Why is Matchday 33 played before Matchday 32 in LaLiga?

The championship will experience a rather strange circumstance in April for fans, clubs, and fantasy managers. Although the logical thing would be to follow the usual order of the schedule, in the end Matchday 33 will be played before Matchday 32. A decision that may seem confusing at first glance, but that has a very specific reason.

The Copa del Rey final, origin of the change

It all stems from the adjustment made by the Royal Spanish Football Federation, which has decided to bring forward the Copa del Rey final to the weekend of April 18 and 19. The objective is for that great match to be played alone, without sharing the spotlight with an entire league matchday.

This way, that weekend is freed up to focus all attention on the cup final, which will be played at La Cartuja. However, that move forced rescheduling a matchday of the championship, and the one affected has been Matchday 32.

Why the normal order of matchdays was not maintained

The problem is that Matchday 33 was already scheduled to be played midweek, specifically on April 21, 22, and 23. That date has not been touched, so by moving Matchday 32 to the following weekend, the calendar order is altered.

Thus, Matchday 32 will be played on April 25 and 26, while Matchday 33 remains earlier, on those midweek dates long established. That is why this very unusual circumstance of a later matchday being played before the previous one will occur.

The logistical reason that ultimately pushed the decision

Beyond the desire to free up the weekend for the Copa final, there was also an important organizing constraint. The weekend of April 25 and 26 coincides in Andalusia with two major events: the April Fair and the Jerez Grand Prix.

That greatly complicated security arrangements, mobility, and the entire organization around a Copa final in Seville and its surroundings. For this reason, the agreement between RFEF and LaLiga has been to reorder the schedule to avoid an accumulation of events on those dates.

An anomaly that also affects fantasy

This change not only breaks the usual logic of the schedule but can also cause doubts in fantasy terms. Many users will have to pay close attention to the new order of matches, since the competitive context will not be the usual one and some teams will face commitments corresponding to Matchday 33 before those of Matchday 32.

In short, Matchday 33 will be played before Matchday 32 because LaLiga has had to adapt its schedule to the advancement of the Copa del Rey final. The need to free up the weekend of April 18 and 19, combined with logistical and security constraints in Andalusia, has caused this curious and unusual change in the decisive final stretch of the season.