La Liga officials are expected to inspect the playing surface at Celta Vigo’s Estadio de Balaidos within the next 24 hours after a suspected fungus outbreak damaged the pitch.
The inspection will determine whether Celta’s opening match of the 2026-27 season against Osasuna can take place as planned on Sunday night. The fixture is scheduled to kick off at 20:30 BST at the 24,870-capacity stadium in Vigo.
Sources close to La Liga have told BBC Sport that league representatives intend to visit the ground following reports in Spain about the condition of the surface. Celta Vigo are understood to have asked for the game to be postponed, while Osasuna are reportedly willing to play the match on its scheduled date.
The fungus infection is said to have affected the playing area and caused damage serious enough to raise doubts over whether the pitch will be suitable for a La Liga fixture. The final decision is expected to follow the league’s assessment of the surface.
Celta had previously been able to request a postponement because striker Borja Iglesias was involved in Spain’s run to the 2026 World Cup final. However, the club chose not to use that option.
Three other La Liga matches scheduled for the opening weekend have already been moved to later in the month because clubs had players involved in the World Cup final. Those fixtures are Valencia v Real Betis, Real Madrid v Real Sociedad and Barcelona v Athletic Club.
The condition of the Balaidos pitch comes as the stadium continues a long-running redevelopment project. Renovation work has been under way for more than a decade, with the venue planned to be one of 11 Spanish stadia used to co-host the 2030 World Cup alongside Portugal and Morocco.
Once the work is complete, the stadium’s capacity is expected to rise from its current 24,870 to between 40,000 and 44,000.
Estadio de Balaidos was also used by Spain in June, when the national team played a friendly against Iraq there. That match took place before Spain’s successful 2026 World Cup campaign, which ended with the team winning the tournament over the summer.
The pitch inspection now leaves uncertainty over Celta Vigo’s first competitive fixture of the new La Liga season. A decision on whether the match can proceed as scheduled is expected after officials have examined the extent of the fungus damage and assessed the condition of the playing surface.