The Copa del Rey is an annual knockout football competition in Spanish football, organized by the Royal Spanish Football Federation, held annually since 1903. The competition is open to Primera and Segunda División teams, plus some qualifiers from lower levels.[1]
 The 2013–14 Copa del Rey trophy, won by Real Madrid | |
| Founded | 1903 |
|---|---|
| Region | Spain |
| Number of teams | 126 |
| Current champions | Athletic Bilbao (24th title) |
| Most successful team(s) | Barcelona (31 titles) |
 2023–24 Copa del Rey | |
Since the first final between Athletic Bilbao and Real Madrid, 122 single-match finals have taken place (the 1904 final was not held, whereas in 1910 and 1913 two parallel tournaments and finals were played due to disagreements between the FECF and the UECF, both considered official; in 2023, the RFEF retrospectively announced that they recognized the 1937 Copa de la España Libre as an official tournament won by Levante FC,[2][3] distinct from the Copa del Rey.[4] Four finals were replayed after the first games ended in a draw,[5] with 26 others going to extra time and seven of those requiring a penalty shoot-out to decide a winner.
As of 2024, 36 different teams have competed in the final, with 15 of them winning the tournament at least once. On 18 occasions, the winning team also won La Liga (which began in 1929) in the same season, thus making a domestic double. Barcelona are the only team to win La Liga, the Copa del Rey and the UEFA Champions League in the same year, having done so twice in 2009 and 2015.[6][7] The competition was not held in 1938 due to the impact of the Spanish Civil War.[8]
Barcelona hold the record for the most wins and most finals appearances, with 31 from 42 total appearances. Real Madrid hold the record for the most finals lost (20). Of the teams who have participated in more than one final, Español de Madrid and Celta Vigo share the worst win–loss record with three defeats and no victories each. Of the victorious teams, Arenas have the lowest percentage of success, winning one out of four finals (25%). Athletic Bilbao are the reigning champions, having won their 24th title in 2024.
Lionel Messi holds the records for most goals scored in finals (9), most finals scored in by a player (7), most assists provided in finals (6), most appearances in finals (10, along with Sergio Busquets) and most man of the match awards won in finals (3).[9] Messi and Busquets, along with Barcelona teammate Gerard Piqué and Agustín Gaínza of Athletic Bilbao, share the most Copa del Rey trophies won by a player, with 7. Telmo Zarra holds records for consecutive finals scored in (finding the net on each occasion between 1942 and 1945) and the most goals scored in a final (four, in 1950).[10]
List of finals edit
Updated with official data provided by the RFEF, as of 6 April 2024.[4]
| † | Match was won during extra time |
| * | Match was won on a penalty shoot-out |
| & | Match was won after a replay |
| ‡ | Winning team won the Double (League title and Copa del Rey) |
| # | Winning team won the Continental Treble (League title, Copa del Rey and European Cup/Champions League) |
Performances edit
Official winners list provided by the RFEF, as of 6 April 2023.[4]
| Rank | Club | Winners | Runners-up | Finalists | Win % | Seasons |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Barcelona | 31 | 11 | 42 | 73.81 | 1909–10,[d] 1911–12, 1912–13,[d] 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[b] | 24 | 16 | 40 | 60.00 | 1903, 1904,[a] 1905, 1906, 1910,[d] 1911, 1913,[d] 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,[u] 2020–21, 2023–24 |
| 3 | Real Madrid | 20 | 20 | 40 | 50.00 | 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 | 52.63 | 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 | 11 | 19 | 42.11 | 1934, 1937, 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 | 54.55 | 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 | 55.56 | 1935, 1939, 1947–48, 1955, 1961–62, 2006–07, 2009–10, 2015–16, 2017–18 |
| 8 | Espanyol | 4 | 5 | 9 | 44.44 | 1911, 1915, 1929, 1940, 1941, 1947, 1957, 1999–2000, 2005–06 |
| 9 | Real Betis | 3 | 2 | 5 | 60.00 | 1931, 1976–77, 1996–97, 2004–05, 2021–22 |
| Real Unión | 3 | 1 | 4 | 75.00 | 1918, 1922, 1924, 1927 | |
| 11 | Real Sociedad | 2 | 4 | 6 | 33.33 | 1913,[d] 1928, 1951, 1986–87, 1987–88, 2019–20[u] |
| Deportivo La Coruña | 2 | – | 2 | 100.00 | 1994–95, 2001–02 | |
| 13 | Arenas | 1 | 3 | 4 | 25.00 | 1917, 1919, 1925, 1927 |
| Mallorca | 1 | 3 | 4 | 25.00 | 1990–91, 1997–98, 2002–03, 2023–24 | |
| Club Ciclista de San Sebastián[c] | 1 | – | 1 | 100.00 | 1909 | |
| Racing Club de Irún[g] | 1 | – | 1 | 100.00 | 1913[d] | |
| 17 | Español de Madrid | – | 3 | 3 | 0.00 | 1904,[a] 1909, 1910[d] |
| Celta Vigo | – | 3 | 3 | 0.00 | 1947–48, 1993–94, 2000–01 | |
| Sporting Gijón | – | 2 | 2 | 0.00 | 1981, 1982 | |
| Real Valladolid | – | 2 | 2 | 0.00 | 1949–50, 1988–89 | |
| Getafe | – | 2 | 2 | 0.00 | 2006–07, 2007–08 | |
| Osasuna | – | 2 | 2 | 0.00 | 2004–05, 2022–23 | |
| Bizcaya[b] | – | 1 | 1 | 0.00 | 1907 | |
| Real Vigo Sporting | – | 1 | 1 | 0.00 | 1908 | |
| Vasconia Sporting Club[e] | – | 1 | 1 | 0.00 | 1910[d] | |
| Gimnástica | – | 1 | 1 | 0.00 | 1912 | |
| Espanya de Barcelona | – | 1 | 1 | 0.00 | 1914 | |
| CE Europa | – | 1 | 1 | 0.00 | 1923 | |
| Sabadell | – | 1 | 1 | 0.00 | 1935 | |
| Racing de Ferrol | – | 1 | 1 | 0.00 | 1938–39 | |
| Granada | – | 1 | 1 | 0.00 | 1958–59 | |
| Elche | – | 1 | 1 | 0.00 | 1969 | |
| Castellón | – | 1 | 1 | 0.00 | 1972–73 | |
| Las Palmas | – | 1 | 1 | 0.00 | 1977–78 | |
| Real Madrid Castilla[q] | – | 1 | 1 | 0.00 | 1979–80 | |
| Recreativo | – | 1 | 1 | 0.00 | 2002–03 | |
| Alavés | – | 1 | 1 | 0.00 | 2016–17 |
Clubs in italic no longer exist. Seasons in bold indicate winners, whilst season in italic are losing finalists.
