Real Madrid embark on their title defence as the 2022/23 La Liga season gets underway.
Los Blancos earned last season’s top spot with ease, finishing a massive 13 points above rivals Barcelona. However, the Catalan giants are much improved this summer, financial struggles aside, and will look to challenge for a return to the summit.
The La Liga campaign is about far more than just the title, however. Last season, Atletico Madrid and Sevilla both secured Champions League places, while Real Betis, Real Sociedad, and Villarreal clinched spots in the other European competitions.
At the other end, Cadiz, Mallorca, and Getafe all narrowly avoided relegation, while Granada, Levante, and Alaves suffered the drop. In their place come Almeria, Real Valladolid, and Girona to battle with the goal of retaining a place in the Spanish top flight.
Osasuna kicked off the season with a home win over Sevilla and finds itself at the top heading into the weekend action.
La Liga table, standings 2022/23
Updated as of Friday, Aug. 12, 2022
| Pos | Team | Points | Matches Played |
Goals Scored |
Goal Difference |
Next Match |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | Osasuna | 3 | 1 | 2 | +1 | vs. CAD, Aug 20 |
| 2. | Almeria | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | vs. RMA, Aug 14 |
| 3. | Athletic Bilbao | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | vs. MAL, Aug 15 |
| 4. | Atletico Madrid | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | @ GET, Aug 15 |
| 5. | Barcelona | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | vs. RVA, Aug 13 |
| 6. | Cadiz | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | vs. RSO, Aug 14 |
| 7. | Celta Vigo | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | vs. ESP, Aug 13 |
| 8. | Elche | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | @ RBT, Aug 15 |
| 9. | Espanyol | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | @ CEL, Aug 13 |
| 10. | Getafe | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | vs. ATM, Aug 15 |
| 11. | Girona | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | @ VAL, Aug 14 |
| 12. | Mallorca | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | @ ATH, Aug 15 |
| 13. | Rayo Vallecano | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | @ BAR, Aug 13 |
| 14. | Real Betis | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | vs. ELC, Aug 15 |
| 15. | Real Madrid | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | @ ALM, Aug 14 |
| 16 | Real Sociedad | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | @ CAD, Aug 14 |
| 17. | Valladolid | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | vs. VIL, Aug 13 |
| 18. | Valencia | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | vs. GIR, Aug 14 |
| 19. | Villarreal | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | @ VDO, Aug 13 |
| 20. | Sevilla | 0 | 1 | 1 | -1 | vs. VAL, Aug 19 |
La Liga title race
Last season Real Madrid were crowned La Liga champions, and it wasn’t particularly close. Nobody challenged at all through the latter half of the campaign, and Los Blancos strolled to victory.
This year, Barcelona will hope to put up a bigger fight after needing to battle last season merely to secure a Top 4 spot for a Champions League berth. Atletico Madrid will also look to be in the mix, but it will prove a challenge to stay with the two high-scoring Spanish giants.
Final 2021/22 La Liga standings
| Pos | Team | Points | Matches Played |
Goal Difference |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | Real Madrid | 86 | 38 | +49 |
| 2. | Barcelona | 73 | 38 | +30 |
| 3. | Atletico Madrid | 71 | 38 | +22 |
| 4. | Sevilla | 70 | 38 | +23 |
| 5. | Real Betis | 65 | 38 | +22 |
| 6. | Real Sociedad | 62 | 38 | +3 |
MORE: When is El Clasico? Fixture schedule & results for Real Madrid vs. Barcelona rivalry
La Liga Champions League places: Top 4 chase
As one of Europe’s top competitions, La Liga earns four direct places in the UEFA Champions League group stage. The top two went to traditional powers Real Madrid and Barcelona.
Atletico Madrid held steady for much of last season to earn the third Champions League place, while Sevilla confirmed the final spot with breathing room from fifth-place rivals Real Betis.
In 2022/23 Villarreal and Real Sociedad are expected to put up a challenge for third and fourth place, with Real Betis and Athletic Club also thought to be good enough for a fight.
