Copa del Rey Previews, Predictions & Betting Tips

The Copa del Rey is a football cup competition in Spain also known as the Spanish Cup. The competition began in 1903 and is the oldest football competition in Spanish football. The winner of Copa del Rey qualifies for the Supercopa and the UEFA Europa League unless they qualified for the UEFA Champions League directly.

The Copa del Rey was Spain’s main football competition until 1929 when the La Liga was formed. Barcelona have won the most Copa del Rey’s with 30 titles, Athletic Bilbao next best with 23, Real Madrid have won 19 titles and have the lost in the final a record 20 times. Barcelona have won four Copa del Rey titles in a row after defeating Sevilla in the 2017-18 final. 

Teams from La Liga, Segunda Division, Segunda B and the Tercera Division champions are invited to enter the Copa del Rey. Teams from the lower divisions are given home advantage in the early rounds with one-off games, from the round of 32 until the semi-finals matches are played over two legs. The final is played at a neutral venue, usually in Madrid or Barcelona.