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Copa del Rey facts for kids

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For other uses, see Copa del Rey (disambiguation).
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Copa del Rey
Logo Copa del Rey 2021 (navy badge).svg
Organising body Royal Spanish Football Federation
Founded 1903; 122 years ago (1903)
Region  Spain
Number of teams 126
Qualifier for UEFA Europa League
Supercopa de España
Current champions Athletic Bilbao (24th title)
Most successful club(s) Barcelona (31 titles)
Television broadcasters List of broadcasters

The Copa del Rey (which means "The King's Cup" in Spanish) is a big annual football competition in Spain. It's a "knockout" tournament, meaning teams are eliminated if they lose a match. The Royal Spanish Football Federation organizes it.

This competition started in 1903. This makes it the oldest national football tournament in Spain. The team that wins the Copa del Rey gets a spot in the UEFA Europa League for the next season. If they've already qualified for Europe through their league position, the Europa League spot goes to the next best team in the league that hasn't qualified yet.

Barcelona has won the most Copa del Rey titles, with 31 victories. Athletic Bilbao is second with 24 wins. Real Madrid is third with 20 titles. Athletic Bilbao is also the most recent winner. They won the 2024 final against Mallorca.

History of the Copa del Rey

The Copa del Rey has a long and interesting history. It started even before Spain had its main football league, La Liga.

How the Cup Began

In 1902, there was a special football tournament. It was called the Copa de la Coronación. This cup celebrated the crowning of King Alfonso XIII of Spain. Five teams played, and a team called Club Bizcaya won. This team was made of players from Athletic Club and Bilbao FC. Even though Athletic Bilbao displays this cup in their museum, the Spanish Football Federation doesn't officially count it as a Copa del Rey win. It's seen as a "forerunner" to the official competition.

The official Copa del Rey started in 1903. Athletic Bilbao won the very first official edition. From 1903 until 1928, the Copa del Rey was actually Spain's national football championship. Teams qualified for it through their regional leagues.

Name Changes Over Time

The competition's name has changed several times:

  • From 1905 to 1932, it was called the Copa de Su Majestad El Rey Alfonso XIII (King Alfonso XIII's Cup).
  • During the time of the Second Spanish Republic, it was known as the Copa del Presidente de la República (President of the Republic Cup).
  • During the years of Francisco Franco's rule, it was called the Copa del Generalísimo.
  • After Franco's death in 1976, it went back to being the Copa del Rey.

Early Years and Disputes

In 1904, Athletic Bilbao won the cup without playing. Their opponents, Español de Madrid, didn't show up for the final. In some early years, like 1910 and 1913, there were disagreements among clubs. This led to two different competitions being held at the same time. However, the Spanish Football Federation officially recognizes all these early editions.

During the Spanish Civil War in 1937, some clubs played in a different cup called the Copa de la España Libre. This tournament was officially recognized in 2023, but not as a Copa del Rey.

Because of the 1902 competition, there's a small debate about how many titles Athletic Bilbao has. Barcelona has 31 wins. Athletic Bilbao is usually credited with 24 or 25, depending on whether the 1902 cup is counted.

How the Competition Works Now

The Copa del Rey has changed its format over the years. Since the 2019–20 season, more teams can enter, including winners from regional divisions.

Most matches are single-leg ties. This means if you lose, you're out! Teams from lower divisions usually get to host the game. The biggest clubs, like those playing in the Supercopa de España, join the competition later, usually in the Third Round (last 32 teams). The semi-finals are played over two legs, with each team hosting one match. The final is a single game played at a neutral stadium. The Estadio de La Cartuja in Seville has been chosen to host the final for several years.

The winners of the Copa del Rey qualify for both the Supercopa de España and the UEFA Europa League the next season. The Supercopa de España is now a four-team event. It includes the Copa del Rey winners and runners-up, plus the top two teams from La Liga.

The Trophies

Over the years, 12 different Copa del Rey trophies have been made. A club gets to keep a trophy permanently if they win the competition three times in a row or five separate times. For example, Barcelona has kept five trophies. Athletic Bilbao has kept three, and Real Madrid has kept one.

In 2011, a new trophy was made. It's made of silver, weighs 15 kg (about 33 pounds), and is 75 cm (about 30 inches) tall. Real Madrid was the first team to win this new trophy. But during their celebrations, player Sergio Ramos accidentally dropped it from a bus! The bus ran over it, and it broke into ten pieces. Real Madrid now has a copy of that trophy displayed at their stadium.

