What and when is El Clasico? And where to watch Real Madrid v Barcelona

FT Desk

• 11 Jan 2026 06:49 CST
• 4 min read

Analysis

Spain has always had a long and illustrious history with the sport of football, whether that be through the national team or indeed through its biggest clubs.

Atletico Madrid, Valencia, Sevilla and Villarreal have all flown the flag for the European nation in continental competitions over the decades, but when it comes to worldwide appeal nothing comes close to Real Madrid and Barcelona.

Los Blancos were Europe’s first super club and are synonymous with the European Cup and Champions League, while their Catalan rivals have done more than any other club to define football at its purest form.

As such, the rivalry between both clubs is unrivalled across all of European football and, fittingly, is called El Clasico because it rarely disappoints.

What is El Clasico?

The match between Barcelona and Real Madrid is fought by Spain's two biggest and most successful clubs. It is deemed the pinnacle of Spanish football.

The term El Clasico is given to any game between the bitter rivals and translates into English as 'The Classic.'

The term to describe this great match only really entered the mainstream in the mid-2000s as beforehand it was often described as El Derbi (The Derby).

The rivalry is deeply political as the giants do not share a locality. It intensified during the Spanish Civil War and became entrenched after the Second World War.

In the 21st century, the rivalry was dominated between the exploits of Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi, who are considered by many to be the two greatest players of all time.

Both of those players have since moved on, but new heroes are establishing themselves.

When and where is the next El Clasico?

The next El Clasico is the Spanish Super Cup final on Sunday 11 January and it will take place in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia. The kick-off time is 19:00 GMT.

At the moment the two clubs are, naturally, in the top two positions in La Liga.

Barcelona are in first place with 49 points from their opening 19 league matches and Real Madrid are four points behind in second.

Hansi Flick's side qualified for the Super Cup final with a 5-0 semi-final win over Athletic on Wednesday, while Los Blancos sealed their place in the showpiece event by beating city rivals Atletico Madrid 2-1 on Thursday.

Who is Real Madrid's key player?

When Kylian Mbappe completed his massive free transfer switch from Paris Saint-Germain, a power struggle intensified between the Frenchman and Real Madrid's main star at the time, Vinicius Junior.

Now, there is no question as to who has won that battle as Mbappe is the undisputed king in the capital, while there are reports that Vinicius Junior may be on his way to Saudi Arabia.

The World Cup winner has started the 2025-26 campaign in superb form, scoring 29 goals in 24 games so far this term.

Who is Barcelona's key player?

Even at 18 years old, Lamine Yamal is Barcelona's most important player and already one of the highest paid sportsmen on the planet.

His rise has been so meteoric that he is already considered to the the Lionel Messi heir that Barcelona have been desperate to unearth for so long.

His 2025/26 has been stop-start due to a groin injury, but his performance will be key to Barca's success on Sunday.

Where and how to watch El Clasico?

The game will be shown live on TNT Sports 1 for those in the UK and on ABC for those in the United States.