Copa del Rey
The Spanish Championship-His Majesty the King's Cup, better known as the Copa del Rey or simply The Cup, is a national soccer competition by knockouts, organized annually by the Royal Spanish Soccer Federation and played by 116 clubs from Spain.
It is the oldest national soccer championship in the country: its first edition was held in 1903, following the success of the first national competition held in Spain, the Madrid de Foot-ball Association Contest, popularly known as the Cup of the Coronation, which was held a year earlier on the occasion of the coronation festivities for Alfonso XIII. From its beginning it was the most prestigious competition at the club level in the country, until the creation of the National League Championship.
The winning club has the status of "Spanish champion" and, throughout its history, fourteen clubs have achieved this title. Fútbol Club Barcelona is the club with the most titles won in the competition, thirty-one. For their part, Lionel Messi and Sergio Busquets are the footballers with the most finals played, ten each, while José María Belauste, Agustín Piru Gaínza, Lionel Messi, Sergio Busquets and Gerard Piqué are the most successful, with seven titles each..
Since the 2019-20 edition, the La Cartuja stadium in Seville is the official venue for the final for a period of four years, in contrast to the previous system, in which the stadium was designated by the Federation based on of the finalist teams. As a novelty in this edition compared to previous years, a direct knockout format was released with a confrontation up to the quarterfinals, with round-trip matches only in the semifinals.
History
Names of the Spanish Championship
The historical and generic name of the competition is «Campeonato de España», and for this reason the winning team is considered the champion of Spain; However, the official name of the competition has changed over the years depending on the Spanish head of state, who has awarded the trophy since the first edition. Thus, it has had the following denominations:
- Spanish Championship Cup of His Majesty the King (1903-1930).
- Spanish Championship Cup of His Excellency President of the Republic (1931-1936).
- Spanish national football tournament (1939).
- Spanish Championship Cup of His Excellency the Generalísimo (1940-1976).
- Spanish Championship Cup of His Majesty the King (1977 onwards).
First editions before the birth of the Spanish Federation (1903-13)
The first unofficial national soccer championship played in Spain was the Madrid Football Association Contest, popularly known as the Coronation Cup, a tournament promoted by the brothers Carlos and Juan Padrós, two of the founders of the (Society) Madrid Football Club (current Real Madrid Club de Fútbol). This Madrid club organized it in 1902 on the occasion of the celebrations of the majority of age of Alfonso XIII de Borbón and his constitutional oath as king. Bizcaya, a combined team of Athletic Club and Bilbao Football Club, was the winning club of that tournament.
The success achieved by this tournament made Carlos Padrós decide in 1903 to establish an annual national tournament in which most of the existing clubs in the country would participate, under the name Spanish Championship. For this he limited the participation to one representative per region and got King Alfonso XIII to donate a cup for the champion. The trophy, according to the bases, would become the property of the club that was proclaimed champion three consecutive years or five alternate years. The Madrid Foot-Ball Club was initially in charge of the organization and the matches were played, as in the Madrid Contest of the previous year, at the Castellana Hipódromo. The first tournament, held in 1903, was developed as a league in which only three clubs finally participated: the Spanish Foot-Ball Club for Catalonia, the Madrid Foot-Ball Club for the central region, and the Athletic Club for the region. north. The Basque team was proclaimed champion by beating Madrid 2-3 in the last and decisive game after coming back from an initial 2-0 loss. It should be noted that the events of said meeting ultimately led to the birth of Athletic Club (Madrid Branch), today known as Club Atlético de Madrid.
The Madrid Association of Foot-Ball Clubs, an organization founded by Carlos Padrós, antecedent of the Central Regional Federation, organized the next edition, although from 1905 Madrid F.C. took over the reins of the tournament again due to poor organization of the Madrid association, in which Athletic Club was proclaimed the winner without having played any match and prolonging a controversy over who should be the champion for months. In the following years, Basques and Madrid shared the titles. Madrid F.C. was the first to receive the cup for its four consecutive titles from 1905 to 1908.
At the time, the Regional Championships sponsored by each regional federation had been established, which, in addition to proclaiming the champion team of each region, served as a prior classification system to determine which teams would compete in the Spanish Championship.
