10 Storylines to Watch in the 2025–26 Football Season Through a Spanish Lens

Following Crystal Palace’s win in the Community Shield on Sunday in the traditional English top-flight curtain raiser, the football season is officially underway. As such, it feels an apt moment to delve into some intriguing storylines to follow this year.

As a Spanish language learning website based in England, my focus is firmly on the Spanish-speaking world, whether that be Hispanic players in the Premier League or the most captivating plots from Spain and across Latin America.

So without further ado, here are 10 storylines to watch in the 2025-26 football season through a Spanish lens.

1.         It’s a World Cup Year: Players Will Be Vying for Places in Their Countries’ Squad (and Trying to Seal Qualification)

At the end of the 2025-26 season, the planet’s largest sporting event, the FIFA World Cup, returns. Normally nothing beats a World Cup Summer (sorry, Jet2), and while we are delighted the tournament is back to its traditional summer period following the controversial hosting of the World Cup in Qatar in the winter of 2022, there are still some eye-raising new elements to the 2026 edition.

Firstly, this summer’s tournament is notable as it will be the first ever FIFA World Cup hosted by 3 countries: Mexico, Canada and the United States. Incidentally, it is the second co-hosted one in its history (following the Japan - South Korea World Cup in 2002). It will also be followed by another jointly hosted edition in 2030, this time in Morocco, Spain, Portugal, Argentina, Uruguay and Paraguay.

The 2030 tournament is already marred in controversy as the inclusion of host countries from 3 different continental confederations (Africa, South America and Europe) has bypassed the traditional rotation of host continent and facilitated another Asian country host very soon after the 2022 World Cup in Qatar. It almost goes without say, but following FIFA’s controversial decisions to award the tournament to Russia and Qatar, the 2034 World Cup in Saudi Arabia is another tournament in a country with a poor human rights record that has been keen to use high-level international sporting competitions to “sportswash” its reputation. And, again, it’s another part of the world with less-than-ideal weather conditions for the traditional summer tournament.

Back to the 2026 World Cup, with its own share of controversies (and improvements, to be fair). One of the contributing factors to the triple hosting for the 2026 edition of the World Cup is due to the tournament expanding from 32 teams to 48 teams. This in turn has led to an increase from 64 matches to 104 matches. The bulk of the matches (78) are currently scheduled to be played in the USA, with 13 matches in each of Mexico and Canda. I say “currently” as there are some rumours that games might be moved from the States depending on the Trump Administration’s visa policies for both fans and athletes (note, Iran’s successful qualification conflicts with US immigration policies, whilst FIFA does not allow hosts to bar successfully qualified players). In any case, the tournament will kick-off in Mexico City in the Estadio Azteca, and come to a close in the MetLife Stadium in New Jersey.

The aforementioned expansion of teams has allowed for an increase in allocation for each continental confederation (+ increase from the 2022 World Cup) :

•           UEFA (Europe): 16 (+3)

•           CAF (Africa): 9 (+4)

•           AFC (Asia): 8 (+3)

•           CONMEBOL (South America): 6 (+1)

•           CONCACAF (North, Central America and the Caribbean): 6 (+1)

•           OFC (Oceania): 1 direct (+1)

•           Plus 2 additional spots decided via an inter-confederation play-off tournament (+2)

As hosts, all 3 of the USA, Canada and Mexico qualify automatically, which coincidentally means that there is one direct qualification place fewer for CONCACAF member nations – despite an increase in general of one qualification spot.

With a Hispanic gaze, CONMEBOL (South America) presents the most intriguing qualification process. At the time of writing there are only two games remaining to determine who will be competing at the 2026 World Cup. Reigning champions, Argentina, have already qualified along with Brazil and Ecuador (who also had a 3 point deduction before qualification started). Serial qualifiers, Uruguay, are also almost assured of qualifying, while Paraguay and Colombia are likely to fill the final direct qualification spots for the region. In an interesting turn of events from previous qualification cycles, the final play-off spot looks like it will go to either Venezuela or Bolivia, with Venezuela never qualifying before and Bolivia’s last qualification being in 1994 (incidentally the last time the USA hosted the tournament). At their expense are Peru and Chile who have both had thoroughly disappointing campaigns.

