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La Liga Title Race: Barcelona, Real Madrid, Atletico Madrid First Five Games in 2026
Real Madrid and Atlético Madrid are well in the fight to dethrone Barcelona, but the defending La Liga champions are holding tight to their crown.
The first half of the 2025–26 season is done and dusted, with all 20 clubs in the Spanish top-flight enjoying a brief holiday reprieve before returning to action at the weekend. Unsurprisingly, the three biggest teams in La Liga sit atop the standings as the calendar flips to 2026, with the Catalans leading the way.
Barcelona have a four-point advantage over bitter rivals Real Madrid, while nine points separate Hansi Flick’s men and third-place Atlético Madrid. The three powerhouses have massive games coming up over the next five weeks, though, that could blow La Liga’s title race wide open.
Here’s what the next five league games of the title contenders look like.
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La Liga Standings
Pos. | Team | Points | Games Played |
|---|---|---|---|
1. | Barcelona | 46 | 18 |
2. | Real Madrid | 42 | 18 |
3. | Atlético Madrid | 37 | 18 |
Barcelona’s Next Five La Liga Fixtures
Barcelona return from the holiday break with a tough away fixture against Espanyol. Although the defending Spanish champions have won the last three Catalan derbies, their neighboring rivals are on a five-game winning streak in La Liga and currently sit fifth in the standings.
Next up is a trip to San Sebastián, which should pose little problems for Flick’s side. Real Sociedad have only four wins this season, just two more than Barcelona’s next opponents in relegation-bound Real Oviedo.
Elche will then be waiting to enact their revenge on the Catalans after suffering a 3–1 defeat in the reverse fixture back in November. Except they must snap a 50-year winless streak against Barcelona to do so.
Mallorca face a similar challenge, having not collected three points against the Spanish giants since 2009. Most recently, the two clubs clashed in their season opener, which ended in a 3–0 victory for Barcelona.
Opponent | Date |
|---|---|
Espanyol (A) | Jan. 3 |
Real Sociedad (A) | Jan. 18 |
Real Oviedo (H) | Jan. 25 |
Elche (A) | Feb. 1 |
Mallorca (H) | Feb. 8 |
Real Madrid’s Next Five La Liga Fixtures
Real Madrid cannot afford any blunders to open the new year if they want to keep the pressure on Barcelona atop the table. Xabi Alonso’s men will be eager to make it three league wins in a row when they welcome Real Betis to the Bernabéu to kick off 2026.
Los Blancos then should comfortably get past last-place Levante before a massive test awaits at the Estadio de la Cerámica. Villarreal host Real Madrid in their final La Liga match of January, and the Yellow Submarine have only lost just one game at home this season.
Next up for the 15-time European champions is a bout with Rayo Vallecano. On paper, Real Madrid are heavy favorites, but their opponents already held them to a goalless draw back in November.
A trip to the Mestalla rounds out Real Madrid’s upcoming five fixtures. No matter where either side sits in the table, a game in Valencia is almost never straightforward for Los Blancos.
Opponent | Date |
|---|---|
Real Betis (H) | Jan. 4 |
Levante (H) | Jan. 17 |
Villarreal (A) | Jan. 25 |
Rayo Vallecano (H) | Feb. 1 |
Valencia (A) | Feb. 8 |
Atlético Madrid’s Next Five La Liga Fixtures
A slow start to the 2025–26 season put Atlético Madrid at an early disadvantage in the La Liga title race, so much so that Diego Simeone’s men are still playing catch up nearly five months into the campaign.
Yet a string of relatively easy fixtures gives them the perfect opportunity to keep gaining ground on Barcelona and Real Madrid. Julián Alvarez should have no trouble exploiting Real Sociedad’s leaky backline, and his supporting cast will be eager to pitch in against Alavés to rectify a their poor 1–1 draw with the 14th place side back in August.
Mallorca is the next team to come to the Metropolitano, a venue they have not won in since 2021. Then Los Colchoneros take on a Levante side with just two wins to their name this season.
Much like Real Madrid, the biggest test for Atlético Madrid comes against Real Betis. Still, Simeone’s squad will come into the clash with the confidence of having already bested the strong side 2–0 in October.
Opponent | Date |
|---|---|
Real Sociedad (A) | Jan. 4 |
Alavés (H) | Jan. 18 |
Mallorca (H) | Jan. 25 |
Levante (A) | Feb. 1 |
Real Betis (H) | Feb. 8 |
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Amanda Langell is a Sports Illustrated FC freelance writer and editor. Born and raised in New York City, her first loves were the Yankees, the Rangers and Broadway before Real Madrid took over her life. Had it not been for her brother’s obsession with Cristiano Ronaldo, she would have never lived through so many magical Champions League nights 3,600 miles away from the Bernabéu. When she’s not consumed by Spanish and European soccer, she’s traveling, reading or losing her voice at a concert.