After seven years of organizing the tournament in Madrid, it was agreed that from the 1909 edition, the year in which the Ciclista Foot-Ball Club won, the champion team would be the organizer of the next edition. In that same 1909 the Spanish Federation of Football Clubs was created, the first organization at the national level that sought to organize football in the country and to which the bases of the Spanish Championship granted the right to organize the tournament once constituted. The Real Sociedad de Football de San Sebastián, successor to the Cycling Club, which considered itself legitimized to organize the 1910 championship, did not recognize the new federative body and, along with other dissident teams, including the other champions, created the Spanish Union of Football Clubs. This schism led to two national tournaments being held in 1910, the one organized by the teams of the Spanish Federation and the Spanish Union. Finally, in October of that year both organizations signed peace: the dissident clubs recognized the Spanish Federation, which in turn made official the Spanish Championship organized by the unionists.
Nevertheless, the discrepancies between the soccer societies of the time continued and, three years later, a new schism occurred when the Foot-Ball Club Barcelona, a new member of the list of champions, and the Real Sociedad de Foot- ball, among other teams, withdrew from the Federation to re-found the Unión Española de Clubs. Again, in 1913 two Cup championships were disputed, before the definitive agreement that allowed the definitive reunification of Spanish football with the constitution of the Royal Spanish Football Federation that same year.
The Spanish Federation takes over the organization (1913-2019)
The new body approved new rules for the Spanish Championship, to put an end to the disputes that had marked the last editions of the tournament. It was agreed, among other measures, to institutionalize the championships organized by the different regional federations as a preliminary phase of the Copa del Rey. The country was divided into ten regions, although initially only four already had federations with ongoing regional championships (Galicia, North, Catalonia and Center).
It was from the twenties when the competition began to take on character and number of matches, with which proper names began to emerge that would later be the history of the tournament. Thus, players like José Samitier or Ramón Polo became the first stars of the tournament both in terms of the number of matches played and the number of goals scored.
The tournament grew as new regional championships were launched throughout the Spanish geography. Likewise, from the 1927 edition, participation in the tournament was extended to regional runners-up. But from 1929, with the launch of the National League Championship, the cup tournament went into the background and, in the same way, the regional championships. To relaunch the regional tournaments, from 1931 some neighboring territorial federations began to organize joint championships with their best teams –known as Joint Championships– until, finally, in 1934, the Spanish Federation grouped the different regional tournaments into six Supra-regional Championships.. The best classified in these tournaments were those who played in the Spanish Championship, renamed the President of the Republic Cup with a new title that was put into play in 1932 after the fall of the Spanish monarchy and the establishment of the Second Spanish Republic.
In 1936, national competitions were suspended due to the outbreak of the Civil War, although soccer activity continued for some time in the area under the control of the Republican government, to the east of the peninsula. In 1937, one of the teams in the area, the Valencia Football Club, promoted the dispute of a Spanish Cup after having obtained a trophy for the champion from the President of the Spanish Republic. The tournament was finally held under the name Copa de la España Libre and only teams from the Levante and Catalonia federations could participate. Levante Football Club was champion although, with the subsequent triumph of the rebels in the war, all the championships played in the republican zone were invalidated. Forty years later, after the Franco dictatorship, the Levantine group claimed recognition as another edition of the Spanish Championship, the "1937 Cup", a matter that was taken to the Congress of Deputies, for its final opinion by the assembly of the RFEF. This, in 2009, rejected the official status of the tournament after a meticulous historical study.
The titles seemed to date reserved for the regions of the North (Basque Country), Catalonia and Center (Madrid). Thus, despite the 1935 edition in which Sevilla Football Club emerged victorious, the winner always belonged to one of the aforementioned three federations. In 36 editions, only eight teams were champions, with the main representatives of these regions (Athletic Club, Madrid F.C. and F.C. Barcelona) winning a total of 28 titles.