Once the qualification process is completed during the upcoming season, players for the traditionally more competitive countries will be doing their all to ensure they are in their country’s official squad. This could mean we see a mixture of players taking more risks to play out-of-their-skins; players playing within themselves to avoid unnecessary injuries; and players forcing transfers in January to find playing time.

In terms of the top prize, it’s always a little bit hard to predict who will win the World Cup before seeing how the league season progresses and how the draw determines routes to the final. That said, as European champions, Spain will probably be up there as one of the favourites, along with France and England. Reigning champions, Argentina, who are in a somewhat transitionary period with an ageing squad, don’t look likely to repeat their triumph in the Middle East. But, with tournament football, anything can happen and almost anyone can surprise. I wouldn’t be shocked to see Mexico, buoyed by being hosts, outperform most people’s expectations.

2) What Happened in La Liga Last Season – and How It Shapes 2025–26

Last season, Barcelona swept the La Liga title with two games to spare, sealing it in a 2–0 derby win over Espanyol that felt like a changing-of-the-guard moment after Real Madrid’s triumph the season before. They didn’t stop there, they completed a historic domestic double by also winning the Copa del Rey. Such a domestic season will likely lead to Barça striving for Champions League glory above anything else, with los Blancos (Real Madrid) likely to want revenge to take the domestic title back. Both of those objectives for Spain’s traditional big two look like rather insurmountable challenges, but they will be exciting storylines to follow.

In addition to Barcelona qualifying for the UEFA Champions League as champions, 4 other Spanish teams qualified. The increase in spots from 4 teams in total is a result of the comparatively high performance of Spanish teams in UEFA competitions. The other qualifying teams were: Real Madrid, Atlético de Madrid, Athletic Bilbao and Villarreal. The big shock was Europa League serial winners, Sevilla, who just missed relegation by 1 point, in a thoroughly disappointing season.

The individual standout story of the 2024-25 La Liga season was the prominence of 17 year-old Lamine Yamal. While he went into the season hot off a stellar winning UEFA Euro 2024 campaign, his performances for the Blaugrana (Barcelona) were sublime. He played with a sort of fearlessness and confidence that is seldom seen, and his performances really were the catalyst for Barcelona’s season. Since winning the historic double, Lamine Yamal has been nominated for both the Ballon d’Or and the Kopa Trophy (the under 21 version of the trophy, which he also won last year). He was also “awarded” (for lack of a better word) the iconic number 10 shirt for Barça. But despite these accolades, he also had a summer of tabloid controversy with reports of late-night parities with unusual guests.

3) Capitalism Puts Another Knife Into Football: Villarreal v Barcelona League Game To Be Played In Miami

Ever since Roman Abramovich bought Chelsea in 2003, the finances around the game changed for the worse. While the direct impact was most immediately felt by domestic rivals (*cries in Arsenal fan*), over the course of the past 20 years, the big clubs in Europe did everything to increase their own finances to compete in the Champions League.

In perhaps a cruel irony, as the big clubs in leagues outside of England focused on their own finances, and not that of their leagues in general, the comparative perceived competitive value of their league was dwarfed by the Premier League. While some of the Premier League’s success can be attributed to good PR campaigns, more accessible kick-off times for international markets, and the UK’s strong soft power, perhaps the biggest differentiator was the shared TV money. In England, the league evenly shares the TV revenue, while in the other big leagues individual clubs have their own deals. This in turn left a gulf in finances between the very top teams and the rest.

So, how have the Spanish teams tried to combat this issue? Well, there has been a reticence from the top teams to change the TV deals (for obvious reasons). There has also been a fantastic enhancement of camera quality for La Liga games (genuinely miles ahead of the Premier League), but perhaps the biggest effort is that there has been an attempt to build up the La Liga brand in international markets. In 2019, the Super Copa de España (Spain’s equivalent of the Community Shield) was expanded to 4 teams and moved to Saudi Arabia. The deal to move the tournament there brought in a big financial windfall and has recently been extended until 2029. Personally, I sympathise with La Liga’s attempts to compete with the Premier League, but I strongly oppose selling domestic games to foreign countries as it takes the clubs and their identities, away from the communities that they serve - and that serve them. In Spain’s case, while the “Super Cup” is least coveted of domestic trophies, at least it is an entire “tournament” rather than the occasional match.

