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

Jose Mourinho is back at the helm of Real Madrid, marking a return after several years away. Following a rocky 2025/26 season where the club dismissed Xabi Alonso mid-campaign and finished without trophies under Alvaro Arbeloa, club president Florentino Perez decided to bring Mourinho back to lead the team.

The club has been busy in the transfer market, and their preseason matches offer a glimpse of how things might come together under Mourinho’s leadership.

Preseason Matches and Results

Real Madrid kicked off their preseason with two closed-door matches at their Valdebebas training ground, facing Alcorcon and Leganes.

They then played four consecutive away games against notable clubs from Italy, Hungary, Spain, and Germany: Fiorentina, Ferencvaros, Deportivo La Coruna, and Schalke. Deportivo and Schalke had just secured promotion back to La Liga and the Bundesliga respectively last season.

• Opponent (Result): Alcorcon (W 1-0)
• Date: Friday, July 24
• Location: Estadio Alfredo Di Stefano, Madrid
• Kickoff Time (ET): 8 a.m.

• Opponent (Result): Leganes (W 4-1)
• Date: Tuesday, July 28
• Location: Estadio Alfredo Di Stefano, Madrid
• Kickoff Time (ET): 12 p.m.

• Opponent (Result): Fiorentina (D 2-2)
• Date: Saturday, August 1
• Location: Worthersee Stadion, Klagenfurt
• Kickoff Time (ET): 12 p.m.

• Opponent (Result): Ferencvaros (W 2-1)
• Date: Saturday, August 8
• Location: Groupama Arena, Budapest
• Kickoff Time (ET): 1 p.m.

• Opponent (Result): Deportivo (W 1-0)
• Date: Wednesday, August 12
• Location: Riazor, A Coruna
• Kickoff Time (ET): 3 p.m.

• Opponent (Result): Schalke (W 3-0)
• Date: Sunday, August 16
• Location: Veltins-Arena, Gelsenkirchen
• Kickoff Time (ET): 12 p.m.

Venues for Preseason Matches

The 2-2 draw against Fiorentina took place in Austria at the Worthersee Stadion in Klagenfurt, a venue that held an AC Milan game back in 2021. The match against Ferencvaros was in Budapest’s Groupama Arena. Deportivo and Schalke welcomed Real Madrid at their home grounds, Riazor and Veltins-Arena respectively.

Return of World Cup Players

Antonio Rudiger and Endrick rejoined the squad after the Leganes match. Vinicius Junior returned on July 31 before signing a major new contract to stay with Los Blancos. Kylian Mbappe made an immediate impact by scoring within six minutes during the final preseason match against Schalke.

First La Liga Fixtures for 2026/27

Real Madrid will open their La Liga campaign on the road against Espanyol on Saturday, August 22. Last season, Madrid won both league meetings against Espanyol with 2-0 scores.

Mourinho's first competitive matches at the Santiago Bernabeu this season are set to be back-to-back home games versus Real Sociedad and Malaga. Malaga earned promotion via playoffs last term.

• Date: Saturday, August 22 - Opponent: Espanyol - Venue: Away
• Date: Wednesday, August 26 - Opponent: Real Sociedad - Venue: Home
• Date: Sunday, August 30 - Opponent: Malaga - Venue: Home
• Date: Sunday, September 6 - Opponent: Real Betis - Venue: Away
• Date: Sunday, September 13 - Opponent: Rayo Vallecano - Venue: Home