FC Barcelona won the Spanish Football League title for the 2025-2026 season, achieving its second title in a row and the 29th in its history, after clinching the championship mathematically following its victory over its traditional rival, Real Madrid, in the fifth round of El Clásico, with a difference of 8 full points from the Royal Club, marking the first time that the title was won through a direct victory over its rival.
With the start of the new season’s competitions, Barcelona leads the standings with 18 points from 6 consecutive victories, followed by its sweep of Racing Santander by seven goals to two in the sixth round. On the other hand, Real Madrid occupies second place with 15 points and a difference of only 3 points, following its victory in the same round over Elche by three goals to two, while Atletico Madrid and Sevilla are equal in third place with 13 points each.
The royal team entered the current season with fundamental administrative and technical changes, which witnessed the return of Portuguese coach Jose Mourinho to assume technical leadership for a second period, succeeding Xabi Alonso, recalling memories of his first term between 2010 and 2013, during which he won three local titles. In terms of transfers, the Merengues strengthened their ranks by signing defender Ibrahima Konate and midfielder Bernardo Silva on free transfers from Liverpool and Manchester City, respectively, in addition to signing full-back Mark Cucurella from Chelsea for 55 million euros, and Denzel Dumfries from Inter Milan for 20 million euros, complications that led the team to achieve a series of 6 consecutive victories at its home stadium, “Santiago Bernabeu”, as the longest series since November. 2025.
Attention is turning towards the first real and direct test between the two rivals, which is scheduled to be held on Sunday, October 25, 2026, as part of the tenth round competitions at the “Camp Nou” stadium, which gives Barcelona the advantage of the ground and the audience. This confrontation gains double importance given that the past two seasons witnessed the title being decided partially or completely through the results of direct El Clásico matches.
With the early gap narrowing to 3 points compared to the final difference of 8 points last season, and with the presence of a new coach and thoughtful defensive deals, the indicators seem to indicate an exceptional and exciting season, in which the match in the tenth round – and not the current standings table – remains the first real test that will determine the features of the competition between the two poles of Spanish football.
