La Liga’s 2026-27 season kicks off on August 16, so here’s a look at where the two title contenders — and the rest of the league — stand after their preseason business.
Barcelona: upgraded at both ends, the clear favorites to defend the title
Starting with the defending champions. Barça lost Ferran Torres this summer, but brought in Anthony Gordon, who impressed at the World Cup, up front, and added Dani Olmo, who’s linked up well with Yamal for the national team, in the attacking midfield — both can play the false-nine role. Compared to the inconsistent Ferran Torres, Barça’s attacking output should step up this season.
The defensive side isn’t official yet, but World Cup Golden Ball winner Rodri is expected to join Barcelona — arguably the best defensive midfielder on the planet, and a player who fits Barça’s system so naturally he might not even need time to settle in. In preseason, Barça have only gone 2-1-1, but with Rodri not yet in and the squad still being tested, that record doesn’t say much — if anything, a few academy prospects have shown surprising upside while the first-choice players were rested. With upgrades at both ends, Barça look like the clear favorites for every trophy this season.
Real Madrid: still lavish up front, but the midfield problem hasn’t gone away
The other giant, Real Madrid, secured Vinícius’s contract renewal and then spent over €125 million on Yan Diomandé. The young Ivorian talent will line up alongside Vinícius as Mbappé’s wide outlets this season, providing terrifying threat on the flanks — and unlike Vinícius, who likes to cut inside, Yan Diomandé prefers to hug the touchline, which should do a better job of stretching the pitch for Mbappé and Bellingham through the middle.
At the back, the arrivals of Marc Cucurella, Arnold and Dumfries mark a real shift away from Real Madrid’s recent build-up-focused defensive philosophy, bumping the physicality of the back line up several levels. But even with the arrival of Bernardo Silva, a genuine creative force, the midfield control and possession problem that’s dogged Madrid for years remains unsolved — made worse by the fact that Rodri is reportedly headed to bitter rivals Barcelona.
The good news is Madrid have gone unbeaten in three preseason games, but whether that holds up once the first team is fully back and needs to gel is still an open question. Whether they can shake off last season’s trophyless campaign will largely come down to whether that lavish frontline can make up for the gap in midfield.
Atlético Madrid: the weakest midfield of the three
Atlético brought in Lee Kang-in from PSG and Hjulmand from Portugal’s Primeira Liga, giving the midfield a fresh look. But Lee Kang-in had an underwhelming World Cup, and Hjulmand still has a gap to close compared to Real Madrid and Barcelona’s top-tier midfielders — overall, Atlético’s midfield is clearly the weakest of the three. In an era where midfield decides everything, that looks set to cause them real trouble against the other two giants.
In preseason, with key players missing, Atlético went 2-2 — not bad on the surface, but they were both beaten after leading against Premier League sides Manchester United and Manchester City, which exposes the kind of problems they might run into in marquee matchups this season.
My take: if Rodri joins Barça, there’s not much title suspense left
Overall for La Liga this season: if Rodri’s move to Barcelona goes through and no team gets hit by an injury crisis, Barça remain the clear favorites for the title.