diff --git a/Lib/csv.py b/Lib/csv.py
index cd202659873811..7fda6c1e89414a 100644
--- a/Lib/csv.py
+++ b/Lib/csv.py
@@ -121,7 +121,7 @@ class excel(Dialect):
     delimiter = ','
     quotechar = '"'
     doublequote = True
-    skipinitialspace = False
+    skipinitialspace = True
     lineterminator = '\r\n'
     quoting = QUOTE_MINIMAL
 register_dialect("excel", excel)
diff --git a/Misc/NEWS.d/next/C_API/2025-01-16-17-00-30.gh-issue-128921.rAIMai.rst b/Misc/NEWS.d/next/C_API/2025-01-16-17-00-30.gh-issue-128921.rAIMai.rst
new file mode 100644
index 00000000000000..9980e546ae7a33
--- /dev/null
+++ b/Misc/NEWS.d/next/C_API/2025-01-16-17-00-30.gh-issue-128921.rAIMai.rst
@@ -0,0 +1,5 @@
+Set `skipinitialspace` to True by default in csv.py
+
+The default value of `skipinitialspace` in `csv.py` has been changed to `True`, aligning with common user preferences and improving ease of use when parsing CSV files with leading spaces.
+
+Patch by Logan Wright. ([GH-128921](https://github.com/python/cpython/pull/128921))