- 2025-26 season reached 20.1 million viewers and 3.9 billion minutes watched, up 10 percent and 11 percent, respectively, from prior season
- LALIGA and ESPN leveraged The Walt Disney Company brands like Marvel Television and Star Wars, and worked with creators including Jesser and Celine Dept to bridge gap between sport, entertainment and younger audiences
- ELCLÁSICO Presented by Walmart became the first-of-its-kind partnership platform in which a European league collaborated with its regional media rights holder to integrate both broadcast media assets and league partnership assets into one unified commercial program
NEW YORK and BRISTOL, Conn., June 4, 2026 /PRNewswire/ — LALIGA recorded its best-ever season in the United States across ESPN platforms during the 2025-26 campaign, reaching 20.1 million viewers and 3.9 billion minutes watched, up 10 percent and 11 percent, respectively, from the previous season.
The record-breaking season was highlighted by the latest playing of ELCLÁSICO on May 10 as FC Barcelona defeated rivals Real Madrid 2-0 to win its 29th LALIGA title. The match is the most-watched LALIGA ELCLÁSICO ever on ESPN, delivering 1.3 million combined viewers across ESPN, ESPN Deportes, and ESPN+ (English only), up 16 percent from the Fall 2025 ELCLÁSICO.
2025-26 LALIGA viewership highlights
- Reached 20.1 million viewers across ESPN platforms, up 10% vs. previous season
- 3.9 billion minutes watched across ESPN platforms, up 11% vs. previous season
- 91,000 average viewers across all linear ESPN platforms, up 14% vs. previous season
- Averaged 83,000 viewers on ESPN Deportes, up 11% YoY
- 3.4 billion minutes watched on ESPN Deportes, up 7% vs. previous season
- LALIGA viewership on ESPN Deportes is up 38% since the network began airing most matches on linear starting with the 2022-23 season
- Delivered three of the 10 most-viewed LALIGA matches ever on ESPN platforms: ELCLÁSICO (May 10; ESPN) averaged 755,000 viewers, ELCLÁSICO (Oct. 26; ESPN2) averaged 634,000 viewers, and Girona vs. Real Madrid (Nov. 30; ABC) averaged 508,000 viewers
Engaging audiences beyond the field
The league’s historic season wasn’t limited to increased viewership on ESPN linear platforms. Throughout the season, ESPN helped extend LALIGA’s reach by tapping into the power of Disney, with select content integrations tied to The Walt Disney Company brands including Marvel Television and Star Wars, all amplified by LALIGA’s content studio in Guadalajara, Mexico.
ESPN and LALIGA also collaborated with high-profile creators like Jesser (43.6M+ YouTube followers) and Celine Dept (58.2M+ YouTube followers), and external partners including WWE to expand the league’s reach by bridging the gap between sport, entertainment and younger audiences.
Additional activations included Celine Dept’s ELCLÁSICO content from Santiago Bernabéu, GameRoomTheater’s at-home fan content, and ESPN’s first-ever International Golden Ticket moment with Omar Raja around Atlético de Madrid-FC Barcelona. ESPN and LALIGA also teamed up with WWE superstar Angelo Dawkins for crossover content tied to ELCLÁSICO and LALIGA on ABC.
2025-26 LALIGA social and digital highlights
- ESPN Deportes social platforms generated 94 million engagements on LALIGA content, up 85% vs. previous season (Source: Sprinklr)
- 5.1 million unique users consumed LALIGA content on ESPN.com, up 45% YoY (Source: Adobe Analytics)
- 12.8 million unique users consumed LALIGA content on ESPN app, up 4.5% YoY (Source: Adobe Analytics)
Bringing fútbol to the fans
While fans were able to enjoy all 380 matches of the 2025-26 LALIGA season in English and Spanish exclusively on ESPN+, LALIGA brought the best of Spanish soccer and culture to cities and communities across the country all season long.
More than 14,000 fans attended 16 unique activations and events in seven cities throughout the U.S. and Canada, a 75% increase in attendees YoY. Hosted in conjunction with regional league partners including Walmart, Lowe’s and Remitly, LALIGA held watch parties, pickup soccer tournaments and concerts in Charlotte, Dallas, Houston, Los Angeles, New York City, Toronto and Washington, D.C. in celebration of the league’s biggest matches including ELCLÁSICO, El Derbi de Madrid, and Atlético de Madrid vs. FC Barcelona.
ELCLÁSICO Presented by Walmart became the first-of-its-kind partnership platform in which a European league collaborated with its regional media rights holder to integrate both broadcast media assets and league partnership assets into one unified commercial program.
While the 2025-26 LALIGA season concluded on May 24, that doesn’t mean LALIGA stars will be out of the spotlight until next season. Kylian Mbappé, Lamine Yamal, Jude Bellingham, Julián Alvarez, Vini Jr. and 70+ other LALIGA players will suit up for their respective countries for the 2026 FIFA World Cup kicking off June 11.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION
Michael LoRé
LALIGA North America
mlore@relevent.com
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SOURCE LALIGA North America
