Why are the Copa del Rey semifinals played over two legs instead of one?
Atlético Madrid host Barcelona in the last four of the Spanish cup on Thursday, with the return game to follow next month.
For Real Madrid and Barcelona, the Copa del Rey is not at the top of their respective priority lists each season, with the Champions League and LaLiga titles the trophies they most want to get their hands on. Nevertheless, the expectation remains for both teams to win Spain’s domestic cup, while other clubs around the country view the competition as their best opportunity to collect silverware.
How the Copa del Rey format works
In its current format, the Copa del Rey has eight rounds, from the preliminary round involving lower league teams starting in September to the final, which will be played this season at Estadio de La Cartuja in Seville on April 25, 2026.
Other than its earliest iterations, the Spanish cup has traditionally comprised two-legged ties all the way through the tournament, with the exception of the final.
In 2019, however, Spain’s soccer federation (RFEF) opted to change the format, leaving the semifinals as the only round with home and away legs.
Why most rounds are single elimination
Given the cup’s history, the more pertinent question is perhaps why every other round is played over one leg rather than two.
The thinking behind the change was to give small teams a better chance of progressing at the expense of their more illustrious top-flight counterparts. The draw also ensures that clubs from lower divisions play at home, up to and including the quarterfinals.
Additionally, it means the very top teams have fewer games to cram into their already hectic schedules.
Real Madrid have been the most high-profile victims of the format change, suffering shock defeats to third-tier Alcoyano in 2021 and to second-division Albacete in Álvaro Arbeloa’s first game in charge earlier this year.
Why the semifinals are different
The semifinals, though, have stuck to tradition. The two-legged format in the last four generally guarantees four, rather than two, high-profile games between some of the top teams in Spain, with Madrid, Barcelona and Atlético Madrid regularly involved.
It guarantees more exposure, more income and, usually, more drama, and means only one extra game for those overworked European qualifiers, provided they get that far. A compromise they appear willing to go along with, at least for now.
2025-26 Copa del Rey semifinals
First legs
Feb.11: Athletic Club 0-1 Real Sociedad
Feb. 12: Atlético Madrid vs. Barcelona
Second legs
Mar. 3: Barcelona vs. Atlético Madrid
Mar. 4: Real Sociedad vs. Athletic Club
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