Racing Santander vs Villarreal tickets La Liga

The opening weekend of La Liga brought Villarreal to the Estadio El Sardinero on Sunday, August 16th, 2026 at 5.00pm, where Racing Santander marked their return to the top flight after coming up from the division below. It was the first match of the campaign for both sides, matchday 1 of 38, and Santander's Cantabrian home, a ground holding a shade over 22,000, made an early-season stage for a club rediscovering this level. Marcelino's visitors arrived to launch their own season in a fixture that set the tone for what lay ahead. A late-afternoon start in the north of Spain framed a meeting between a promoted side eager to prove itself and an established La Liga outfit opening its run.