Honestly, trying to keep track of the Real Madrid schedule 2024 was like trying to drink from a firehose. If you were looking for a quiet year, this wasn't it. Between the tail end of a historic 2023-24 double and the arrival of Kylian Mbappé in August, the calendar was basically a non-stop sprint. Most fans think they know the highlights, but the actual rhythm of the year was much weirder than just "winning the Champions League again."
It started with a trophy in Riyadh and ended with one in Lusail. In between? A lot of tactical shifts, a few heart-stopping comebacks, and a massive transition in the midfield after Toni Kroos hung up his boots.
The Spring Sprint: Chasing La Decimoquinta
The first half of 2024 was all about survival and clinical finishing. Madrid entered January on a mission. On January 14, they absolutely dismantled Barcelona 4-1 in the Supercopa de España final. Vinícius Júnior scored a hat-trick before halftime. It set a tone for the rest of the season: if you leave space, they will hurt you.
The Champions League run was, frankly, ridiculous. People forget how close it came to falling apart. The round of 16 against RB Leipzig was way tighter than the 2-1 aggregate score suggests. Then came the Manchester City quarter-final in April. After a wild 3-3 draw at the Bernabéu on April 9, Madrid went to the Etihad on April 17 and just... sat there. They defended for 120 minutes, took it to penalties, and Rüdiger sealed it.
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By the time May rolled around, La Liga was already a formality. They officially clinched their 36th league title on May 4 after beating Cádiz -0. But the date everyone had circled was June 1 at Wembley. Borussia Dortmund outplayed them for 60 minutes. It didn't matter. Dani Carvajal and Vini Jr. scored late, and Madrid lifted their 15th European Cup.
The Mbappé Era Begins: August and September
Everything changed in the summer. No more Kroos. No more Nacho. And finally, after years of "will they, won't they," Kylian Mbappé arrived.
The 2024-25 part of the Real Madrid schedule 2024 kicked off in Warsaw on August 14 with the UEFA Super Cup. Mbappé scored on his debut against Atalanta in a 2-0 win. Simple, right? Not exactly. The early La Liga form was kinda spotty. They drew 1-1 with Mallorca on opening day (August 18) and another 1-1 draw with Las Palmas on August 29.
People started panicking. The "BMV" (Bellingham, Mbappé, Vini) frontline looked a bit crowded. But they figured it out by mid-September. They beat Real Sociedad 2-0 and then hammered Espanyol 4-1.
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Why the October Schedule Was a Nightmare
If you look at the results, October was the month where the wheels wobbled. It started with a shock 1-0 loss to Lille in the Champions League on October 2. That ended a 36-match unbeaten run. It felt like a wake-up call.
Then came the big one. October 26. El Clásico at the Bernabéu. Honestly, it was a disaster for Los Blancos. Barcelona’s high line caught Mbappé offside about a dozen times, and they lost 4-0. It was the lowest point of the year, followed shortly by a 3-1 home loss to AC Milan in early November.
The Winter Reset and the Intercontinental Cup
Ancelotti is nothing if not adaptable. He shifted things. They finished 2024 with a flurry of games.
- November 9: 4-0 win over Osasuna (Vini hat-trick).
- November 24: 3-0 win at Leganés.
- December 1: 2-0 win over Getafe.
- December 7: 3-0 win at Girona.
The year technically "ended" with the FIFA Intercontinental Cup in Qatar on December 18. They beat Pachuca 3-0. Mbappé, Rodrygo, and Vini all scored. It was their fifth trophy of the calendar year. Think about that: Spanish Super Cup, La Liga, Champions League, UEFA Super Cup, and the Intercontinental Cup.
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Real Madrid Schedule 2024: The Final Tally
If you're trying to visualize the sheer volume of football played, just look at the density of the winter months. In December alone, they played six matches across two continents. They finished the year top of the table or within striking distance, depending on Barcelona's games in hand, and safely through the initial chaos of the new Champions League format.
| Month | Key Milestone |
|---|---|
| January | Won Supercopa de España (4-1 vs Barca). |
| May | Clinched 36th La Liga title. |
| June | Won 15th Champions League (2-0 vs Dortmund). |
| August | Won UEFA Super Cup; Mbappé debut. |
| October | Suffered heavy 4-0 Clásico loss. |
| December | Won FIFA Intercontinental Cup in Qatar. |
It wasn't always pretty. The defense struggled after David Alaba's long-term injury and the ACL tear for Dani Carvajal later in the year. But the 2024 schedule proved that even when Real Madrid looks vulnerable, they usually find a way to stand on a podium by the end of it.
If you are planning to track the 2025 matches, you should focus on the Copa del Rey dates in January and the return of the Champions League knockout stages in February. Keeping an eye on the official RFEF and UEFA calendars is the only way to stay ahead of the inevitable date shifts for TV broadcasts.