In 1939 the Spanish Football Federation decided to resume football activities by launching a national tournament with a trophy ceded by the new head of state, Generalissimo Francisco Franco. To choose the participating teams, the regional championships were reinstated in the territorial federations that could assume their organization. Finally, it was Aragón, Andalucía, Galicia, Cantabria, Bilbao, Guipúzcoa and Navarra who sent representatives to the first edition of the Cup after the war, whose final was won by Sevilla Football Club against Racing Ferrol Football Club. After the war, the Spanish Federation added the title to the list of winners of the Spanish Championship which, in this way, resumed its activity, now under the name of Copa del Generalísmo.
The restructuring carried out by the new Franco regime in 1940 led to the disappearance of the historic regional championships, with access to the Cup limited to the best-ranked teams in the National League Championship in its three divisions. In this way, in the 1941 edition, the 14 teams from the First Division, the 24 from the Second Division and the six best from the Third Division competed in the Generalísmo Cup; a number of participants that increased in successive years. The winner was Valencia Club de Fútbol, thus adding a fifth federation to the already champions.
This led to the date on which Telmo Zarra made his debut with Atlético de Bilbao, a name that is closely linked to that of the competition, and on the date of his retirement he managed to score a total of 81 goals in 74 games to become in the maximum historical scorer surpassing the 70 annotated by Samitier. It is since 1953 a record that has not been exceeded. Together with other mythical players from the Basque team such as José Luis Panizo or Agustín Piru Gaínza, he managed to win the third trophy owned by his club, being the most successful ahead of Barcelona fans and Real Madrid fans. Similarly, Piru Gaínza established what was the highest number of appearances in the competition with 99, this mark lasting until it was surpassed by Andoni Zubizarreta at the end of 1997.
Starting in the 1960-61 season, the champion of the Spanish Cup qualified to play the now-defunct European Cup Winners' Cup, an international tournament organized by UEFA with the participation of the champions of the different national cups. The circumstance was altered in 1998-99 with the disappearance of the continental competition, the date on which the Cup championship would give successive access to the UEFA Europa League —formerly the UEFA Cup—, a circumstance that is still in force.
The Generalísimo Cup was played until the death of Francisco Franco, in 1975, to adopt the historical and current name of His Majesty The King's Cup in the 1976-77 season, with the new head of state being the Spanish monarch, the person in charge of delivering the trophy. In said first edition, the first champion was Real Betis Balompié, who debuted in the list of winners.
Since the 1990-91 season, the date on which a regulation that affected affiliate teams came into force, they were excluded from participating in the competition as they were dependent for federative purposes on their parent clubs. The change left Castilla Club de Fútbol as the subsidiary with the best participation in the history of the tournament, finishing as runner-up in the 1979-80 edition, after losing the final against Real Madrid Club de Fútbol, being the first and only time that a team and its subsidiary have played an official final in Spain.
Restructuring of the format (2019-Act.)
With the new presidency of Luis Rubiales, profound restructurings were carried out within the Federation. These affected the competitions organized by the organization, the Copa del Rey and the Spanish Super Cup, and were reformed with a new format to increase competitiveness and attractiveness. In the case of the Super Cup, it affected each other since both the Cup champion and the runner-up agreed to play it against the two best ranked in the league championship in a four-way final. One of the measures of the cup championship, effective from the 2019-20 edition, was to designate a fixed venue for the final, which fell to the La Cartuja stadium in Seville for a period of four years. In the same way, to give less competitive teams options, it was considered the The best option is to launch a single match format in each of the qualifiers played at the venue of the lower category club, with the exception of the semifinal round, which kept the double match. It also affected the number of participants, increasing up to 116 contestants, the highest in the history of the tournament, and introducing for the first time teams from the Federation Cup (4), and from the first regional divisions (10), equivalent to the fifth category of Spanish football.
