Matchday 37 of the 2025/26 La Liga season ensured that the final weekend will still have plenty riding on it across the table.
While Barcelona, Real Madrid, and Atletico Madrid all secured victories on the penultimate matchday of the 2025/26 La Liga season, the biggest talking points once again came in the battles for survival and European qualification. Levante gave their hopes of staying in the top flight a massive boost with another crucial win, while Mallorca slipped deeper into trouble after losing a virtual relegation final.
Elsewhere, the race for Europe remains wide open heading into the final round of fixtures. Celta Vigo and Getafe are still in control of the Europa League and Conference League spots, but Valencia, Espanyol, and Rayo Vallecano remain within touching distance after important wins.
With only one game left in the season, there is still a lot left to be decided at both ends of the table. Here are five things The Hard Tackle learned from Matchday 37 of the 2025/26 La Liga season.
The big three win on the penultimate matchday
Barcelona, Real Madrid, and Atletico Madrid all won on matchday 37. The league leaders secured a comfortable 3-1 win over Real Betis, and it turned out to be a very emotional night as Robert Lewandowski said his goodbyes to the fans at Camp Nou in their final home game.
Meanwhile, Atletico secured a 1-0 win over Girona, with the game marking the end of an era at Riyadh Air Metropolitano as French forward Antoine Griezmann played his final home game as an Atletico Madrid player.
Amidst all the background noise, Real Madrid made it their consecutive wins in La Liga as they won 1-0 against Sevilla. While they could only find the back of the net once, it was actually one of their better performances of the season.
Four teams that are no longer in the relegation battle
Espanyol’s 2-1 win over Osasuna and Valencia’s 4-3 win over Real Sociedad have seen both teams climb up the table and avoid any danger of relegation heading into the final matchday. The duo now actually have a chance of securing European football if they win their final game of the season and results go their way.
Even Deportivo Alaves are safe from the drop after securing a 1-0 win over bottom-placed Real Oviedo. While Sevilla lost 1-0 to Real Madrid, the results went their way, and since they have a good head-to-head record against teams below them, Los Nervionenses will also head into the final matchday without any pressure.
Levante secured all three points on the big night
Levante have now won each of their last three league outings, and their 2-0 win over 19th-placed RCD Mallorca was a massive boost for their chances of survival. It was a virtual final for both teams, and the Valencia-based club managed to come out on top.
They have climbed up to 15th on the points table with 42 points in their 37 outings. They are now two points clear of the drop zone heading into the final matchday. While the job is not done yet, and they could still go down, they did win when it mattered the most.
If they avoid defeat against Real Betis, they will remain in the top flight. However, if they lose and Girona beat Elche, Mallorca fail to beat Oviedo, and Osasuna avoid defeat against Getafe, Levante will go down because of their head-to-head record against Elche.
Five teams are still fighting for European spots
While the top five are already locked, Celta Vigo’s 1-1 draw against Athletic Club and Getafe’s 1-0 defeat at the hands of Elche mean the Europa League and Conference League spots are still up for grabs. While both Celta and Getafe remain in control, the teams below them do have a chance.
Celta will be certain to feature in Europe if they do pick up a point against Sevilla in the final matchday or if Getafe fails to win against Osasuna. Meanwhile, the Madrid-based club must win to keep matters in their own hands.
Following matchday 37’s results, Rayo Vallecano, Valencia and Espanyol all now have an outside chance of making it to Europe if results go their way. Since Real Sociedad have already secured Europa League football via Copa del Rey win, they won’t trouble any of the clubs.
Five teams to battle for survival on matchday 38
Mallorca remain in the drop zone following their defeat to Levante, while Elche have jumped out of the drop zone following their 1-0 win over Getafe. Girona, who lost 1-0 to Atletico Madrid, have taken their spot in the bottom three.
Mallorca now have to win on the final matchday, and results need to go their way for them to survive the drop. Meanwhile, Girona could avoid the drop if they secure all three points on matchday 38. Elche, Osasuna, and Levante, who all have 42 points and are two points clear of the relegation zone, can still end up going down if they slip up and teams below them get a positive result.