Top Teams and Their Wins

Here's a list of the football clubs that have won the Copa del Rey the most times, as of April 2024.

List of football clubs ranked by wins, together with runners-up, total finalists and seasons of finals.
Rank Club Winners Runners-up Finalists Seasons
1 Barcelona 31 11 42 1909–10, 1911–12, 1912–13, 1918–19, 1919–20, 1922, 1925, 1926, 1928, 1931–32, 1935–36, 1942, 1951, 1952, 1952–53, 1953–54, 1957, 1958–59, 1962–63, 1967–68, 1970–71, 1973–74, 1977–78, 1980–81, 1982–83, 1983–84, 1985–86, 1987–88, 1989–90, 1995–96, 1996–97, 1997–98, 2008–09, 2010–11, 2011–12, 2013–14, 2014–15, 2015–16, 2016–17, 2017–18, 2018–19, 2020–21
2 Athletic Bilbao 24 16 40 1903, 1904, 1905, 1906, 1910, 1911, 1913, 1914, 1915, 1916, 1920, 1921, 1923, 1930, 1931, 1932, 1933, 1942, 1943, 1944, 1944–45, 1948–49, 1949–50, 1952–53, 1955, 1956, 1958, 1965–66, 1966–67, 1969, 1972–73, 1976–77, 1983–84, 1984–85, 2008–09, 2011–12, 2014–15, 2019–20, 2020–21, 2023–24
3 Real Madrid 20 20 40 1903, 1905, 1906, 1907, 1908, 1916, 1917, 1918, 1924, 1928–29, 1930, 1933, 1934, 1936, 1940, 1943, 1946, 1947, 1958, 1959–60, 1960–61, 1961–62, 1967–68, 1969–70, 1973–74, 1974–75, 1978–79, 1979–80, 1981–82, 1982–83, 1988–89, 1989–90, 1991–92, 1992–93, 2001–02, 2003–04, 2010–11, 2012–13, 2013–14, 2022–23
4 Atlético Madrid 10 9 19 1920–21, 1925–26, 1955–1956, 1959–60, 1960–61, 1963–64, 1964–65, 1971–72, 1974–75, 1975–76. 1984–85, 1986–87, 1990–91, 1991–92, 1995–96, 1998–99, 1999–2000, 2009–10, 2012–13
5 Valencia 8 10 18 1934, 1941, 1944, 1944–45, 1946, 1948-49, 1952, 1954, 1966–67, 1969–70, 1970–71, 1971–72, 1978–79, 1994–95, 1998–99, 2007–08, 2018–19, 2021–22
6 Zaragoza 6 5 11 1962–63, 1963–64, 1964–65, 1965–66, 1975–76, 1985–86, 1992–93, 1993–94, 2000–01, 2003–04, 2005–06
7 Sevilla 5 4 9 1935, 1939, 1947–48, 1955, 1961–62, 2006–07, 2009–10, 2015–16, 2017–18
8 Espanyol 4 5 9 1911, 1915, 1929, 1940, 1941, 1947, 1957, 1999–2000, 2005–06
9 Real Betis 3 2 5 1931, 1976–77, 1996–97, 2004–05, 2021–22
Real Unión 3 1 4 1918, 1922, 1924, 1927
11 Real Sociedad 2 4 6 1913, 1928, 1951, 1986–87, 1987–88, 2019–20
Deportivo La Coruña 2 – 2 1994–95, 2001–02
13 Arenas 1 3 4 1917, 1919, 1925, 1927
Mallorca 1 3 4 1990–91, 1997–98, 2002–03, 2023–24
Club Ciclista de San Sebastián 1 – 1 1909
Racing Club de Irún 1 – 1 1913
17 Español de Madrid – 3 3 1904, 1909, 1910
Celta Vigo – 3 3 1947–48, 1993–94, 2000–01
Sporting Gijón – 2 2 1981, 1982
Real Valladolid – 2 2 1949–50, 1988–89
Getafe – 2 2 2006–07, 2007–08
Osasuna – 2 2 2004–05, 2022–23
Bizcaya – 1 1 1907
Real Vigo Sporting – 1 1 1908
Vasconia Sporting Club – 1 1 1910
Gimnástica – 1 1 1912
Espanya de Barcelona – 1 1 1914
CE Europa – 1 1 1923
Sabadell – 1 1 1935
Racing de Ferrol – 1 1 1938–39
Granada – 1 1 1958–59
Elche – 1 1 1969
Castellón – 1 1 1972–73
Las Palmas – 1 1 1977–78
Real Madrid Castilla ‡ – 1 1 1979–80
Recreativo – 1 1 2002–03
Alavés – 1 1 2016–17