Indicated as a success in emotion and follow-up among fans and those involved despite initial reluctance, up to a total of six teams not belonging to the First Division qualified for the round of 16, and nine of the aforementioned maximum were eliminated category. Club Deportivo Badajoz and Cultural y Deportiva Leonesa represented the Second Division "B" and the historic Real Zaragoza, Club Deportivo Tenerife, Rayo Vallecano de Madrid and Club Deportivo Mirandés from the Second Division were the ones that entered this phase, only C. D. Mirandés qualifying for the quarterfinals, and even the semifinals, equaling their best participation. in the tournament. Finally, Athletic Club and Real Sociedad de Fútbol reached the final, the first time that a Basque derby had taken place since 1927 when Real Unión Club and Arenas Club did so. The Basque derby between txuri-gorris and txuri-urdines, unprecedented in the history of finals, served to settle a champion not seen since both won their last title in the 1980s. A month before of the aforementioned final, the competitions were canceled by UEFA, the RFEF and La Liga, due to an outbreak of the Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus-2, a global viral pandemic that arrived in Europe from Asia. As different countries of the c On the continent they were registering cases of contagion and deaths, sports organizations began to take preventive measures and several of the scheduled matches were played behind closed doors (without an audience), or canceled, to stop their progress, but the concern and the contagions did not cease, and there were cases in soccer players and directors of various clubs. As a result, the match was postponed pending new events. Finally, the final of the 2019-20 edition was played without the presence of the public on April 3, 2021 at the La Cartuja stadium, and Real Sociedad defeated Real Sociedad. Athletic with a penalty goal. The final of the 2020-21 edition was also played without the presence of the public, as a result of the pandemic, on April 17, 2021 in the same stadium, and FC Barcelona beat Athletic, who played two finals in a 14-day interval.
Competition system
Participants
116 teams participate. Affiliate teams are excluded from the competition. The 20 from the First Division, the 22 from the Second Division, the first five classified from the two groups of the RFEF First Division, the first 5 classified from the five groups from the Second Division RFEF and the champions and 7 seconds with the best coefficient of the 18 RFEF Third Division groups add up to 102 teams. The remaining participants are the 4 RFEF Cup semifinalists and 10 winners of the inter-regional qualification played by 20 teams from the regional divisions.
Knockout Rounds
In the first round (36 teams), 18 single-match eliminatory rounds are played between 36 clubs from Second Division B and Third Division, which are matched by lottery.
In the second round (44 teams), 22 single-match qualifiers are played, among the 18 first-round qualifiers, the rest of the Second B teams that were exempt from the first round, and the 22 Second Division clubs. There are 11 draws between Second Division teams and another 11 between Second B and Third teams.
In the third round (22 teams), 11 single-game eliminatory rounds are played among the 22 qualifiers of the second round, leaving one club exempt. The five qualifiers between Second Division teams and the six of Second B and Third teams are again separated in the draw.
In the fourth round (32 teams), 16 double-legged eliminatory rounds are played, between the 11 qualifiers from the third round plus the exempt club and the 20 First Division clubs that join in this round. The conditions of the draw are that the five teams from Second Division B or Third Division face the top five teams from the First Division of the previous season. The other 11 qualifiers pit the seven Second teams against each other plus the fifteen remaining First teams. In the matches of teams with different league levels, the lower level team will be played at home.
From the fifth round (16 teams), the single-match qualifiers (eighth, quarter and semifinals) are played without conditions, while the final is played in a single match on a neutral ground.
Qualifying for the Super Cup and European competition
The winner of the tournament has the right to play since 1981, the Spanish Super Cup against the champion of the National League Championship of that same season, with the precedent of the Eva Duarte Cup, played from 1947 to 1953. Since 1994, In the event that a club wins both competitions in the same year, it is the runner-up in the Cup that disputes the Super Cup.
The winner also gets a place to play in the Europa League (formerly the UEFA Cup) from the 1998/99 season. Between 1961 and 1998, the Cup champion agreed to the extinct European Cup Winners' Cup, a tournament in which the champions of the national cups of European countries participated exclusively.
The new format of the Cup
A single match will be played until the semifinals, which is an opening to non-professional football. The tournament will have 116 participants. The team will be made up of the 20 First Division teams and the 22 Second Division teams of the Professional Soccer League; 10 teams from the RFEF Primera División drawn from the top five in each of the two groups in the category; 25 teams from the RFEF Second Division drawn from the top five in each of the five groups in the category; 25 teams from the RFEF Third Division of which eighteen are the champions of each group and seven chosen from among the best runners-up; the 4 teams that reach the semifinals in the RFEF Cup; and finally 10 teams from the first regional divisions, which will play a tie between the twenty champion teams of each group, thus completing the quota of participants. The knockout matches will be played in the field of the lower category team, or in the event that the draw pairs teams of the same category, it will be played in the stadium of the club that has come out of the hype in the first place.
