Live match presentation on ESPN, ESPN Deportes and ESPN+ in English and Spanish on Sunday, May 11 at 10:15 a.m. ET
Expansive coverage originating from Barcelona begins Thursday, May 8
ESPN platforms – ESPN, ESPN Deportes, ESPN+, and more – will combine to present unprecedented coverage of the 261st FC Barcelona-Real Madrid ElClásico beginning Thursday, May 8 through match day on Sunday, May 11. The game will start at 10:15 a.m. ET across ESPN, ESPN+, in English and Spanish, and ESPN Deportes.
Coverage of the weekend will begin Thursday with live editions of ESPN Deportes’ Ahora o Nunca (4 p.m.) and ESPN FC (5:30 p.m.) originating from a remote studio overlooking the picturesque Port Vell in Barcelona. The studio will host all ElClásico-themed programs and segments on Thursday and Friday. The shows will relocate to Barcelona’s Estadi Olímpic Luís Companys in the Montjuic neighborhood on Saturday and Sunday. Highlights:
First ElClásico on ESPN television since the company’s eight-year rights agreement with LALIGA in 2021.
The state of Camp Nou: A report on the on-going renovation of Camp Nou – FC Barcelona’s historic stadium
Interviews and guests: Former FC Barcelona star and Mexican National Team captain Rafa Márquez, Two-time FIFA Best Player Aitana Bonmati, RCD Espanyol manager Manolo González, Ecuadorian actor and former soccer player Danilo Carrera, and more.
261st ElClásico Schedule – Live Programming:
Date Time (ET) Program Platforms
Thu, May 8 4 p.m. Ahora o Nunca
Mauricio Pedroza, Alex Pareja, Moises Llorens and Rodrigo Faez|ESPN Deportes|
||5:30 p.m.|ESPN FC Daily Show
Dan Thomas and Craig Burley|ESPN+|
|Fri, May 9|2 p.m.|La Peña de LALIGA
Pareja, Llorens, Faez, Luis Garcia, Mario Suarez, Martin Ainstein|ESPN Deportes|
||5 p.m.|Ahora o Nunca
Pedroza, Pareja, Llorens, Faez, Suarez and Ainstein|ESPN Deportes|
||5:30 p.m.|ESPN FC Daily Show
Thomas, Burley and Luis Garcia|ESPN+|
|Sat, May 10|11:30 a.m.|ESPN FC: ElClasico Preview Special
Thomas, Burley, Garcia, Steve McManaman and Ian Darke|ESPN2, ESPN+|
||5 p.m.|Fuera de Juego
Llorens and Faez|ESPN+|
||5 p.m.|ESPN FC Daily Show
Kay Murray and Ale Moreno|ESPN+|
||6 p.m.|La Peña de LALIGA
Pareja, Llorens, Faez, Suarez, and Danilo Carrera (guest)|ESPN Deportes|
|Sun, May 11|9 a.m.|ESPN FC: ElClásico Preview Show
Thomas, Burley, Garcia, McManaman and Sid Lowe|ESPN+, Disney+|
||9 a.m.|ESPN FC: Camino a ElClásico Pregame
Pedroza, Pareja and reporters Ainstein and Llorens|ESPN+, Disney+|
||10:15 a.m.|ElClásico: FC Barcelona vs. Real Madrid
Darke, McManaman, and reporter Lowe
Fernando Palomo, Eduardo Biscayart, and Ainstein and Llorens|ESPN, ESPN+, ESPN Deportes|
||12 p.m.|ESPN FC – ElClásico Postgame Special
Thomas, Burley, Garcia, McManaman and Lowe|ESPN, ESPN+|
||12 p.m.|ESPN FC – El Después de ElClásico Postgame Special
Pedroza, Pareja and reporters Ainstein and Llorens|ESPN+|
||5:30 p.m.|ESPN FC Daily Show
Murray and Moreno|ESPN+|
*Subject to change
Surround Studio Coverage of the 261st ElClásico across ESPN English and Spanish ProgrammingThe 261st FC Barcelona-Real Madrid match on ESPN studio programming:
ESPN FC : In addition to the “ElClásico Preview Special” on ESPN2 and ESPN+ on Saturday, May 10 at 11:30 a.m., daily editions of ESPN FC originating from Barcelona will stream from Thursday through Sunday at 5:30 p.m. ET.
