Only 41 days stand between Real Madrid’s FIFA Club World Cup exit and the start of their 2025–26 La Liga campaign.
One month ago, Real Madrid were dreaming of lifting their first trophy under Xabi Alonso. The Spanish giants went on an unbeaten run in the United States and were one match away from the Club World Cup final.
Then, they got dismantled by defending European and French champions Paris Saint-Germain. Los Blancos suffered a 4–0 defeat to crash out of the Club World Cup in the semifinals, ending their 2024–25 campaign without a major title.
Nothing went right for Real Madrid on the day. Dean Huijsen was suspended, Trent Alexander-Arnold was injured and defensive blunders gifted PSG two goals. To make matters worse, Alonso started a perplexing front three of Kylian Mbappé, Gonzalo García and Vinícius Júnior that got nothing going at MetLife Stadium.
The loss taught Real Madrid valuable lessons that must soon be implemented if they want to take the Spanish crown from Barcelona. First up for Los Blancos is their La Liga opener against Osasuna, where both Alonso and his men will hope to start a new campaign void of the mistakes that tarnished the Club World Cup semifinals—and even the season prior.






