Madrid, July 7 (IANS) Spain’s victory over Portugal in the World Cup Round of 16 has increased the likelihood that several opening-weekend matches in the upcoming 2026-27 season of La Liga will be postponed.

La Liga is scheduled to begin on the weekend of August 15-16, but an agreement provides that clubs with players involved in the World Cup semifinals will not be required to begin their domestic campaign until a week later. Any postponed fixtures are expected to be rescheduled between the second and third rounds of the season.

Real Madrid’s opening match against Real Sociedad has already been affected. Real Madrid has players representing both France and Morocco, including Kylian Mbappé, Aurelien Tchouameni, and Brahim Diaz. With France and Morocco meeting in the quarterfinals, at least one Madrid player is guaranteed to reach the semifinals, reports Xinhua.

Spain’s progression has further complicated the situation, with more La Liga clubs now certain to have players involved in the latter stages of the tournament.

Spain’s football players’ union maintains that players are entitled to a minimum of three weeks’ vacation each summer. With the World Cup ending on July 19, finalists would not have sufficient recovery time before the start of the new domestic season if they were required to play on the opening weekend.

Other major European leagues have largely avoided the issue by delaying the start of their seasons. The Premier League is set to begin its 2026-27 campaign on the weekend of August 22-23.

Meanwhile, Spain remains the only team yet to concede a goal in the FIFA World Cup 2026, allowing goalkeeper Unai Simon to extend his World Cup finals record for consecutive minutes without conceding to 609.

Aymeric Laporte has also been influential in possession, completing around 90 percent of his passes overall and 85 percent of those played in the opposition half, helping Spain build attacks from the back while maintaining defensive stability.

Against Portugal, Laporte and Cubarsi gave Ronaldo little room to operate. The veteran forward managed just 19 touches throughout the match, only three of them inside the penalty area, as Spain’s defenders kept the five-time Ballon d’Or winner largely anonymous.

Spain’s defensive record has been built on a collective effort, but the balance provided by Cubarsi’s athleticism and Laporte’s experience has been central to the team’s success. As Ronaldo’s World Cup came to an end, Laporte’s revival continued with Spain still firmly in the hunt for the title.

–IANS

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