When LaLiga Santander returns for its 91st season Friday, Aug. 13, ESPN+ will be the exclusive, new home of coverage in the U.S. and content from the league will appear across a combination of ESPN, ESPN Deportes and ABC platforms. Opening weekend will kick off with Valencia CF at home against Getafe CF on Friday, August 13, with a live pre-show at 2:30 p.m. ET on ESPN+.

On Sunday, August 15, a LaLiga match will air for the first time ever on broadcast television in the U.S. when FC Barcelona hosts Real Sociedad at Camp Nou in Barcelona with live coverage beginning with a 30-minute pregame show at 1:30 p.m. The Spanish-language telecast of the match will be on ESPN Deportes, and ESPN+ will stream the English- and Spanish-language presentations of the match.

LaLiga 2021-22 season-opening weekend will cover four days (Friday, Aug. 13 – Monday, Aug. 16) featuring 10 matches streaming live in English and Spanish on ESPN+. In Friday’s opening match, Valencia CF’s new manager José Bordalás will make his debut against former team Getafe CF, which he coached for the past five years. The four matches on Saturday include: CA Osasuna vs. Espanyol (11 a.m.), Cádiz vs. Levante UD and RCD Mallorca vs. Real Betis (1:30 p.m.), and D. Alavés vs. Real Madrid, the kickoff of Carlo Ancelotti’s second spell in charge as Los Blancos, at Vitoria-Gasteiz, Álava (coverage begins at 3:30 p.m.).

On Sunday, August 15, three matches will start with RC Celta vs. LaLiga’s reigning champion Atlético de Madrid (coverage begins at 11 a.m.), FC Barcelona hosting Real Sociedad (coverage begins at 1:30 p.m. live from Camp Nou), and Sevilla FC vs. Rayo Vallecano (4:15 p.m.). Matchday 1 action concludes Monday, August 16, with Villarreal CF vs. Granada CF (2 p.m.), followed by Elche CF vs. Athletic Club (4 p.m.).

A Look at FC Barcelona vs. Real Sociedad, Sun., August 15, 2 p.m., ESPN+, ESPN Deportes, ABC

After losing the league title to Madrid-based teams in the last two seasons and finishing the last one in third place, Barcelona is looking to return to the top in 2021-22 – a title the team last won in the 2018-19 season. Real Sociedad is coming off an excellent 2020-21 season where it finished in fifth place and earned a spot in European competition. The most recent meeting between both clubs was a 6-1 Barcelona win at the Camp Nou on March 21, where Lionel Messi scored two goals and delivered an assist in his record-breaking 768th appearance for Barcelona, who extended their home winning streak in LaLiga against Los Txuri-urdin to 23 games. Real Sociedad is looking for its first league win at Barcelona since 1991.

Comprehensive Surround Programming on ESPN+

Beyond the live matches, ESPN+ will offer a variety of surround programming focused on LaLiga – including match previews, highlights, magazine shows, and more – and will continue to cover LaLiga extensively on signature ESPN+ shows including ESPN FC, Jorge Ramos y su Banda and Fuera de Juego.

ESPN FC, ESPN’s signature soccer program with news, analysis and highlights from around the world seven days a week, will cover LaLiga Santander throughout the season, and ESPN FC’s LaLiga Matchday 1 coverage will include pre- and post-shows for the day’s key matches.

Additional LaLiga coverage on ESPN+ includes comprehensive archive of classic matches, as well as several LaLiga shows including Pre-Season LaLiga, a yearly program dedicated to the upcoming season; LaLiga World, a magazine show available to stream every Tuesday during season featuring highlights from the previous week’s round; LaLiga Show, a weekly program featuring previews for next round every Thursday; and the LaLiga Highlights Show, a Sunday night highlight show recapping the previous round. All surround programming will be available in English and Spanish on ESPN+ at the start of the season.

 

LaLiga Santander Opening Weekend Schedule:

Date
Time (ET)
Matchup / Show
Platforms
Fri, Aug 13
2:30 p.m.
LaLiga Valencia CF-Getafe CF Pre-Show
ESPN+
3 p.m.
Valencia CF vs. Getafe CF
ESPN+ (English, Spanish)
Sat, Aug 14
11 a.m.
CA Osasuna vs. RCD Espanyol de Barcelona
ESPN+ (English, Spanish)
1:30 p.m.
Cádiz CF vs. Levante UD
ESPN+ (English, Spanish)
1:30 p.m.
RCD Mallorca vs. Real Betis
ESPN+ (English, Spanish)
3:30 p.m.
LaLiga D. Alavés-Real Madrid Pre-Show
ESPN+
4 p.m.
D. Alavés vs. Real Madrid
ESPN+ (English, Spanish)
Sun, Aug 15
11 a.m.
LaLiga RC Celta de Vigo-Atlético de Madrid Pre-Show
ESPN+
11:30 a.m.
RC Celta de Vigo vs. Atlético de Madrid
ESPN+ (English, Spanish)
1:30 p.m.
LaLiga FC Barcelona-Real Sociedad Pre-Show
ABC, ESPN+, ESPN Deportes
2 p.m.
FC Barcelona vs. Real Sociedad
ABC, ESPN+ ESPN Deportes
4:15 p.m.
Sevilla FC vs. Rayo Vallecano
ESPN+ (English, Spanish)
Mon, Aug 16
2 p.m.
Villarreal CF vs. Granada CF
ESPN+ (English, Spanish)
4 p.m.
Elche CF vs. Athletic Club
ESPN+ (English, Spanish)

Front Row Soccer editor Michael Lewis has covered 13 World Cups (eight men, five women), seven Olympics and 25 MLS Cups. He has written about New York City FC, New York Cosmos, the New York Red Bulls and both U.S. national teams for Newsday and has penned a soccer history column for the Guardian.com. Lewis, who has been honored by the Press Club of Long Island and National Soccer Coaches Association of America, is the former editor of BigAppleSoccer.com. He has written seven books about the beautiful game and has published ALIVE AND KICKING The incredible but true story of the Rochester Lancers. It is available at Amazon.com.