The crosses between professional and non-professional teams will be held on natural grass pitches, so if the former have artificial grass in their stadiums, they must look for an alternative one that is approved by the federation. The four teams participating in the Spanish Super Cup will not enter the competition until the round of 32.
History
| Edition | Champion | Outcome (Des.) | Subfield | Final Headquarters | Note(s) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Spanish Championship | |||||
| 1903 |  Athletic Club | 3 - 2 | .PNG){kind=small} Madrid F. C. | Hippodrome de la Castellana, Madrid | League system. |
| 1904 | Athletic Club | There was no end. | Vacant | Retiro, Madrid | Winner without contested end. |
| 1905 | Madrid F. C. | 1 - 0 | Athletic Club | Pichón, Madrid | League system. |
| 1906 | Madrid F. C. | 4 - 1 | Athletic Club | Hippodrome de la Castellana, Madrid | League system. |
| 1907 | Madrid F. C. | 1 - 0 | Club Vizcaya | Hippodrome de la Castellana, Madrid | First trophy: awarded to Madrid F.C. |
| 1908 | Madrid F. C. | 2 - 1 |  Vigo F. C. | Campo del Madrid, Madrid | |
| 1909 | C. C. San Sebastian | 3 - 1 | Spanish of Madrid | Campo del Madrid, Madrid | |
| 1910-I |  F. C. Barcelona | 3 - 2 | Spanish of Madrid | Pichón, Madrid | Two tournaments were contested. |
| 1910-II | Athletic Club | 1 - 0 | Vasconia S. C. | Ondarreta, San Sebastian | |
| 1911 | Athletic Club | 3 - 1 | C. D. Spanish | Jolaseta, Guecho | |
| 1912 | F. C. Barcelona | 2 - 0 | R. S. Spanish gymnasticsa | La Escopidora, Barcelona | |
| 1913-I | Rácing de Irún | 2 - 2 (pro.) / (1 - 0) | Athletic Club | O'Donnell, Madrid | Second trophy: awarded to the Royal Union Club of Irún. |
| 1913-II | F. C. Barcelona | 2 - 2, 0 - 0 / (2 - 1) | Real Society | La Escopidora, Barcelona | End to double game. Third trophy: awarded to F.C. Barcelona. |
| 1914 | Athletic Club | 2 - 1 | F. C. Spain | Amute, Irún | |
| 1915 | Athletic Club | 5 - 0 | R. C. D. Spanish | Amute, Irún | |
| 1916 | Athletic Club | 4 - 0 | Madrid F. C. | La Escopidora, Barcelona | Fourth trophy: awarded to the Athletic Club. |
| 1917 | Madrid F. C. | 0 - 0 (pro.) (2 - 1) | Arenas de Guecho | La Escopidora, Barcelona | |
| 1918 | Real Union Club | 2 - 0 | Madrid F. C. | Campo de O'Donnell, Madrid | |
| 1919 | Arenas de Guecho (1) | 5 - 2 (pro.) | F. C. Barcelona | Martínez Campos, Madrid | |
| 1920 | F. C. Barcelona | 2 - 0 | Athletic Club | The Molinon, Gijón | |
| 1921 | Athletic Club | 4 - 1 | Athletic de Madrid | San Mamés, Bilbao | |
| 1922 | F. C. Barcelona | 5 - 1 | Real Union Club | Coya Field, Vigo | |
| 1923 | Athletic Club | 1 - 0 | C. D. Europe | Les Corts, Barcelona | |
| 1924 | Real Union Club | 1 - 0 | Real Madrid F. C. | Atocha, San Sebastian | |
| 1925 | F. C. Barcelona | 2 - 0 | Arenas de Guecho | Reina Victoria, Seville | |