Which brings us to the latest controversy. This month, Villarreal announced that they would be playing their 2025-26 La Liga home game against Barcelona in Miami. Premeditating the backlash from season ticket holders and local fans, they announced that all season tickets would receive a “free” ticket to the game and flights to Miami. The announcement was met with condemnation from all angles. Firstly, the idea of calling it a “free” ticket when fans had already bought a season ticket which includes that game is insulting. But beyond that, despite offering free air travel to Miami, many of those season ticket holders would not be able to travel for a variety of reasons, such as, costs of hotels in Miami (it’s not cheap), visa/ESTA applications, time off work and just the general lack of wanting to go, or being physically able to do so. It also shouldn’t go unnoticed that the fact Villarreal were willing to pay for the flights for the season ticket holders indicates just how much money they must be getting from the deal.

The detail that the game involved Barcelona was also not unnoticed by bitter rivals, Real Madrid. Los Blancos immediately released a statement condemning the move arguing that having the odd game away from either team’s stadium affected the sporting integrity of the league as it would give rivals an advantage - which is hard to argue against from a sporting point of view. They also wrote to FIFA and UEFA to not allow the match to take place away from Villarreal’s stadium. Personally, I find myself very rarely agreeing with Real Madrid, but they have my full backing here and I hope, the governing bodies do intervene, as Los Blancos put it, if it does get allowed to happen, it would “represent a before and after moment”.

4) The Feel-Good Story – Cazorla and Real Oviedo’s Return

Following that negative piece of news about the Villarreal v Barça game being everything football should be moving away from, the very last game of the 2024-25 season gave us one of the best feel-good stories in recent years.

After 24 years out of La Liga, Real Oviedo won the playoff to secure promotion back to Spain’s top league. The reason this story resonates so strongly is their captain, Santi Cazorla, who spearheaded their resurgence after suffering one of the worst injuries in top-flight football history. The little magician was once told he might never walk again, let alone play, after an infection in his Achilles tendon required 11 operations. Simply returning to the pitch would have been remarkable; leading his boyhood club to promotion takes it to another level entirely.

What makes Cazorla’s return stand out is that, after a successful career in Spain, England and Qatar, he made it his mission to go back to his hometown club and help rebuild. Oviedo had been in financial disarray, at one point close to folding, and had slipped as low as the Spanish equivalent of League Two. The situation was so severe that supporters were encouraged to buy shares to keep the club alive. Instead of ending his career in a lucrative but uncompetitive league, Cazorla returned “to where it all began". More than that, he sought to play for free, but when Spanish law prevented it, he took the minimum wage. He also negotiated that 10% of shirt sales with his name would go directly to the club’s academy. In an era when many players think only of their own earnings, such gestures are almost unheard of and underline the kind of person he is.

Once the paperwork was completed, the two-time European champion nearly enjoyed a fairytale return as Oviedo reached the playoffs, only to be narrowly beaten by Espanyol. Undeterred, he signed a one-year extension and guided them to the playoffs again. This time, the Asturian club triumphed, with Cazorla scoring twice in the run-in. With promotion secured, he extended for another year to finish his career in La Liga with his boyhood club.

On a personal note, Cazorla is probably my favourite player of all time, so I’ll be following Oviedo closely this season, hoping they can avoid an immediate drop back to the second tier.

5) Regional Disparity Somewhat Exists

A lot is said about Italy when it comes to regional disparity, particularly the North-South divide, and the fact that it is so visible in football underlines the extent of the economic gap. There are also murmurings in England that a similar trend is starting to emerge, with London-based teams able to attract more high-profile players than many of their northern counterparts. While there is some truth in that - it is hard to compete with the cultural draw of London for foreign players - I think the picture is more nuanced than a simple North-South divide. In many ways, it mirrors the situation in Spain.

To give a quick overview of the English situation: in earlier eras of the Premier League, there were more teams from regional towns, particularly in the North-West. For the 2025-26 season, however, there are 7 London clubs, 2 more from the South, 3 in the Midlands, and the remaining 8 in the North. On the surface, the majority are not from the South, but look more closely and only Burnley, Wolves, Bournemouth and arguably Sunderland are not from major economic centres. Factor in the 3 clubs relegated last season - Leicester, Ipswich and Southampton - and the trend becomes clearer. The majority of top-flight clubs now hail from towns and cities with high economic output. So the divide we are seeing in England, and to an extent in Spain, is less about North v South and more about urban v rural, with global cities thriving at the expense of smaller towns.

