Real Madrid’s presidential elections have been confirmed for June 7th, but the club are facing some scheduling issues.
The elections, which haven’t been held since 2006, traditionally take place at the Santiago Bernabeu stadium, but this time it’s booked out.
Pope Leo XIV will be using the stadium from June 6th to June 9th, meaning Madrid have had to make other plans.
Voting will now take place at the Valdebebas training ground by the Madrid airport.
Such a call may well see a smaller turnout than expected, with the Bernabeu far more reachable by foot.
Real Madrid’s elections will take place from between 9:00am and 20:00pm on June 7th and mail-in votes are allowed until June 3rd.
A day later, Pope Leo will host an event, becoming the second to do so at the Bernabeu after John Paul II in 1982.
A statement read: “The Holy See has announced that the Bernabéu will host a meeting on Monday, June 8, starting at 7:00 pm, between Pope Leo XIV and the diocesan community of Madrid.
“The event is part of the apostolic journey that His Holiness will undertake in Spain.
“The Pope will arrive in Madrid on the morning of June 6 and will remain in the capital until the 9th, when he will travel to Barcelona.
“On the 11th, he will head to the Canary Islands, and on the 12th, he will return to Rome.”
The elections will be the first Madrid have held since 2006 when Ramón Calderón won with 29.8% of the vote against Juan Palacios.
Florentino Perez then arrived in 2009 uncontested, and has continued in the same vein up until today.
Now he will face 37-year-old green energy billionaire Enrique Riquelme.
Riquelme’s candidacy was confirmed after he met all requirements to run, including 20 years of membership, a €187million bank guarantee and 15% of the club’s annual budget.
Confirming the election, Real said in a statement: “The Electoral Board of the Real Madrid Club de Fútbol, after reviewing the documentation submitted by the various candidates, has declared valid candidacies for the elections for President and Board of Directors of the club.
“The Electoral Board approves that the voting will take place on June 7, 2026, from 9:00 am to 8:00 pm, uninterrupted, at the Basketball Pavilion of Ciudad Real Madrid, Avenida Alejandro de la Sota s/n – Madrid, where the corresponding polling stations will be set up.
“This information will be sent to all members included in the electoral census.”
Perez is expected to win the re-election comfortably, but a lower vote after two trophyless campaigns could damage his reputation and set Riquelme up for a later challenge.
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