Real Madrid stance on possible La Liga exit explained amid fresh tensions | OneFootball

Real Madrid’s recent frustration with Spanish football has revived an idea that has surfaced around the club before: whether its future could eventually lie outside La Liga.

According to The Athletic, one source around Real Madrid suggested that the club could look at competing in another competition outside the Spanish football regulatory framework. 

Such a scenario would carry major consequences, particularly because Real Madrid would not be able to continue in the Champions League under the circumstances described.

Other sources consulted for the report have played down the suggestion, meaning there is no indication that Los Blancos are actually preparing to leave La Liga.

Atletico defeat brings familiar tensions back

The speculation comes after a difficult week for Jose Mourinho’s team. 

The 2-1 defeat to Atletico Madrid has left Real Madrid fourth after seven La Liga matches, six points behind Barcelona, with Atletico and Real Betis also above them.

The reaction around the club has focused heavily on refereeing and VAR. 

Real Madrid have no plans to leave La Liga. (Photo courtesy: Real Madrid official website)

In fact, briefings to Spanish media have placed significant emphasis on the decisions made during the derby, while suggesting that Madrid would have faced similar problems even with a stronger performance.

Against that backdrop, the idea of competing elsewhere has once again surfaced.

It is not, however, a completely new theme around the Santiago Bernabeu.

Real Madrid have denied similar exit claims before

In 2021, reports emerged suggesting that Real Madrid had considered asking to join the Premier League.

The club responded by categorically rejecting that claim, describing it as “utterly false, as well as absurd and impossible.”

That period was particularly tense because Madrid were strongly opposed to La Liga’s agreement with CVC. 

The club challenged the operation through the courts, alongside Athletic Club and Barcelona, arguing that it affected the clubs’ audiovisual rights.

Real Madrid are indeed unhappy with the La Liga referees. (Photo by Denis Doyle/Getty Images)

The dispute has not entirely disappeared, as in June 2026, Real Madrid said it would appeal to Spain’s Supreme Court after losing an appeal concerning the CVC operation, maintaining that the agreement had implications for the management of La Liga’s audiovisual rights.

Champions League issue makes any exit complicated

For now, there is a crucial difference between internal frustration and an actual plan to leave La Liga.

The Athletic’s report itself indicates that other club sources have rejected the significance of the suggestion. There is also no confirmed alternative competition waiting for Madrid to join.

That leaves the claim as another reflection of the long-running friction between Real Madrid and parts of the Spanish football establishment rather than evidence of an imminent departure.

Real Madrid have previously pursued wider changes to European football, including the Super League project, while maintaining that domestic competitions could coexist with a different European structure. 

For now, though, Real Madrid will continue to play in La Liga, as the available evidence does not suggest that a departure is currently being organised.