The dust has barely settled on the 2026 FIFA World Cup, but Spain’s La Liga season is getting ready to kick off again on Saturday.

From Jose Mourinho’s second act at Madrid to Barcelona’s push for a three-peat and new rule changes – here are the five most compelling storylines before the new season.

Can Mourinho make Madrid champions again?

Thirteen years after he was last in the role, Mourinho is back as Real Madrid manager and is tasked with bringing glory back to the Bernabeu after two seasons without a major trophy.

Madrid have already been busy in this transfer window, bringing in Marc Cucurella, Bernardo Silva, Denzel Dumfries, Ibrahima Konate and Yan Diomande while also convincing Vinicius Jr to extend his contract to 2032.

Some see the managerial appointment as President Florentino Perez’s attempt to instil discipline among the Galacticos – although Mourinho’s relationship with Vinicius will be under the microscope after the alleged racism incident involving Mourinho’s Benfica last season.

But while Real lifted the La Liga trophy during his last spell at the club, Mourinho’s recent career has often looked out of step with the latest tactical and coaching trends.

Barcelona, for their part, would love nothing more than to win a third straight title against a Mourinho-led Madrid.

Barcelona eye third straight title

Barca retained the trophy under Hansi Flick last season, beating Real Madrid 2-0 in El Clasico to seal it with three games to spare for their second consecutive title and 29th overall.

Eighteen-year-old winger Lamine Yamal was again the star of the show, grabbing 16 goals and 11 assists to win La Liga’s Player of the Season award for a second year running despite battling injuries for long stretches.

Flick has signed a new two-year contract to extend his stay, and with Yamal only getting better, Barcelona go into the season as strong favourites to make it three in a row – something they have not managed since the golden Pep Guardiola era from 2008 to 2011.

New rules crack down on time-wasting

Spain’s refereeing committee has introduced a number of new rules for the 2026-2027 season that are mostly intended to reduce time-wasting. Many were seen at the 2026 World Cup

Substituted players must now leave the pitch within 10 seconds; otherwise, their replacements cannot come on until the first stoppage at least one minute after the restart, and an injured outfield player must now leave the pitch for treatment and stay off it for at least one minute of playing time after the restart.

A delayed throw-in can result in a change of possession while a delayed goal kick can be turned into the corner for the opposition – with a five-second window for each.

Meanwhile, video assistant referee (VAR) powers have been extended and can intervene on second-yellow-card decisions, possible mistaken red-card identification and incorrectly awarded corners.

It will be interesting to see how it all works, especially in a league plagued by refereeing controversies over recent seasons.

Pressure on Atletico to deliver after finishing fourth

Alvarez shoots against Arsenal in the UEFA Champions League semifinals

Villarreal finished third in La Liga last season under coach Marcelino Garcia Toral. They ended above Diego Simeone’s Atletico Madrid and secured a place in Champions League football.

Despite reaching the Champions League semifinals and the Copa del Rey final, Atletico finished fourth in the league and without a trophy. Simeone has acknowledged the pressure is now on himself and his talented lineup to deliver silverware in the upcoming season.

Simeone said unsettled Argentinian star forward Julian Alvarez will not be sold amid interest from Barcelona as Atletico try to hold on to their best players, but they will certainly miss veteran Antoine Griezmann, who has left the club to join Major League Soccer (MLS) side Orlando City.

Meanwhile, Marcelino left Villarreal after last season due to a contract dispute, so Inigo Perez takes over the reins after he guided Rayo Vallecano to the Conference League final last season.

Real Betis a quietly growing force

Manuel Pellegrini has taken Real Betis back into the Champions League for the first time in 20 years, sealing fifth place last season.

At 72, Pellegrini remains one of the most consistent coaches in Europe, and since taking over at Real Betis in 2020, his incremental progress at a club that spent decades in city rivals’ Sevilla’s shadow is beginning to bring regular rewards.

In 2022, the club ended a 17-year major title drought by winning the Copa del Rey while in 2025 they reached the Conference League final, only to lose to Chelsea.

They finished a significant nine points behind Atletico last season but will hope to balance the demands of Champions League football with improving further in La Liga. (Al jazeera)

Update news