With that in mind, let's take a closer look at the breakdown of teams in La Liga for 2025-26:

Comunidad de Madrid

• Atlético de Madrid - Madrid

• Real Madrid - Madrid

• Rayo Vallecano - Madrid (Vallecas)

• Getafe - Getafe

Cataluña

• Barcelona - Barcelona

• Espanyol - Cornellà de Llobregat (Barcelona metro area)

• Girona - Girona

Comunidad Valenciana

• Valencia - Valencia

• Levante - Valencia

• Villarreal - Villarreal

• Elche - Elche

Euskadi / País Vasco

• Athletic Club - Bilbao

• Alavés - Vitoria-Gasteiz

• Real Sociedad - San Sebastián

Andalucía

• Real Betis - Sevilla

• Sevilla - Sevilla

Asturias

• Real Oviedo - Oviedo

Galicia

• Celta Vigo - Vigo

Islas Baleares

• Mallorca - Palma de Mallorca

Navarra

• Osasuna – Pamplona

Looking at the map, a few patterns stand out. As in England, the major cities dominate: Madrid has four clubs; Barcelona two; Valencia two; Sevilla two. Bilbao, as another economic hub, is represented too. Beyond that, the wealthier North is better covered than the poorer South, while a number of regional cities - Vigo, Oviedo, San Sebastián, Pamplona and Palma de Mallorca - also boast top-flight teams. Richer regions carry multiple representatives: Comunidad de Madrid with four, Cataluña three, Euskadi / País Vasco three, and Comunidad Valenciana four.

So while Spain may appear to have less regional disparity than England, the same trend of stronger representation in economic centres is visible. One important difference, however, is that more regional cities in Spain sustain top-flight clubs. This may partly reflect Spain's less centralised national structure, but also the strength of "one-team towns", where local identity, ticket sales and merchandise all concentrate behind a single club.

6) Transfers To, From and Within La Liga Reiterate The Financial Gulf Between The Superclubs And The Rest

Following on from the discussion of economic disparity between regions and clubs, the (soon-to-be-shut) transfer window again highlights the gulf in financial power and appeal between the two Madrid giants and Barcelona, compared with the rest.

Before looking at individual deals, it’s worth noting that transfer fees don’t tell the full story. The wage bill is a far clearer reflection of how much a club spends, but reliable data is harder to obtain. What is clear is that, as a league, La Liga’s spending on transfers lags dramatically behind that of the Premier League.

Looking at the numbers, both Real Madrid and Atlético de Madrid have spent over €150m, while Champions League qualifiers Villarreal sit some way behind on €70m (offset by over €100m in player sales). No other Spanish club has broken the €50m mark so far, though with the window still technically open, that could change. Real Betis (€40m) and Barcelona (€25m) are next in line.

The fact that the two Madrid clubs stand alone as the biggest spenders underlines the trend already discussed: teams in global cities hold far greater financial pull than their competitors. Spain’s unequal TV rights distribution has only helped entrench the elite. The one anomaly here is Barcelona, but their muted spending reflects years of disastrous financial management rather than a levelling of the playing field.

As for the players involved, there are several major storylines to track this season. From a UK perspective, two England internationals made headlines: Marcus Rashford joined Barcelona and Trent Alexander-Arnold moved to Real Madrid. Both transfers were for free or nominal fees, again reinforcing the idea that wages are the true driver of club expenditure. Both players are expected to be central in their clubs’ pursuit of silverware.

At Barcelona, the window opened with the €25m signing of Joan García from city rivals Espanyol, activating the highly rated goalkeeper’s release clause. While viewed as a long-term coup, the club’s financial disarray quickly led to a high-profile salary cap row. Captain Marc-André ter Stegen was briefly stripped of the armband until he agreed to extend his recovery period on paper, a move that allowed the club to register new signings.

Real Madrid, meanwhile, directed most of their outlay towards defensive reinforcements. They secured Dean Huijsen from Bournemouth and Álvaro Carreras from Benfica for a combined fee of over €100m. They also paid €45m to River Plate for Argentinian prodigy Franco Mastantuono. Officially registered with Real Madrid Castilla, many critics see this as a loophole to keep a senior squad place open, and controversy is sure to brew if Mastantuono features regularly for the first team.

La Liga’s biggest spenders overall, Atlético de Madrid, adopted a different strategy, spreading their budget across several players. Their headline signing was winger Álex Baena from Villarreal, costing over €40m, with the rest of their incomings more modest by Premier League standards.

