There are a total of 38 games in a La Liga season.
Teams play each other twice – once at home and once away. After every club has played all 38 of their fixtures then the team with the most points at the end of the season is crowned league champion.
Has The Number Of Games Ever Changed In The Past?
Yes, the number of games in a La Liga season has changed in the past.
When La Liga was founded in 1929, the league consisted of ten teams, each team playing 18 games during a season – facing each other twice, home and away. This is a smaller number of games than are played today.
The number of teams in the league has seen several changes. The table below shows a steady increase in the amount of clubs in La Liga:
1929–1934 10 clubs
1934–1941 12 clubs
1941–1950 14 clubs
1950–1971 16 clubs
1971–1987 18 clubs
1987–1995 20 clubs
1995–1997 22 clubs
1997–present 20 clubs
Currently, 20 teams compete in the Spanish top flight.
La Liga teams occasionally play two matches per week. This is likely to happen when a game is postponed due to poor weather or when a team is involved in both league games and one or both of the cup competitions – including the Copa del Rey and Supercopa de España.
Have Any Teams Failed To Play A Game?
Unexpected circumstances would usually cause teams to forfeit games.
Whilst no La Liga games have been forfeited, matches featuring La Liga clubs have famously been stopped.
For example, Barcelona were due to play in the semi-final of the 2000 Copa del Rey vs Atletico Madrid.
However, due to a clash of schedules on the day the game should have taken place, Barcelona couldn’t field a full team of players. Many within their squad were away on international duty with their national teams.
The remaining Barca players refused to play and instead chose to forfeit the game. Their opponents, Atletico Madrid, were awarded the victory and went on to play in the final.
In cases like these, the team unable to play is deemed to have lost the game 3-0 and the opposing team awarded three points.
How Does The La Liga Season Work?
La Liga is made up of 20 teams in total. A season involves a home and an away fixture against every other team.
Champions are crowned at the end of a season based on their points total. If two or more teams are tied on points, their position in the La Liga table is determined by goal difference – goals scored minus goals conceded – the team with a better goal difference being ranked higher.
If two teams are still tied, La Liga rules state that naming a victor is based on the aggregate score between those clubs when they previously faced each other earlier in the season.
Teams finishing in second, third and fourth gain qualification into the Champions League with sides ending up in fifth and sixth place entering the UEFA Europa League. Sides in seventh position qualify for the UEFA Europa Conference League.
At the end of each season, the bottom three teams are relegated to La Liga 2 with three teams earning promotion.
What Is The Maximum Amount Of Points You Can Achieve In A La Liga Season?
The maximum number of points a team can achieve during a La Liga season is 114.
This would be achieved if a team were to win all 38 games as each win is worth three points.
It is worth mentioning that it is an almost unachievable feat for a team to win every game in a La Liga season. In fact, it has never happened in the league’s history.
The record for most points in a single La Liga season is shared between two sides. Both Real Madrid (2011/12) and Barcelona (2012/13) earned 100 points across their respective campaigns.
When Does the La Liga Season Start?
The La Liga season typically starts in mid-August and runs until late-May of the following year.
The season’s start date can vary from year to year but it usually begins around the second week of August.
Between each campaign is the ‘off-season’ in which players are not required to play competitive games but sometimes take part in international tournaments like the European Championship or World Cup.
How Many Points For A Draw In La Liga Football?
In most professional football leagues, including La Liga, a draw or tie is worth one point.
Each team is awarded one point if a match ends in a draw. If a team wins a game then they are awarded all three points. If a team loses their match, they are awarded no points.
