La Liga title winning scenarios – will Barcelona be given a guard of honor?

TL;DR

FC Barcelona is close to winning the La Liga title, needing either a draw against Real Madrid or a win against Osasuna combined with a Madrid loss. Real Madrid reportedly will not give Barcelona a guard of honor if they secure the title this weekend.

Key points

Barcelona needs a draw against Madrid to secure the title.
A win against Osasuna and a Madrid loss would also clinch the title.
Real Madrid will not give a guard of honor to Barcelona.
Barcelona could still win the title even if they lose to Osasuna.

FC BarcelonaReal MadridRCD Espanyol de BarcelonaOsasuna

Lamine Yamal right winger of Barcelona and Spain celebrates after scoring his sides first goal during the LaLiga EA Sports match between FC Barcelona and RCD Espanyol de Barcelona at Spotify Camp Nou on April 11, 2026 in Barcelona, Spain. (Photo by Jose Breton/Pics Action/NurPhoto via Getty Images) | NurPhoto via Getty Images FC Barcelona is standing on the doorstep of another league trophy. Following a business-like 2-0 win over Getafe where Fermín López and Marcus Rashford provided the second-half spark, the gap at the top of the table has stretched to 11 points after Real Madrid’s recent slip-up against Real Betis. The most straightforward scenario for those who love a party at the Camp Nou involves the upcoming Clásico on May 10. If both giants simply match each other’s results this coming weekend, Barcelona would only need a draw against Madrid to officially secure back-to-back titles. However, the Catalans may pop the champagne sooner than that. Should Barça handle their business against this Saturday and Madrid fail to beat Espanyol the following day, the race is over. That would make the title feel a bit less dramatic since Barcelona would win it “from the sofa,” watching Madrid drop points on TV. But it would assure a title, which is no small thing, and allow players to rotate ahead of the World Cup. It also brings up an interesting scenario. Traditionally, when a team wins the league with at least one game to spare, the newly-crowned champions are given a at the start of the next match. The opposing team lines up in two files, letting the winners arrive on the field with a special entrance – the so-called “pasillo.” Reportedly, Real Madrid has no plans to offer a pasillo if the title is decided this weekend. This wouldn’t be new. The pasillo tradition was broken in 2018, when Madrid refused to give Barcelona the guard of honor in La Liga, claiming they were within their rights because Barcelona had not given them one during a league game after Los Blancos’ FIFA Club World Cup win. If Barcelona lose or draw against Osasuna, and Madrid win against Espanyol, Barcelona would not secure the title even with a win in El Clásico. But they’d be quite close, needing a maximum of two points from the remaining three matches to secure the trophy. Let’s consider the doomsday scenario: Barcelona lose to Osasuna, Madrid beats Espanyol, and Madrid beat Barcelona in a direct matchup. And let’s say Real Madrid would go onto win the remaining three matches after that. Pretty much as good as it can get for them. Even then, Barcelona would need five points from the last three games to secure the title. That’s two wins, or one win and two draws. The title is not assured, but it would take a truly catastrophic collapse for them to lose La Liga at this point.

Q&A

What does Barcelona need to do to win La Liga this weekend?

Barcelona can win La Liga by either drawing against Real Madrid or winning against Osasuna while Madrid loses to Espanyol.

Will Real Madrid give Barcelona a guard of honor if they win the title?

No, Real Madrid reportedly has no plans to offer a guard of honor to Barcelona if they secure the title this weekend.

What happens if Barcelona loses to Osasuna?

If Barcelona loses to Osasuna and Madrid wins against Espanyol, they would not secure the title and would need to earn points in the upcoming matches.

What is the significance of the guard of honor in La Liga?

The guard of honor is a tradition where the opposing team lines up to celebrate the league champions as they enter the field, typically given when a team wins the league with games remaining.