La Liga to inspect Celta Vigo's pitch after fungus outbreak
La Liga to inspect Celta Vigo's pitch after fungus outbreak
Jonty Colman - BBC Sport journalistWed, August 12, 2026 at 1:03 PM UTC
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The Estadio de Balaidos is scheduled to host Celta Vigo's La Liga 2026-27 season opener against Osasuna on Sunday
La Liga officials are set to carry out a pitch inspection at Celta Vigo's Estadio de Balaidos following a suspected fungus outbreak.
Celta are due to host Osasuna on Sunday night in their opening match of the 2026-27 season, kicking off at 20:30 BST.
Following reports in Spain of the outbreak, sources close to La Liga have told BBC Sport that the league are due to visit the 24,870-capacity stadium in Vigo in the next 24 hours to assess if the match can be played as scheduled.
The pitch is said to have been hit by a fungus infection that has damaged the playing surface, with Celta Vigo believed to have requested that the match is postponed.
Meanwhile, opponents Osasuna are said to be open to playing the fixture as scheduled.
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Spain's national team played a friendly against Iraq at the Esadio de Balaidos in June ahead of their successful 2026 World Cup-winning campaign over the summer.
The stadium has been undergoing renovation works for more than a decade, with it planned to be among the 11 Spanish stadia used to co-host the 2030 World Cup alongside Portugal and Morocco.
Once renovation works are completed, the arena is set to increase its capacity to between 40,000 and 44,000.
Celta originally had the option to postpone the match due to striker Borja Iglesias reaching the World Cup final with Spain, but opted not too.
Three La Liga matches that were due to be played on the opening weekend, Valencia v Real Betis, Real Madrid v Real Sociedad and Barcelona v Athletic Club, have all been rescheduled for later in the month due to clubs having players involved in the World Cup final.
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Source: “AOL Sports”
