Real Madrid 2025/26 Season Preview: Team News, Key Dates, Predictions

Forbes

2 days ago

The La Liga campaign will kick off on August 19th for Real Madrid as they take on Osasuna, becoming the last two teams to start the 2025/26 season with the latest match time and date of the round.
It marks the start of a campaign in which Real Madrid will seek to regain their crown as champions of Spain, which they surrendered to Barcelona last season as they missed out on all domestic silverware. Failure to win in 2025/26 would mean the first time that Real Madrid have missed out on the title for two years running since 2019.
Ahead of the new season, Real Madrid has a very different leadership, look and structure to their team. With a new coach implementing a new philosophy and new formation, 2025/26 will be a test of Xabi Alonso's mettle.
What's new for Real Madrid in 2025/26?
The Real Madrid of 2025/26 is significantly different from the side that started last season just 12 months ago. Xabi Alonso has returned to the club, this time as coach, to replace the legendary Carlo Ancelotti and brought with him a wind of change.
One of the major changes is the man wearing the captain's armband. After 597 appearances over 13 years, Luka Modrić has moved on to join AC Milan on a free transfer, leaving right-back Dani Carvajal to take over the duty. The new vice-captains include Fede Valverde, Thibaut Courtois and Vinícius Júnior as the three next-longest serving players.
On the transfer front, Real Madrid has focused primarily on defensive additions. Trent Alexander-Arnold has joined from Liverpool to compete with captain Carvajal and provide a succession plan for the right-back position. Additionally, Dean Huijsen has come in from Bournemouth and looks to have walked straight into the team, and Álvaro Carreras has also signed on the left from Benfica to fight with Fran García and Ferland Mendy.
Further forward, Franco Mastantuono has signed from River Plate after scoring 10 goals in 64 games from the wing, though he won't join his new team for training until he turns 18 on August 14th.
There have also been some important breakthroughs in the squad already previewed in the Club World Cup. Gonzalo García has now signed a first-team contract after being the team's top scorer in the United States, and Arda Güler is also in line to have a more prominent role.
After an intense summer schedule, Real Madrid will start the season without some key figures. The main headline will be the absence of Jude Bellingham, who isn't expected to return until October following surgery on a long-term should problem. Also ruled out is Endrick Felipe, who tore his hamstring late last season against Sevilla.
In the short-term, Fede Valverde is expected to be fit despite missing a pre-season exhibition game with a muscle strain. Eduardo Camavinga is also an injury doubt after picking up a twisted ankle in training, and Ferland Mendy could come into contention after over three months out.
Additionally, suspension will prevent Antonio Rüdiger from taking part in the season debut against Osasuna on August 19th. It remains the final, and sixth, game of his suspension handed to him after throwing ice at referee Ricardo de Burgos Bengoetxea at the Copa del Rey final.
The first key date for Real Madrid will be the start of the La Liga season on August 19th, with the opening fixture against Osasuna.
Nine days later, on August 28th, the UEFA Champions League league stage draw will take place to decide who Real Madrid will play in the first stage of the continental competition. The first game of that league phase will take place in the week of September 15th.
The next major fixture will come in late September, the weekend of September 28th, as Real Madrid cross the city to take on neighbors and rivals Atlético Madrid. The Colchoneros will make the return journey over the weekend of March 22nd.
The first Clásico against FC Barcelona of the 2025/26 campaign will then take place over the weekend of October 26th, at the Estadio Santiago Bernabéu. The reverse fixture will take place at Spotify Camp Nou on the weekend of May 10th.
The Spanish Super Cup will take place between January 7th and January 11th in Saudi Arabia, while a potential Copa del Rey final would be held on April 26th at the Estadio de la Cartuja in Seville.
There is an unpredictable element to Real Madrid this season with so many changes both on and off the field. Defensively, many eyes will be on how this new-look defence will fare. Dean Huijsen is set for a crucial role in his first season, alongside an Aurélien Tchouameni who already looks irreplaceable in his ball-playing role in the middle of the back three.
The midfield could also experience a major transition. The gap vacated by Luka Modrić has granted an opportunity, and Turkish 20-year-old Arda Güler looks primed to capitalize after breaking into the team during the Club World Cup. His progress this season could be one to watch.
In attack, Kylian Mbappé is set to compete for the Pichichi award as Spain's top goalscorer for a second year running. A slow start in his debut season allowed Barcelona's Robert Lewandowski to lead for much of 2024/25, but Mbappé overtook him late on as he ended the season with 31 goals in 34 games.