game! Whether you like your soccer of the European variety or that of this side of the pond, our AS USA app has it all. Dive into live coverage, expert insights, breaking news, exclusive videos, and more. Plus, stay updated on NFL, NBA and all other big sports stories as well as the latest in current affairs and entertainment. Download now for all-access coverage, right at your fingertips – anytime, anywhere.

And there’s more: check out our TikTok and Instagram reels for bite-sized visual takes on all the biggest soccer news and insights.