The originally scheduled calendar for the 2020 championship was heavily affected by the COVID-19 pandemic. Several Grands Prix were cancelled or postponed after the aborted opening round in Qatar, prompting the Fédération Internationale de Motocyclisme to draft a new calendar. The start of the championship was delayed until 19 July, with the Circuito de Jerez-Ángel Nieto hosting the Spanish Grand Prix as the opening round of the championship.
Organisers of the race signed a contract with Dorna Sports, the sport's commercial rights holder, to host a second round at the circuit on 26 July (a week after the first race) to be known as the Andalusian Grand Prix. The race was named for Andalusia, the autonomous community of Spain that the Circuito de Jerez-Ángel Nieto is located in. The back-to-back Spanish races would mark the first time that a country hosts back-to-back races in the same season.