| 1926 | F. C. Barcelona | 3 - 2 (pro.) | Athletic de Madrid | Mestalla, Valencia | |
| 1927 | Real Union Club (4) | 1 - 0 (pro.) | Arenas de Guecho | Torrero, Zaragoza | |
| 1928 | F. C. Barcelona | 1 - 1 (pro.) / (1 - 1, 3 - 1) | Real Society | El Sardinero, Santander | Fifth trophy: awarded to F.C. Barcelona. |
| 1928-29 | R. C. D. Spanish | 2 - 1 | Real Madrid F. C. | Mestalla, Valencia | |
| 1930 | Athletic Club | 3 - 2 (pro.) | Real Madrid F. C. | Montjuic, Barcelona | |
| Spanish-Copa Championship of the Republic | |||||
| 1931 | Athletic Club | 3 - 1 | .svg){kind=small} Betis Balompié | Chamartín, Madrid | |
| 1932 | Athletic Club | 1 - 0 | F. C. Barcelona | Chamartín, Madrid | Sixth trophy: awarded to the Athletic Club. |
| 1933 | Athletic Club | 2 - 1 | Madrid F. C. | Montjuic, Barcelona | |
| 1934 | Madrid F. C. | 2 - 1 | .svg){kind=small} Valencia F. C. | Montjuic, Barcelona | |
| 1935 | Sevilla F. C. | 3 - 0 | C. S. Sabadell F. C. | Chamartín, Madrid | |
| 1936 | Madrid F. C. | 2 - 1 | F. C. Barcelona | Mestalla, Valencia | Seventh trophy: remains in possession of the RFEF. |
| 1937 | Not disputed due to the Civil War | ||||
| 1938 | |||||
| National Football Tournament | |||||
| 1939 | Sevilla F. C. | 6 - 2 | R. C. Ferrol | Montjuic, Barcelona | Eighth trophy: awarded to Seville F.C. |
| Spain-Copa Championship of the Generalísimo | |||||
| 1940 | R. C. D. Spanish | 3 - 2 (pro.) | Madrid F. C. | Vallecas, Madrid | Restoration as a national championship. |
| 1941 | Valencia C. F. | 3 - 1 | R. C. D. Spanish | Chamartín, Madrid | |
| 1942 | C. F. Barcelona | 4 - 3 (pro.) | Atletico de Bilbao | Chamartín, Madrid | |
| 1943 | Atletico de Bilbao | 1 - 0 (pro.) | Real Madrid C. F. | Metropolitano, Madrid | |
| 1944 | Atletico de Bilbao | 2 - 0 | Valencia C. F. | Montjuic, Barcelona | |
| 1944-45 | Atletico de Bilbao | 3 - 2 | Valencia C. F. | Montjuic, Barcelona | Ninth trophy: awarded to the Athletic Club. |
| 1946 | Real Madrid C. F. | 3 - 1 | Valencia C. F. | Montjuic, Barcelona | |
| 1947 | Real Madrid C. F. | 2 - 0 (pro.) | R. C. D. Spanish | Riazor, La Coruña | |
| 1947-48 | Sevilla C. F. | 4 - 1 | R. C. Vigo Celt | New Chamartín, Madrid | |
| 1948-49 | Valencia C. F. | 1 - 0 | Atletico de Bilbao | New Chamartín, Madrid | |
| 1949-50 | Atletico de Bilbao | 4 - 1 (pro.) |  Valladolid Deportivo | New Chamartín, Madrid | |
| 1951 | C. F. Barcelona | 3 - 0 | Real Society | New Chamartín, Madrid | |
| 1952 | C. F. Barcelona | 4 - 2 (pro.) | Valencia C. F. | New Chamartín, Madrid | |
| 1952-53 | C. F. Barcelona | 2 - 1 | Atletico de Bilbao | New Chamartín, Madrid | Tenth trophy: awarded to F.C. Barcelona. |
| 1954 | Valencia C. F. | 3 - 0 | C. F. Barcelona | New Chamartín, Madrid | |
| 1955 | Atletico de Bilbao | 1 - 0 | Sevilla C. F. | Santiago Bernabéu, Madrid | |
| 1956 | Atletico de Bilbao | 2 - 1 | Atletico de Madrid | Santiago Bernabéu, Madrid | |
