The 2026/27 La Liga season is set to kick off on Saturday, August 15. Barcelona are the reigning champions, edging out Real Madrid by four points to secure the title last year. Los Blancos responded by revamping their squad with a multitude of significant transfers this summer, setting the stage for a thrilling upcoming season. Below, our experts break down their 2026/27 La Liga predictions, including title winner, Pichichi (top scorer) picks, best new transfer and more.
2026/27 La Liga Predictions
Who will win La Liga in 2026/27?
Ciaran Doyle: Barcelona will win La Liga for the third season in a row. They finished eight points clear of Real Madrid a season ago, and I don’t think Madrid have done enough in the summer to close that gap. A big factor here will be which of these clubs, if any, can secure the signing of Rodri from Man City. Both have been rumored to sign him, but neither have gotten it done as of yet.
Griffin Wong: Real Madrid has had an impressive offseason, as Marc Cucurella has emerged as arguably the best left back in the world and Yan Diomandé is a rising talent, but it’s hard not to go with Barcelona. The Blaugrana have won back-to-back titles, the latter by eight points, and despite an imperfect World Cup, Lamine Yamal is only going to get better. With Yamal, Pedri, and Pau Cubarsí forming the young core of the roster and Rodri and Julián Álvarez possibly to join, Barcelona should be even better in 2026-27. World Cup hero Ferrán Torres will be a big loss if he departs for PSG, but Álvarez is a better player.
Charlie Cummings: Barcelona. It’s wild to see how quickly the script has flipped between Barca and Real in this decade. Before, Barca was skating on thin financial ice, and kept making bad moves. Now it’s Real making a joke of themselves off the pitch, with Florentinó Perez looking thoroughly washed. Barca will secure their fourth league title in five years behind Lamine Yamal’s excellence.
Who will win La Liga Player of the Season in 2026/27?
Ciaran Doyle: Lamine Yamal. What can’t he do? He finished last season with 16 goals and 11 assists in only 28 La Liga appearances. That’s close to one goal contribution per game. Coming off a World Cup victory with Spain this summer will only increase his confidence. Another big La Liga season could result in a Ballon d’Or for the 19-year-old.
Griffin Wong: If Barça wins the league and he stays healthy, it has to be Yamal. His history of lower-body injuries is concerning, especially since he’s only 19 years old, but when he’s on the pitch, he’s almost always the best player on it. His innovative dribbling and passing break defenses, and he’s always creating chances for others even if he’s not finishing them himself. Cubarsí, Pedri, and Rodri (if he joins) will definitely be pivotal to the Blaugrana’s success, but the award almost always goes to an attacker, and I think Yamal is the most likely to win it for the second consecutive campaign.
Charlie Cummings: Though I am all in on Barca this year, I think Vini comes into this season with a vengeance. He’s eager to prove that he is the future of Madrid’s project after contract drama this summer, and players who can balance scoring and assisting tend to do well in this award category.
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Who will win the La Liga Pichichi Trophy (Top Scorer) in 2026/27?
Ciaran Doyle: Kylian Mbappe. He won it last year with 25 goals and I think he will do it again this season. With Robert Lewandowski leaving Barcelona, Mbappe is the clear frontrunner. He’s coming off a World Cup golden boot and I expect him to do the same in La Liga.
Griffin Wong: Again, this is pretty chalky, but can it be anyone but Kylian Mbappé? The Frenchman just had one of the greatest individual scoring seasons ever, claiming the Golden Boot in La Liga, the Champions League, and the World Cup, and Vedat Muriqi — the only player within eight goals of his tally last season — now plays in Turkey. Unbelievably, Mbappé has won the Golden Boot in each of his past eight domestic seasons. With Vinicius Júnior sticking around to feed him alongside Diomandé, he might be more likely to touch Lionel Messi’s 50-goal 2011/12 season than he is to not win the Pichichi Trophy.
Charlie Cummings: Who else? Mbappe, the best goal scorer in the world, has claimed two Golden Boots in two La Liga campaigns. And he won last year despite missing seven league matches. He could get some competition in a league full of talent, but picking anyone else feels silly to me.
Which La Liga player or club will be the biggest disappointment in 2026/27?
Ciaran Doyle: Anthony Gordon. I don’t really get this transfer from the Premier League to La Liga. Gordon is known for his pace, which works well in England, but playing for Barcelona against many teams that will set up in a low block does not suit his game. I don’t expect him to make as much of an impact as he should given the price tag.
Griffin Wong: “Disappointment” requires there to be expectations in the first place, and only three clubs usually have significant expectations to begin with. I’ve already projected Barça to win the league, so I’ll go with Atlético Madrid. Los Colchoneros haven’t finished outside the top four in La Liga since 2011/12, but with club legend Antoine Griezmann making the move to MLS and Álvarez possibly on his way to the Camp Nou, it’s plausible that that streak ends this season. Los Colchoneros are reportedly looking to move on from Alexander Sørloth as well, and if he leaves, Álvarez, Sørloth, and Griezmann scored a lot of goals that need to be replaced on the fly. Villarreal brought back most of its third-place squad, and Fran García is a sensible signing that should make fifth-place Real Betis better.
Charlie Cummings: I’m not a Diego Simeone doubter, but the cracks are showing for Atletico. The roster continues to age while the young talents underwhelm, and rumors of a Julian Alvarez departure will hang over them all summer. The floor is still high, but Atletico are usually looked to as a third challenger for the title. I think they’ll fall well short of challenging Barca and Madrid.
Which new transfer will make the greatest impact for his new club in La Liga this year?
Ciaran Doyle: Yan Diomande. Real Madrid have a new right winger, and I expect him to be ahead of Rodrygo in the pecking order for that position. Diomande impressed at the World Cup and was electric for RB Leipzig with 20 goal contributions in 33 matches in the Bundesliga last year. Diomande is just beginning to scratch the surface of his potential at 19 years old. A front three of Mbappe, Vini Jr. and Diomande is frightening for opposing defenders. Rodrygo only played in 19 matches in La Liga last season, scoring only once. It seems like Diomande will take this position from the jump and I expect an immediate impact from the Ivorian.
Griffin Wong: If the transfer ultimately ends up going through, it’ll be Álvarez. He didn’t play a lot last season because of injury, but Robert Lewandowski was the third-most efficient striker in La Liga on a per-90 basis. With the Polish star now in MLS and Ferrán likely on his way to play Ligue 1 games while Ousmane Dembélé rests, Barcelona’s hole at striker is gaping. Álvarez didn’t have the greatest season or World Cup, but he should have the easiest shots of his career playing alongside Yamal, Pedri, and Dani Olmo, all of whom ranked in the top 13 in chances created last season. That’s not even including Raphinha and Rodri! If Álvarez doesn’t transfer or Ferrán stays, I’ll go for Cucurella, who will shore up a position of relative weakness for Los Blancos and potentially shut down his La Roja teammate Yamal during El Clasico.
Charlie Cummings: Martín Satriano. This was a big window for Getafe after their best league finish since 2010. Satriano joined last year on a midseason loan from Lyon and now makes the permanent move to Getafe. Their seventh-place finish was fueled by a defense that conceded less than anyone other than Madrid and Barca, but the attack has to improve after scoring the second-fewest goals. A strong defensive centre forward, Satriano’s dribble-and-pass-first attack will play well with Getafe’s style as they look to push for a top-five finish and some success in the Conference League.
Those are our soccer experts’ 2026/27 La Liga predictions! Stay tuned for more La Liga coverage as the season begins.