Real Madrid Schedule took José Mourinho’s side to Budapest for a rare preseason meeting with Ferencváros, a reminder that even in summer there is still value in testing standards away from home. It was not a competitive night, but it was a useful part of Los Blancos’ buildup in central Europe.
The fixture mattered because Real Madrid and Ferencváros had not met in over 30 years, with their last Champions League group-stage meetings coming in 1995–96. Madrid won 6–1 at home in that tie before drawing 1–1 in Budapest, which gave this preseason game a neat historical edge as well as a practical one.
A rare matchup in Budapest
For Real Madrid, the trip to Hungary was part of a preseason stay in central Europe after taking on Fiorentina in Austria last weekend. Under Mourinho, the club have been using these matches to sharpen rhythm rather than chase headlines, and Budapest offered another chance to do that against a familiar European name that has been absent from their schedule for decades.
The second preseason test was always going to be about legs, shape and timing more than the result itself. But the location and opponent made it stand out, especially for supporters who had to follow the game through different broadcast routes in different markets.
How supporters could watch
In the United States, supporters could watch on CBS and fuboTV. In Mexico, coverage was available on Disney+. In Spain, the game was shown on Real Madrid TV. Those options underline how a preseason tour can still draw a wide audience when Real Madrid are involved, even before the competitive season begins.
That wide reach also reflected the club’s profile and the appeal of seeing Vinícius Jr, Brahim Díaz and Endrick in a different setting as Mourinho continued to assess options across the squad. The sense was less about a final answer and more about gathering information before the calendar moves on.
What comes next in the Real Madrid schedule?
Real Madrid were scheduled to prepare to face RC Deportivo on Wednesday, Aug. 12, before finishing their preseason with a trip to Schalke 04 in Gelsenkirchen on Aug. 16. That meant Budapest sat right in the middle of a tight run of fixtures, with Mourinho needing each game to serve a purpose.
Preseason does not deliver trophies, but it does set standards. For Real Madrid, this was another step in a schedule designed to build toward the real tests ahead, and the rare meeting with Ferencváros offered exactly the sort of different challenge that can help a new manager learn quickly.