Final 2021/22 La Liga Top 4 standings
| Pos | Team | Points | Matches Played |
Goal Difference |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 3. | Atletico Madrid | 71 | 38 | +22 |
| 4. | Sevilla | 70 | 38 | +23 |
| 5. | Real Betis | 65 | 38 | +22 |
| 6. | Real Sociedad | 62 | 38 | +3 |
| 7. | Villarreal | 59 | 38 | +26 |
| 8. | Athletic Bilbao | 55 | 38 | +7 |
La Liga European places
In the 2022/23 Spanish top-flight season, in addition to the four Champions League places, there will be at least three other European places to be claimed.
Two Europa League places and one Europa Conference League spot are up for grabs:
- Europa League (2 berths): One automatically goes to the 5th-place La Liga team, and the other goes to the Copa del Rey winner. But if the Copa del Rey winner also finishes in the Top 4, then the Europa League berth granted via the cup competition will transfer to the next highest table finisher not already qualified for the Europa League (usually 6th place).
- Conference League (1 berth): This goes to the 6th-place La Liga team. However, if the Copa del Rey place has already transferred to the 6th-place team, this berth is handed down to the next highest table finisher in 7th place.
Additionally, a team that wins the Champions League or Europa League would earn an automatic berth in the following season’s Champions League, regardless of table position. In the same way, a team that wins the Europa Conference League would earn a position in the next season’s Europa League.
Final 2021/22 La Liga standings
| Pos | Team | Points | Matches Played |
Goal Difference |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 4. | Sevilla | 70 | 38 | +23 |
| 5. | Real Betis | 65 | 38 | +22 |
| 6. | Real Sociedad | 62 | 38 | +3 |
| 7. | Villarreal | 59 | 38 | +26 |
| 8. | Athletic Bilbao | 55 | 38 | +7 |
| 9. | Valencia | 48 | 38 | -5 |
| 10. | Osasuna | 47 | 38 | -14 |
| 11. | Celta Vigo | 46 | 38 | 0 |
La Liga relegation
Every team will be hoping to avoid the dreaded bottom three spots and the relegation from the lucrative Spanish top flight.
Last season, Cadiz, Mallorca, and Getafe all escaped relegation by a single point. Granada and Levante put up a valiant fight, but ultimately fell short, while Deportivo Alaves were done in by a stretch of seven winless matches during the second half of the season and finished last.
Final 2021/22 La Liga relegation standings
| Pos | Team | Points | Matches Played |
Goal Difference |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 12. | Rayo Vallecano | 42 | 38 | -11 |
| 13. | Elche | 42 | 38 | -12 |
| 14. | Espanyol | 42 | 38 | -13 |
| 15. | Getafe | 39 | 38 | -8 |
| 16. | Mallorca | 39 | 38 | -27 |
| 17. | Cadiz | 39 | 38 | -16 |
| 18. | Granada-X | 38 | 38 | -17 |
| 19. | Levante-X | 35 | 38 | -25 |
| 20. | Alaves-X | 31 | 38 | -34 |
X = The bottom three teams in 2021/22 were relegated to the second tier La Liga 2.
How to watch La Liga 2022/23 TV channels, live streams
| UK | USA | Canada | Australia | |
| TV channel | Premier Sports 1, La Liga TV |
ABC, ESPN, ESPN Deportes |
TSN | — |
| Streaming | Premier Player HD | ESPN+, fuboTV | TSN Go, TSN Direct, TSN app, TSN.ca |
Optus Sport |
UK: La Liga matches in the UK can be found on Premier Sports platforms, as well as LaLiga TV.
USA: ESPN holds the broadcast rights to every La Liga match in the USA with both English- and Spanish-language streams available on ESPN+. ABC, ESPN, and ESPN Deportes televise select matches, with all those channels streaming on fuboTV.
Canada: TSN carries La Liga in Canada with select matches televised on the TV network. The other matches are available to stream on TSN platforms.
Australia: Optus Sport is the home of La Liga matches for fans in Australia.
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