MADRID, July 7 (Xinhua) -- Spain's victory over Portugal in the World Cup round of 16 has increased the likelihood that several opening-weekend matches in the new La Liga season will be postponed.
La Liga is scheduled to begin on the weekend of August 15-16, but an agreement provides that clubs with players involved in the World Cup semifinals will not be required to begin their domestic campaign until a week later. Any postponed fixtures are expected to be rescheduled between the second and third rounds of the season.
Real Madrid's opening match against Real Sociedad has already been affected. Real Madrid has players representing both France and Morocco, including Kylian Mbappe, Aurelien Tchouameni and Brahim Diaz. With France and Morocco meeting in the quarterfinals, at least one Madrid player is guaranteed to reach the semifinals.
Spain's progression has further complicated the situation, with more La Liga clubs now certain to have players involved in the latter stages of the tournament.
Spain's football players' union maintains that players are entitled to a minimum of three weeks' vacation each summer. With the World Cup ending on July 19, finalists would not have sufficient recovery time before the start of the new domestic season if they were required to play on the opening weekend.
Other major European leagues have largely avoided the issue by delaying the start of their seasons. The Premier League is set to begin its 2026-27 campaign on the weekend of August 22-23. ■
