On August 5 in Mallorca, Spain, PSG lost 0–3.
The team that lifted the UEFA Champions League trophy was soundly beaten by a mid-table Spanish club.
Yet hardly anyone took the result seriously. There is a reason for that.
3-line summary
1. Preseason friendlies are not occasions for focusing on results.
2. On August 5, Mallorca beat PSG 3–0.
3. La Liga opens on the 14th, and Ligue 1 on the 21st.
What Happened in Palma That Day
The match was called the Trofeu Ciutat de Palma. It was neither a league match nor a cup competition. It was an invitational tournament hosted by a club at its home ground.
Mallorca won 3–0, with Lubumbo, Virgili, and Raíllo sharing the goals. It was the first time the two teams had faced each other.
The picture changes when looking at PSG’s circumstances. Most regular starters were absent, and the squad was made up largely of young players. They finished the tournament as runners-up.
Preseason Is Not About Winning
When the season ends, players rest for several weeks. During that rest, their fitness declines.
Preseason is the period for building that fitness back up. Its objectives are clear.
- Building fitness back up to season level
- Integrating new players into the team’s movements
- Evaluating young players in actual matches
- Reaching the opening match without injuries
The last point is especially important. If regular starters get injured here, the entire start of the season can be disrupted. That is why managers choose avoiding injuries over winning.
Leaving out regular starters and fielding many young players is not neglect; it is standard practice at this time of year. This is also why results do not predict season performance.
Why Play Teams From Another Country?
The answer is simple. The league has not started yet.
| League | 2026–27 Opening | End |
|---|---|---|
| La Liga (Spain) | August 14 | May 30, 2027 |
| Ligue 1 (France) | August 21 | May 29, 2027 |
Teams regroup from mid-July, but the leagues do not begin until mid-August. That leaves a gap of nearly a month.
Friendlies fill that gap. It is only natural to find opponents across borders. Teams from the same league meet twice during the season anyway, so it makes more sense to play opponents they would not otherwise face.
Club revenue is also involved. Invitational tournaments bring gate receipts and broadcast rights, while visiting teams receive appearance fees. The same is why teams often tour Asia or the United States in the summer.
The Number of Matches Differs by League
The two leagues’ end dates are only one day apart, but their opening dates are a week apart. That is because the number of teams differs.
In La Liga, 20 teams each play 38 matches. Each team faces every other team twice.
In Ligue 1, the final round is Round 34. There are fewer participating teams, and accordingly fewer matches.
With fewer matches, a season can start later. This is where Ligue 1 gets the room to open a week later.
Conversely, leagues with more matches find it harder to rest even in winter. This calculation also underlies why winter breaks differ in length across European leagues.
The Invitational Tournament Format
Summer tournaments such as this one are a format European clubs have used for a long time.
One club invites several teams to its home stadium. Matches are concentrated into one or two days, and a trophy is awarded to the winner. Because it is not an official competition, the record does not count toward league standings.
For the host, there is an advantage in not leaving its home stadium unused during this period. It is also the time when season tickets are sold, so the event can serve as the first opportunity to show new players to home fans.
For the invited side, it provides match sharpness. No matter how much players run in training, it is different from a match with spectators.
That is why winning these tournaments remains on the record, but carries little weight. It is common for no one to mention the trophy the following week.
What Matters More Than Preseason Scores
You can let the score go. As seen above, the lineups themselves are different.
Look at the lineup instead. Who played 90 minutes and where a new signing lined up are the relevant information. This is where the manager’s intended picture for the season first becomes visible.
Take injury news seriously. Friendly results disappear, but injuries carry into the season.
The first month of the season is not yet the finished product. Teams that are not fully fit and teams that are already up to speed are mixed together, and the difference can distort the early standings more than it should.
Trying to predict the season from summer scores will usually lead you astray. Those matches were not played to produce results.
Once the leagues open in mid-August, the numbers from then on carry different weight.
Sources
- VAVEL Mallorca 3-0 PSG: Raíllo seals the rout of the champions
- Paris Saint-Germain official Mallorca vs Paris 2026-08-05
- Wikipedia La Liga 2026–27
- Ligue 1 official Dates set for the 2026/27 season
This is a Korean-language summary of reporting by overseas media outlets and official league announcements.