Real Madrid will begin their 2025-26 La Liga season as scheduled after the Spanish Football Federation (RFEF) rejected their appeal to postpone their August 19 opener against Osasuna on Thursday, Afrosport reports.
Los Blancos had requested a long pre-season period following their participation in the FIFA Club World Cup in the United States, where they reached the semi-finals but lost 4-0 to runners-up Paris Saint-Germain in New Jersey.
According to Reuters, a judge representing the RFEF did not see justification for Madrid’s request as it was not a force majeure situation, and the integrity of La Liga as a competition needed to be preserved.
“Finally, it should be added that although the requesting club claims to have the agreement of the opposing party, CA Osasuna, there is no record of this entity having responded to the request made by this judge,” the judge stated.
Real Madrid will begin the new season under Xabi Alonso, who joined from Bayer Leverkusen and replaced Carlo Ancelotti.
Los Blancos will also begin the campaign without some familiar faces such as Luka Modric and Lucas Vazquez, who left the club as free agents, while it will see new faces like Trent Alexander-Arnold, Dean Huijsen, Alvaro Carreras and Franco Mastantuono.
