Jose Mourinho’s Real Madrid era to begin with behind-closed-doors Leganés friendly | OneFootball

As we enter the second half of July, the plans of Real Madrid for the next few weeks are taking a conclusive shape. La Liga has already announced the schedule for the first three games of the La Liga 2026-27 season, and the Merengues would play their first match on 22 August. There would be two more league games before the end of August.

Before this first official game of the next season, there are also some friendlies scheduled for the month of August. One of these would take place at the start of the month, and would be played in Austria against Fiorentina. The second would take place in Coruna, as part of the Teresa Herrera Trophy, in which Los Blancos would face Deportivo. Another third friendly can also take place in Germany, but has not been finalized yet.

However, according to Diario AS, the very first friendly of Jose Mourinho era would take place on 28 July, in which Real Madrid would face Leganes. This match will be played at Valdebebas, but without any spectators, behind closed doors. This will be a training match in essence, and most of the players who participated in the World Cup 2026 would not be available for this game.

This is going to be the third time in four years that these two teams have faced off against one another behind closed doors. The first such encounter took place back in 2022, after the Qatar World Cup that took place in the middle of the season, and ended in a 1-1 draw. Then the two sides faced off last year as well, with the Merengues winning the game 4-1.

The relations between Real Madrid and Leganes are excellent, and while the fans would not be able to enjoy the spectacle, this match would still hopefully provide Jose Mourinho with an opportunity to test his team and plans before the start of the next season.