‡ Real Madrid's reserve team. Reserve teams have been banned from this competition from 1990–91 onward.
‡‡ The number of wins Athletic Bilbao have been credited with is disputed. The 1902 version was won by Bizcaya, a team made up of players from Athletic Bilbao and Bilbao FC. In 1903 these two clubs merged as the current Athletic Bilbao. The 1902 cup is on display in the Athletic museum and the club includes it in its own honors list. However, that edition is not recognized as official by the RFEF.

Clubs in italic no longer exist. Seasons in bold indicate winners, whilst season in italic are losing finalists.

Top Goalscorers in Copa del Rey History

These players have scored the most goals in the Copa del Rey. Bold means the player is still playing in Spain.

Rank Nat. Player Pos. Years Club(s) (goals) Total Ref.
1 Spain Zarra, TelmoTelmo Zarra FW 1939–1957 Athletic Bilbao (81) 81
2 Spain Samitier, JosepJosep Samitier MF 1919–1934 Barcelona (65)
Real Madrid (5)		 70
3 Spain Gorostiza, GuillermoGuillermo Gorostiza FW 1928–1946 Racing Ferrol (3)
Athletic Bilbao (37)
Valencia (24)		 64
4 Argentina Messi, LionelLionel Messi FW 2004–2021 Barcelona (56) 56
5 Spain Suarez, EdmundoEdmundo Suárez FW 1939–1950 Valencia (55) 55
6 Spain Quini FW 1968–1987 Sporting Gijón (36)
Barcelona (14)		 50
7 HungarySpain Puskas, FerencFerenc Puskás FW 1958–1966 Real Madrid (49) 49
CzechoslovakiaHungarySpain KubalaLászló Kubala FW 1951–1965 Barcelona (49) 49
Spain Santillana FW 1970–1988 Real Madrid (49) 49
10 Spain César Rodríguez FW 1939–1960 Granada (3)
Barcelona (36)
Elche (8)		 47

Individual Player Records

Here are some special records held by individual players in the Copa del Rey:

Broadcasters

Many TV channels and streaming services show the Copa del Rey matches around the world.

Broadcasters in Spain and Andorra (2022–2025)

Broadcaster Copa del Rey Supercopa Ref
RTVE 15 matches free, including semi-finals and final No
Movistar+ 55 matches All three matches

International Broadcasters (2022–2025)

Country Broadcaster
Copa del Rey Supercopa Ref
Africa StarTimes
 Albania Over Sport SuperSport
 Kosovo
 Austria Sportdigital
 Germany
 Switzerland
Balkans
 Arena Sport
Baltics
 TV3 Sport
 Belgium VTM (Dutch)
RTL-TVI (French)
 Bolivia Tigo Sports
 Paraguay
 Brazil ESPN
 United States
 Bulgaria BTV
 Caribbean DSports
South America
Central America
 Sky Sports
 Dominican Republic
Flag of Mexico.svg Mexico
 China PPTV
 Cyprus PrimeTel Cablenet
 Czech Republic Sport TV
 Hungary
 Slovakia
 France L'Équipe
 Georgia Adjarasport
 Greece Cosmote Sport Action 24
 India FanCode
 Indonesia RCTI
iNews
Sportstars
 Ireland TNT Sports
 United Kingdom
 Israel Charlton
 Italy Telelombardia
 Japan Wowow
 Myanmar Canal+
 Netherlands Ziggo Sport
 Norway VG+
 Poland TVP Eleven Sports
 Portugal Sport TV Eleven Sports
 Romania Digi Sport
 Russia Match TV
 Saudi Arabia SSC
 South Korea Coupang
 Sweden Sportbladet
 Turkey Tivibu
 Ukraine MEGOGO Setanta Sports

See also

Kids robot.svg In Spanish: Copa del Rey para niños

  • Copa Federación de España
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