- LALIGA players represented 46% of Spain and Argentina’s 26-man rosters for the 2026 FIFA World Cup Final, won 1-0 by Spain
- LALIGA champions FC Barcelona and league runners up Real Madrid kick off their new campaigns Aug. 22-23 on ABC
- LALIGA is coming off its best-ever season in the U.S. on ESPN platforms in 2025/26, reaching 20.1 million viewers (+10% YoY) and 3.9 billion minutes watched (+11% YoY)
NEW YORK, Aug. 11, 2026 /PRNewswire/ — LALIGA and ESPN today announced the kickoff of their 2026/27 season coverage in the United States. ESPN will present live coverage of all 380 matches on ESPN+, in English and Spanish-language, with at least 20 matches presented across ABC, ESPN and ESPN2. In addition, ESPN Deportes will present at least 200 matches. Kickoff coverage is highlighted by marquee ABC broadcasts featuring Real Madrid and FC Barcelona on Aug. 22-23.
The new campaign begins on the heels of Spain’s second World Cup title and LALIGA’s best-ever season across ESPN platforms.
LALIGA EA SPORTS was the most-represented league in the 2026 FIFA World Cup Final, with 24 of the 52 players named across Spain and Argentina’s squads playing their club soccer in LALIGA—including nine players from Atlético de Madrid, eight from FC Barcelona, and the rest representing Athletic Club, Real Sociedad, Real Madrid, Real Betis, Osasuna and Celta de Vigo.
Many of this summer’s stars return to action as the 2026/27 LALIGA season begins with Matchday 1 the weekend of Aug. 15-17.
While Real Madrid, FC Barcelona and Atlético de Madrid had their opening fixtures rescheduled to give their World Cup participants the 21-day mandatory rest period, U.S. fans won’t have to wait long to see World Cup winners including Lamine Yamal, Pau Cubarsí and Ferran Torres, and World Cup stars like Kylian Mbappé, Jude Bellingham and Vini Jr. in action as RCD Espanyol hosts Real Madrid on Saturday, Aug. 22 (3:30 PM ET, ABC), and Elche CF hosts FC Barcelona on Sunday, Aug. 23 (3:30 PM ET, ABC).
ESPN’s Matchday 2 coverage also features Athletic Club-Sevilla and Atlético de Madrid-Villarreal on ESPN2, ESPN Deportes and ESPN+, complementing the Real Madrid and FC Barcelona presentations on ABC. ESPN will provide English- and Spanish-language match coverage throughout the weekend, along with on-site commentary, reporting and studio programming from Barcelona and Alicante.
A Summer Built for Fans
While the World Cup took center stage this summer, that didn’t stop LALIGA from continuing to storytell and engage fans throughout the U.S. with support from long-term partners including Walmart, Remitly, Verizon, Panini and Polymarket.
Since June, LALIGA North America, the 20-year joint venture between LALIGA and Relevent, has run its most extensive U.S. fan programming to date featuring:
- More than 10,000 fans attended six “Legendary Kickoffs” events with Walmart across six U.S. cities starting in Los Angeles for the USMNT’s World Cup opener against Paraguay and culminating in New Jersey ahead of the 2026 FIFA World Cup Final.
- More than 1,000 youth participated in free LALIGA x McDonald’s soccer camps across four U.S. cities in June and July as the league continues to make the beautiful game more accessible for the next generation
- The final of LALIGA Pick-Up Fútbol presented by Remitly on June 27 welcomed more than 1,000 fans and participants, with the winners earning a free trip to Spain.
- El Partidazo presented by Lowe’s returns for the 2026/27 season with events planned for six cities nationwide, with LALIGA Pick-Up Fútbol tournaments presented by Remitly hosted the same weekends.
- The ELCLÁSICO Fan Experience presented by Walmart returns for a second season, celebrating the most-watched club soccer match in the world.
- LALIGA’s growing gaming program and summer camps will continue, with plans to expand each into next season.
The Multicultural League
The 2026 World Cup didn’t just crown a champion, it highlighted the scale of a young, bilingual, multicultural soccer audience in the U.S. that LALIGA and ESPN have been engaging with and building in the market since 2021.
- Nielsen’s 2025 Diverse Intelligence Series found U.S. Hispanics represent roughly 20% of the population and more than $4.1 trillion in annual purchasing power, with a median age of 31 and 72% of Hispanic sports fans identifying as Gen Z or Millennials.
- LALIGA on ESPN is the only major European soccer league in the U.S. market with full English- and Spanish-language distribution. That broad availability across ESPN Deportes and ESPN+, combined with LALIGA’s dedicated bilingual, in-market content and activation efforts, including its content studio in Guadalajara, Mexico, has helped drive continued audience growth.
- In 2025/26, LALIGA delivered its best-ever U.S. season across ESPN platforms, reaching 20.1 million viewers, up 10% year over year, and 3.9 billion minutes watched, an increase of 11%. ESPN Deportes averaged a record 83,000 viewers, up 11% year over year and 38% since the network began carrying most matches on linear television in 2022/23.
“No one engages with and relates to soccer’s multicultural and diverse audiences better than LALIGA,” said Nicolás García Hemme, LALIGA North America managing director. “The 2026 World Cup only reinforced what LALIGA knows: these audiences are a dynamic and passionate fanbase who celebrate community, culture and sport like no one else. It’s been our priority since 2018 to not only engage these demographics, but to represent them, and we’ll continue to do so for many more years to come.”
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION
Michael LoRé
LALIGA North America
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SOURCE LALIGA North America
