Mourinho, Barça: what LaLiga day 2 tells us

According to VAVEL España, José Mourinho makes his LaLiga return as Real Madrid coach this Saturday 22 August 2026, when the club visits Espanyol at the RCDE Stadium for matchday two of LaLiga EA Sports 2026-27. If you were expecting his debut a week earlier, futbolcentroamerica.com explains why it did not happen: Madrid's scheduled matchday-one fixture against Real Sociedad was pushed back to 26 August, which turns this trip to Barcelona into the real curtain-raiser for Mourinho's second spell in the Spanish capital.

The reason so many openers slipped is the same across the board. As eldesmarque.com reported back in July, several matchday-one games were rescheduled to respect a mandatory 21-day rest period for players who reached the final stages of the 2026 World Cup: Atlético against Málaga was moved to 19 August, Valencia against Betis to 25 August, Real Madrid against Real Sociedad to 26 August, and Barcelona against Athletic Club to 27 August (a fifth game, Celta against Osasuna, was held over for the state of the Balaídos pitch). That is why the reigning champions are only starting now.

Eurosport.es picks up that Barcelona thread: the club, champions for a second season in a row after 2025-26, play their first official fixture of the campaign on Sunday 23 August at Elche's Martínez Valero ground (kick-off 21:30 CET), precisely because the Athletic game was postponed to 27 August. The same outlet adds a detail on the hosts: Elche opened with a 1-1 draw away at Deportivo de La Coruña in Riazor, the first game in charge for new coach Martín Anselmi, so Barça will not face a side short on confidence.

The rest of the round fills in around those two headliners. Sports Illustrated's Spanish edition (si.com) notes that Atlético de Madrid, 2-0 winners over Málaga on 19 August, host Villarreal at the Riyadh Air Metropolitano on Sunday 23 August, with Villarreal arriving off a 2-2 draw against Racing de Santander. LaLiga.com's official schedule confirms the round actually kicked off earlier, on Thursday 20 August, with Rayo Vallecano against Deportivo Alavés at Vallecas. Put together, these threads explain why LaLiga is topping Spain's trends today: two of the biggest names in the game, Mourinho and the champions, are only truly getting their seasons under way.

Sources : VAVEL España, futbolcentroamerica.com, eldesmarque.com, Eurosport.es, si.com (Sports Illustrated), LaLiga.com, Google Trends.