Fuera de Juego : On Saturday, May 10, a special ElClásico edition of the ESPN+ Spanish-language soccer studio show will stream on ESPN+
Ahora o Nunca : ESPN Deportes’ signature studio program featuring host Mauricio Pedroza will air from Barcelona on Thursday, May 8, at 4 p.m. ET, and Friday, May 9, at 5 p.m., immediately following the UD Las Palmas-Rayo Vallecano match
LALIGA Al Día: Emmy-nominated studio personality Carolina Guillén will host daily editions of the LALIGA news, analysis and discussion program, exclusively on YouTube, from Barcelona
SportsCenter : The ESPN flagship Spanish-language program will include ElClásico segments
La Peña de LALIGA : Álex Pareja will host ESPN Deportes’ LALIGA pregame show from Barcelona on Friday, at 2 p.m., leading into Las Palmas-Rayo Vallecano match at 3 p.m.
ESPN Deportes’ Futbol Picanteand Cronometro to feature content and segments focused on the LALIGA ElClásico.
ESPN FC – Camino a ElClásico (pregame at 9 a.m.) will stream on ESPN+ and Disney+ and ESPN FC – El Después de ElClásico Postgame Special (12 p.m.) will stream on ESPN+ surrounding the game.
Solo Fútbol : The YouTube program with Fernando Palomo, Álex Pareja and Alexis Martín Tamayo, will focus their tactical and stats-based analysis of Matchday 34 in LALIGA on ElClásico.
Digital Soccer News and Information Platforms
ESPN Social: ESPN Social will capture and share ElClásico content across TikTok, Instagram, X, and more, including interviews with legends of the game.
ESPN Digital: The ESPN soccer digital ElClásico features include columns, and insider analysis by writers Sam Mardsen (FC Barcelona), Alex Kirkland (Real Madrid), and Graham Hunter on general assignments.
com: reporters Jordi Blanco and Fáez headline ElClásico coverage from Madrid.
The 261st ElClásico on ESPN Support – Marketing Marketing: ESPN and The Walt Disney Studios Marketing teams are partnering to promote two major tentpoles: ESPN’s ElClásicoon May 11 and Disney’s live-action Lilo & Stitch, premiering May 23. The collaboration will feature coordinated social media and broadcast activations during the week of, and on the day of, ElClásico, with Stitch likely appearing in Barcelona, Spain. In addition, ESPN Marketing launched the 261st ElClásico campaign spot last Saturday during coverage of the record-setting Copa del Rey Final.
**ElClásico-Themed Films on ESPN+**Five ElClásico-themed documentaries are available on ESPN+, beginning with “ElClásico—The Movie, ” which debuted last Thursday. Each film debuts at 11 a.m. ET.
ElClásico – The Movie : Chronicling the performances of Kylian Mbappé (Real Madrid) and Lamine Yamal (FC Barcelona) in the first ElClásico of the season, this film delves into their respective careers, origins, and lives off the field.
ElClásico Analysis (Friday, May 2): An Xs and Os examination of past games between the two managers – Hansi Flick (FC Barcelona) and Carlo Ancelotti (Real Madrid) – using Libero Vision and Mediacoach technologies, in-game images, and insight from legends.
Road to ElClásico (Monday, May 5): A retrospective look at FC Barcelona and Real Madrid’s journey through the 34 games of the season.
LALIGA World (Tuesday, May 6): An in-depth interview with one of the game’s stars, the latest news and updates, and features on select ElClásico legends.
LALIGA Show (Thursday and Friday): The latest news across LALIGA, previews of Matchday 35 focusing on the potential title-deciding ElClásico.
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