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SportsBarcelona's LaLiga debut delayed one week due to Koundé's World Cup semifinal participation
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FC Barcelona will begin their LaLiga season one week later than most teams due to defender Jules Koundé's participation in the World Cup semifinals with France. LaLiga president Javier Tebas confirmed that clubs with players in the semifinals can postpone their first matchday to respect players' right to a month of vacation. Barcelona was originally scheduled to face Athletic Club at Camp Nou on August 15-16 but will now start the season away at Elche. The postponed match will be played midweek before the third matchday. Real Madrid faces a similar situation with Kylian Mbappé and Aurélien Tchouaméni. Barcelona could see more players reach the semifinals, as they have eight Spanish national team members and one English player still competing.
Source report
Updated: July 10, 2026 — 14:18 CEST Author: Javier Miguel, AS Contributor in Barcelona
FC Barcelona will begin their LaLiga campaign one week later than most teams in the competition. The delay is due to the presence of World Cup player Jules Koundé, who has already qualified for the World Cup semifinals.
LaLiga president Javier Tebas previously stated that teams with a player in the semifinals would have the authority to postpone the first matchday. Tebas cited the player's right to a month of vacation, a rule long advocated for by the Spanish Footballers' Association (AFE).
As a result, Barcelona are expected to skip the first matchday, originally scheduled against Athletic Club at Camp Nou on the weekend of August 15–16. Instead, the team will start the season a week later in Elche. The postponed match would be played midweek, before the third matchday, when Barcelona face Rayo Vallecano at Camp Nou on August 29 or 30.
Barcelona had largely anticipated this scenario, as evidenced by the scheduling of the Joan Gamper Trophy on August 19, a traditional preseason fixture that serves as the team's official presentation to fans.
Other Clubs Affected
Real Madrid are in a similar situation, following the qualification of Kylian Mbappé and Aurélien Tchouaméni for the World Cup semifinals.
Potential Increase in Barcelona's Semifinalists
Barcelona could see the number of internationals reaching the semifinals grow significantly. The club still has nine remaining 'survivors' in the tournament:
- Eight on the Spanish national team: Joan García, Eric García, Pau Cubarsí, Pedri, Dani Olmo, Gavi, Ferran Torres, and Lamine Yamal. Spain faces Belgium today.
- One on the England national team: Anthony Gordon, who will play against Norway on Saturday.
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Tagged in: Koundé · FC Barcelona · France
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Part of this Story
La Liga Opening Match Postponed Due to World Cup Semifinalists