Away from the completed transfers, some of the biggest stories concern players who stayed put. Athletic Club resisted strong external interest in Nico Williams, who instead signed a new contract tying him to the Basque club until 2035. Meanwhile, speculation swirled around Real Madrid’s Rodrygo. Limited pre-season minutes fuelled rumours of a Premier League move, but nothing has yet materialised. This could be one to watch in the final days of the window, or possibly revisited in January as the World Cup looms.

7) Which Teams In England Are The Most Hispanic?

Curiously, there has never really been an English club defined by a strong Spanish core. Arsenal once built French and then German identities, while Wolves are now heavily Portuguese. A Spanish equivalent has never fully materialised. Manchester City perhaps come closest: they still have Pep Guardiola in charge and Rodri as the heartbeat of their midfield, while in the past they enjoyed the brilliance of David Silva. Liverpool have also leaned into Hispanic talent in recent years with Luis Díaz and Darwin Núñez, although both have since moved on, and City previously relied on Argentinians Sergio Agüero and Julián Álvarez. Yet despite these cases, no English side at present can truly be said to have a Spanish or Hispanic core.

At present, according to Transfermarkt, there are 21 Spanish players in the Premier League (up from 18 last season). That makes Spain the fifth most represented nation in the league, behind only England, France, the Netherlands and Brazil, and ahead of Germany. The trend underlines two things: younger Spanish players often struggle to break through at Barcelona, Real Madrid or Atlético, so they look abroad; and the Premier League’s financial clout continues to make it the most attractive destination for them.

Among current clubs, Arsenal seem the most likely to develop a recognisable Spanish flavour. With Basque manager Mikel Arteta setting the tone, David Raya established in goal, and Martín Zubimendi now dictating play in midfield, the influence is already clear. Add Mikel Merino, Cristhian Mosquera and Kepa Arrizabalaga to the squad, and the connection strengthens further. It is not yet the kind of dynasty Arsenal once built with their French and German cores, but if this group stays together it could become the closest thing the Premier League has seen to a genuine Spanish identity.

8) A New Challenge To Refereeing Is Trialled

The third tier of Spanish football is trialling a tennis-style challenge system to VAR. It is called Football Video Support (FVS) and gives managers two challenges per match for goals, penalty claims, red cards and similar key incidents. I’ll be keeping a very close eye on how this pans out, because it is something I have been calling for over many years. Refereeing in England, to me, often looks like an old-boys’ club backing up their mates, with decisions seemingly reinforcing the media narratives that dominate in the build-up to games. If challenges with multiple camera angles become standard, referees will have far less opportunity to obscure key footage and delay clarity. Put simply: it would force standards up. And you can probably tell, I do not rate English referees at all.

9) A Non-Spanish Team in the Spanish League System

In a similar way to how some Welsh clubs play in the English league system, FC Andorra now compete in Spain’s professional structure. The Andorran side, currently owned by former Barcelona defender (and Shakira’s ex-husband) Gerard Piqué, is affiliated to the Catalan Football Federation, which gives them eligibility. This is not the first time they have reached the professional ranks, but it is the first time they do so with the backing of a high-profile figure like Piqué. Whether they can survive and establish themselves in Spanish football is one of the more curious storylines to watch this season.

10) Women’s Football - Growth and Changes

Spain enter the season as reigning World Cup winners and Euro runners-up, and this summer overtook the USA to sit top of the FIFA world rankings. They now have one of the strongest pools of women’s talent anywhere in the game. The national team reaching the Euro final, combined with Barcelona Femení making yet another Champions League final, shows the sheer strength of the women’s game in Spain. Yet there are reasons for concern.

Barcelona’s men’s financial crisis continues to spill over into the women’s side. At the time of writing, Barcelona Femení go into the season with only 17 registered players. For a squad of this calibre, that is nothing short of alarming. While the club should still be competitive, it highlights how mismanagement at the men’s level is threatening to undermine one of the best women’s teams ever assembled. From a personal perspective, as an English Arsenal fan, I admit I enjoyed Spain losing to England in the Euro final and Barcelona losing to Arsenal in the Champions League final, but the overall trajectory of Spanish women’s football is still upward. Whether Barcelona’s players can remain at the heart of it, however, is a pressing question.