Real Madrid 2026 Preseason: Schedule, Results, and Mourinho's Return

Real Madrid is stepping back into the spotlight with Jose Mourinho at the helm once again. After a rocky 2025/26 campaign that saw them part ways with Xabi Alonso mid-season and finish without any trophies under Alvaro Arbeloa, club president Florentino Perez decided it was time to bring Mourinho back. The squad has been busy in the transfer market, and their preseason games have started revealing how the pieces might fit together.

Preseason Matches and Outcomes

The preseason kicked off with closed-door matches at Valdebebas against Alcorcon and Leganes. Following these, Real Madrid played four away games against notable teams: Serie A’s Fiorentina, Hungarian giants Ferencvaros, La Liga’s newly promoted Deportivo La Coruna, and Bundesliga returnees Schalke.

• Alcorcon (W 1-0) - Fri., July 24 at Estadio Alfredo Di Stefano, Madrid, 8 a.m. ET
• Leganes (W 4-1) - Tue., July 28 at Estadio Alfredo Di Stefano, Madrid, 12 p.m. ET
• Fiorentina (D 2-2) - Sat., August 1 at Worthersee Stadion, Klagenfurt, 12 p.m. ET
• Ferencvaros (W 2-1) - Sat., August 8 at Groupama Arena, Budapest, 1 p.m. ET
• Deportivo (W 1-0) - Wed., August 12 at Riazor, A Coruna, 3 p.m. ET
• Schalke (W 3-0) - Sun., August 16 at Veltins-Arena, Gelsenkirchen, 12 p.m. ET

Venues for Preseason Battles

Among these venues, the Worthersee Stadion in Klagenfurt, Austria, stood out as the location where Real Madrid and Fiorentina played to a 2-2 draw. This stadium previously hosted Real Madrid’s match against AC Milan in 2021 and has a capacity of 30,000. Their trip to Hungary brought them to Budapest’s Groupama Arena to face Ferencvaros on home ground. Deportivo and Schalke hosted their games in their own stadiums.

World Cup Players Rejoin the Squad

Players returning from World Cup duty have been reintegrated gradually. Antonio Rudiger and Endrick rejoined the team after the match with Leganes, while Vinicius Junior returned on July 31, just before signing a lucrative new contract with Los Blancos. Kylian Mbappe wasted no time marking his comeback, scoring within six minutes during the final preseason game against Schalke.

Start of the La Liga Campaign

Real Madrid will begin their quest for the La Liga title with an away game at Espanyol on Saturday, August 22. Last season, Madrid secured two wins over Espanyol, both 2-0. Their first home matches will be crucial, starting with back-to-back fixtures against Real Sociedad and recently promoted Malaga, who earned their place through the playoffs.

• Sat., August 22: Espanyol (Away)
• Wed., August 26: Real Sociedad (Home)
• Sun., August 30: Malaga (Home)
• Sun., September 6: Real Betis (Away)
• Sun., September 13: Rayo Vallecano (Home)