Real Madrid News
Confirmed: Real Madrid face Deportivo La Coruna in Teresa Herrera Trophy in pre-season
Real Madrid have officially announced that they will take on newly-promoted La Liga side, Deportivo La Coruna, in the Teresa Herrera Trophy as part of their pre-season.
The announcement completes the lineup for the oldest summer football tournament in Spain and one of the oldest in international football.
“Real Madrid will compete in the 81st edition of the Teresa Herrera Trophy this summer. Jose Mourinho’s team will face Deportivo at Riazor on August 12th at 9:00 PM,” the club statement read.
Returning after 13 years
This year’s appearance marks Real Madrid’s first participation in the Teresa Herrera Trophy since 2013.
Their previous visit came during one of the most difficult periods in Deportivo’s history, when the Galician club was struggling both financially and competitively under then-president Augusto Cesar Lendoiro.
At the time, Real Madrid agreed to participate without charging a fee.
⏩ AMISTOSO CONFIRMADO
— Real Madrid C.F. (@realmadrid) July 9, 2026
🆚 @RCDeportivo
🏆 Trofeo Teresa Herrera
🗓️ 12/08 | 21:00 CEST pic.twitter.com/K89A3R0XG4
In the history of the tournament, Real Madrid have won the Teresa Herrera Trophy nine times: 1949, 1953, 1966, 1976, 1978, 1979, 1980, 1994 and 2013, making them the second-most successful club in the competition.
Pre-season taking shape
This adds another pre-season friendly fixture to Real Madrid’s calendar, as Jose Mourinho hopes to gets his team up and running in time for the start of the new campaign.
The 13th of July will be the day when players will undergo their routine medicals ahead of the new season and have their first contact with Mourinho. That will be followed by a rigorous schedule of training and practice.
In addition to the Teresa Herrera Trophy, Real Madrid will also play another friendly clash against Fiorentina in Austria
The Merengues’ opening La Liga fixture against Real Sociedad appears all set to be rescheduled, considering that a number of the club’s players are still at the World Cup and some will feature in the semi-finals.
After a month into the new season, Aurelien Tchouameni is finally back in action for Real Madrid.
The Frenchman made his first appearance of the season for the Merengues last night against Inter Milan after recovering from the muscular injury that delayed his campaign.
His return to fitness had raised questions over where he would fit into Mourinho’s plans.
Tchouameni has been a regular in Real Madrid’s midfield for several seasons under different managers, but the end of last season was far less straightforward.
His confrontation with Federico Valverde, combined with speculation over his future at the club, created uncertainty about his position. His lack of a proper pre-season also appeared to put him behind other midfield options.
Bernardo Silva had established himself as an important figure, while Eduardo Camavinga was also ahead of Tchouameni in terms of match fitness.
With Real Madrid looking for greater creativity in midfield, there were questions over whether the Frenchman would still be a first-choice player.
Key for Mourinho
According to AS (h/t Bernabeu Digital), however, Mourinho has no such doubts. Tchouameni remains a key player for the Portuguese coach and is expected to be a starter.
Mourinho sees the French international as a midfielder without a direct replacement in the squad.
For Jose, Tchouameni provides something that none of the other midfielders in the squad do – a more defensive and positional presence, combining his tactical discipline with considerable physical strength.
His ability to shield the defence and provide balance could be particularly important for a Real Madrid side that want to defend aggressively and attack quickly in transition.
For that reason, his absence at the start of the campaign has not changed the manager’s view of his importance.
Mourinho faces a midfield selection problem
The challenge for Mourinho now is finding a way to fit all the pieces together.
If Tchouameni is guaranteed a starting position and Valverde is considered untouchable as captain, the obvious consequence is that Bernardo could find himself starting from the bench.
The summer arrival had been given an important role in helping Real Madrid control and distribute possession from deeper positions.
However, with Tchouameni and Valverde both occupying midfield places, Mourinho cannot accommodate everyone in the same lineup.
How the Portuguese coach manages that competition will be interesting to see in the coming weeks.
