When is El Clasico? – Barcelona vs Real Madrid 2025/26 dates

El Clasico is the biggest fixture in world football, with meetings between Barcelona and Real Madrid the most-watched games on the Spanish football calendar. The clubs meet twice per season in LaLiga, but often more frequently than that, with regular clashes in cup competitions and sometimes pre-season fixtures.

Below, we’ll look at when El Clasico is next going to be played, the recent results between the clubs and all the scheduled and potential meetings in the 2025/26 season.

Attending the big match is possible, although often very expensive with demand sure to be high. Anyone looking at getting tickets for El Clasico will need to pay attention to on-sale dates and be prepared to pay much more than for a regular LaLiga fixture.

When is El Clasico next going to be played?

The next confirmed Clasico match will be on the weekend of May 9th/10th 2026 and Barcelona will be at home. The exact time and date will be announced around one month before. It will take place on matchday 35 of the season in LaLiga, and could therefore potentially be a crucial game in terms of the destiny of the title race.

The clear expectation is that Barcelona will be playing at Camp Nou by then. Delays to construction work have pushed back the return to their revamped home, which last hosted a Clasico during the 2022/23 season. However, it should certainly be ready by May 2026, although it won’t be operating at full capacity.

Latest El Clasico results

Barcelona had the better of the first two competitive El Clasico fixtures during the 2024/25 season, winning both convincingly, with nine goals scored. They then edged out Los Blancos in the Copa del Rey final in extra time, in a more competitive affair in Seville in April, before coming from behind to complete a Clasico clean sweep and effectively end the title race in May 2025.

Heading into the new 2025/26 campaign, Real Madrid hadn’t defeated their rivals since a 3-2 victory at the end of the 2023/24 LaLiga season. That was a much better period for the side from the capital which delivered major Spanish and European silverware.

Last meeting: Real Madrid 2-1 Barcelona

There were 23 goals in the four competitive Clasicos last season. The first meeting with Xabi Alonso as Real Madrid boss only produced three, but there were no shortage of talking points in an encounter that may prove the beginning of a new era of Barca-Real clashes.

Kylian Mbappe and Jude Bellingham scored first-half goals for Los Blancos, who were the dominant force in a contest that boiled over at full-time, with a number of confrontations. Red cards were shown to Pedri and Andriy Lunin in a heated finale, but an element of pride was restored by the hosts, although it’s true that Barca were struggling with a number of injury problems.

El Clasico dates – Barcelona vs Real Madrid 2025/26 fixtures

• Weekend of 9th/10th May 2026 – Barcelona vs Real Madrid (LaLiga)

As it stands, there is only one more definite Clasico meeting scheduled for the 2025/26 season. However, there’s also the potential for meetings in three cup competitions.

The most likely is the Spanish Supercopa, which will again take place in Saudi Arabia in January. Barcelona face Athletic Club, while Real Madrid face Atletico Madrid in the semi-finals, meaning there’s a decent chance we’ll get a Clasico final for the fourth year in a row.

Should Barcelona and Real Madrid both win their semi-finals, El Clasico would take place at King Abdullah Sports City in Jeddah on Sunday 11th January 2026.

The Champions League schedule and lack of country protection also means we could get a Clasico in that competition at any point in the knockout stage.

The clubs could also potentially be paired together in the Copa del Rey, which gets into full swing in early 2026.

Mark is a freelance football writer based in Madrid, and the editor of LaLigaExpert.com. He has been covering LaLiga and European football since 2014.