Copa del Rey

The Spanish Copa del Rey is the second most significant football club competition in Spain. This tournament saw the light in 1903, and its full name is “Campeonato de España – Copa de Su Majestad el Rey" which translates to "Championship of Spain – Cup of His Majesty the King". The tournament is directly sanctioned by the Royal Spanish Football Federation. It is known to be the oldest associated football tournament in the country.

During its earlier years, the Copa del Rey was played under a league system, but ever since regional clubs and teams from lower-tier categories entered the tournament, the decision was made to turn the tournament into a KO stage competition. Out of all the teams included in the Spanish football club system, the only not allowed to become involved in the tournament are the Segunda División and Tercera División affiliates for La Liga clubs.

With over 100 teams involved in the tournament, the Spanish FA established a format that sees the first three rounds being played on one-leg ties. The fourth round, which sees the introduction of all, sees all teams involved playing two-legged fixtures. Once the tournament enters the Round of 16, one-leg ties return until the semifinals, and the title match has been established as a one-leg tie, which is usually played at a neutral venue.

Barcelona is the most winning club in this competition, with thirty-one titles to their name. The Blaugrana side set a record for most consecutive titles when they managed to win four Copa del Rey editions in a row between 2014 and 2018.

In the USA, ESPN currently holds the English and Spanish multi-platform broadcasting rights for the Copa del Rey until the end of the 2026-27 edition. Up to 65 matches per season will be aired and streamed exclusively across ESPN networks. In Spain, the Spanish public service broadcaster RTVE, has obtained the domestic TV rights for the Copa del Rey through to the 2024-25 edition. RTVE will broadcast and stream 15 Copa del Rey matches each season including two matches from each round, both semi-finals matches, and the championship final game.