Real Betis Kicks Off 2026 with Focused Training and Ambitious Goals

Real Betis will commence the new year with a focused training session. Head coach Manuel Pellegrini has scheduled a closed-door training at the Ciudad Deportiva Luis del Sol on Thursday, January 1, starting at 6:00 PM. This afternoon session will aid the team in preparing for their upcoming match against Santiago Bernabéu on Sunday, marking the beginning of a 2026 filled with challenges.

As has been the case in recent seasons, Betis enters the new year alive in all three competitions in which they participate. Currently, in LaLiga, they occupy the sixth position with 28 points from 17 matches, placing them in contention for European competition—one of their primary goals this season. They sit five points away from the fifth position, which could potentially offer a spot in the next Champions League, depending on the performance of Spanish teams in continental tournaments, while maintaining a comfortable five-point lead over their closest rivals.

Real Madrid and Oviedo will be their final opponents before completing the first half of the season. Betis has proven to be formidable away from home but has drawn too many matches and dropped points at La Cartuja. However, if they manage to secure over 30 points in the upcoming fixtures, they will enter the second half of the league season on track for over 60 points, which is likely to be sufficient for achieving their goal of returning to Europe for the sixth consecutive year, while also ensuring additional revenue of at least 20 million euros for continued growth.

For Pellegrini, the domestic league remains the top priority, a sentiment he has consistently expressed since joining the club. However, the other two tournaments in which his team is still active present a quicker, albeit riskier, route to winning a title and accessing European play. In the Copa del Rey, Betis awaits the draw for the quarter-finals scheduled for January 7. Their opponent in this round cannot be one of the four teams competing for the Supercopa de España (Real Madrid, Barcelona, Atlético de Madrid, and Athletic Club), making their immediate goal to reach the quarters, just three matches away from another final, which would at least secure a spot in the Supercopa of 2027 (the champion is also guaranteed a place in the Europa League).

Further clarity on their path in the Europa League is still pending. Betis has two remaining matches in the group stage, against PAOK away and Feyenoord at home, later in January. Mathematically qualified for the knockout stages, Pellegrini’s squad aims to secure additional victories to advance directly to the Round of 16, allowing them to focus on the tournament until March and play the second leg at home. The dream of repeating their continental final run, having faced Chelsea in the Conference League final last May, remains alive for a Betis side that sees the second continental tournament as a viable path to the Champions League, maintaining an optimistic outlook as they head into 2026.