Notes edit
- ^ a b c The 1904 final between Athletic Bilbao and Español de Madrid was not played due to a dispute; Athletic was awarded the trophy.
- ^ a b c 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.[13] However, that edition is not recognized as official by the RFEF.[4] Another version of Bizcaya was formed for the 1907 tournament and reached the final.
- ^ a b The 1909 final was won by Club Ciclista de San Sebastián, using players from the newly-formed team Real Sociedad which was not officially founded until later that year.
- ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l Two finals and winners are recognised for 1910 and 1913.
- ^ a b The 1910 tournament was played by Real Sociedad under the umbrella of Vasconia, due to registration issues in respect of it being so recently incorporated.
- ^ Replay after two-legged tie finished 2–2 and 0–0.
- ^ a b Racing de Irún merged with Irún Sporting Club in 1915 to form Real Unión.
- ^ Replay after first match ended 2–2.
- ^ a b c d e After extra time; 1–1 after 90 minutes.
- ^ Replay after first match ended 0–0 after extra time.
- ^ a b c d e f g h After extra time; 2–2 after 90 minutes.
- ^ a b c d e f g After extra time; 0–0 after 90 minutes.
- ^ Second replay after first matches both ended 1–1 after extra time.
- ^ After extra time; 3–3 after 90 minutes.
- ^ 4–3 in penalty shoot-out.
- ^ 8–7 in penalty shoot-out.
- ^ a b Real Madrid's reserve team. Reserve teams have been banned from this competition from 1990–91 onward.
- ^ a b 4–2 in penalty shoot-out.
- ^ a b c 5–4 in penalty shoot-out.
- ^ Match suspended on 79 minutes due to heavy rainfall with score 1–1. Played to a conclusion three days later.[12]
- ^ a b c The 2020 final was delayed until April 2021 due to the COVID-19 pandemic in Spain.
- ^ a b The game was played behind closed doors due to the COVID-19 pandemic in Spain.
See also edit
References edit
- ^ "Copa Del Rey History, Record, Players and Teams". Sportzcraazy. 11 April 2019. Retrieved 22 September 2022.
- ^ "La RFEF reconoce al Levante como campeón de la Copa de la República de 1937; y al Deportivo, del Concurso de España 1912" [The RFEF recognizes Levante as the 1937 Republic Cup champion; and Deportivo, from the 1912 Spanish Contest]. rfef.es (in Spanish). Retrieved 25 March 2023.
- ^ La Federación reconoce la Copa del Levante de 1937 y la del Deportivo de 1912, [The Federation recognizes Levante's 1937 Cup and Deportivo's 1912 Cup], Noel Rodilla, Marca, 25 March 2023 (in Spanish)
- ^ a b c d "TRACK RECORD - The team in white win their 20th Copa trophy. - LIST OF WINNERS OF THE SPANISH CHAMPIONSHIP - COPA DE SM EL REY". RFEF.es (RFEF official website). 7 May 2023. Archived from the original on 7 May 2023. Retrieved 10 May 2023.
- ^ a b "Spain - List of Cup Finals". RSSSF. Retrieved 19 April 2021.
- ^ Cash, Meredith. "Where are they now? The starters from Lionel Messi's 2009 FC Barcelona squad that dominated Europe en route to 6 trophies". Insider. Retrieved 21 September 2022.
- ^ Gatorade. "5 reasons why Barcelona won the treble in 2015". Sportskeeda. Retrieved 21 September 2022.
- ^ "Gone but not forgotten: football in the Spanish Civil War".
- ^ "Messi breaks Copa del Rey final scoring record with brace vs Athletic". Goal.com. Retrieved 21 September 2022.
- ^ "Telmo Zarraonandia | Player: Striker |". Athletic Bilbao. Retrieved 21 September 2022.
- ^ Real Federación Española de Fútbol (March 2011). "Historial" (PDF). Revista Oficial de la R.F.E.F. p. 70. Archived from the original (pdf) on 18 July 2012. Retrieved 10 May 2023.
- ^ Copa del Rey 1995, Lingua Sport (in Spanish)
- ^ "Spain - Cup 1902". Archived from the original on 17 September 2006. Retrieved 5 September 2006.
External links edit
- Official website at RFEF.es