| 1957 | C. F. Barcelona | 1 - 0 | R. C. D. Spanish | Montjuic, Barcelona | |
| 1958 | Atletico de Bilbao | 2 - 0 | Real Madrid C. F. | Santiago Bernabéu, Madrid | |
| 1958-59 | C. F. Barcelona | 4 - 1 | Grenada C. F. | Santiago Bernabéu, Madrid | |
| 1959-60 | Atletico de Madrid | 3 - 1 | Real Madrid C. F. | Santiago Bernabéu, Madrid | |
| 1960-61 | Atletico de Madrid | 3 - 2 | Real Madrid C. F. | Santiago Bernabéu, Madrid | |
| 1961-62 | Real Madrid C. F. | 2 - 1 | Sevilla C. F. | Santiago Bernabéu, Madrid | |
| 1962-63 | C. F. Barcelona | 3 - 1 |  Real Zaragoza | Stadium of Barcelona, Barcelona | |
| 1963-64 | Real Zaragoza C. D. | 2 - 1 | Atletico de Madrid | Santiago Bernabéu, Madrid | |
| 1964-65 | Atletico de Madrid | 1 - 0 | Real Zaragoza | Santiago Bernabéu, Madrid | |
| 1965-66 | Real Zaragoza | 2 - 0 | Atletico de Bilbao | Santiago Bernabéu, Madrid | |
| 1966-67 | Valencia C. F. | 2 - 1 | Atletico de Bilbao | Santiago Bernabéu, Madrid | |
| 1967-68 | C. F. Barcelona | 1 - 0 | Real Madrid C. F. | Santiago Bernabéu, Madrid | |
| 1969 | Atletico de Bilbao | 1 - 0 | Elche C. F. | Santiago Bernabéu, Madrid | |
| 1969-70 | Real Madrid C. F. | 3 - 1 | Valencia C. F. | Stadium of Barcelona, Barcelona | |
| 1970-71 | C. F. Barcelona | 4 - 3 (pro.) | Valencia C. F. | Santiago Bernabéu, Madrid | Eleventh trophy: awarded to F.C. Barcelona. |
| 1971-72 | Atletico de Madrid | 2 - 1 | Valencia C. F. | Santiago Bernabéu, Madrid | |
| 1972-73 | Athletic de Bilbao | 2 - 0 | C. D. Castellón | Vicente Calderón, Madrid | |
| 1973-74 | Real Madrid C. F. | 4 - 0 | F. C. Barcelona | Vicente Calderón, Madrid | |
| 1974-75 | Real Madrid C. F. | 0 - 0 (4 - 3 pen.) | Atletico de Madrid | Vicente Calderón, Madrid | |
| 1975-76 | Atletico de Madrid | 1 - 0 | Real Zaragoza | Santiago Bernabéu, Madrid | Twelfth trophy: awarded to the Atlético de Madrid. |
| Spanish-Copa del Rey Championship | |||||
| 1976-77 | Real Betis Balompié | 2 - 2 (8 - 7 pen.) | Athletic Club | Vicente Calderón, Madrid | Change in denomination. |
| 1977-78 | F. C. Barcelona | 3 - 1 |  U. D. Las Palmas | Santiago Bernabéu, Madrid | |
| 1978-79 | Valencia C. F. | 2 - 0 | Real Madrid C. F. | Vicente Calderón, Madrid | |
| 1979-80 | Real Madrid C. F. | 6 - 1 | Castilla C. F. | Santiago Bernabéu, Madrid | End between teams from the same club. Greatest score in a finale. |
| 1980-81 | F. C. Barcelona | 3 - 1 | .svg){kind=small} Sporting de Gijón | Vicente Calderón, Madrid | |
| 1981-82 |  Real Madrid C. F. | 2 - 1 | Sporting de Gijón | New José Zorrilla, Valladolid | |
| 1982-83 | F. C. Barcelona | 2 - 1 | Real Madrid C. F. | La Romareda, Zaragoza | |
| 1983-84 | Athletic Club (23) | 1 - 0 | F. C. Barcelona | Santiago Bernabéu, Madrid | |
| 1984-85 |  Atletico de Madrid | 2 - 1 | Athletic Club | Santiago Bernabéu, Madrid | |
| 1985-86 | Real Zaragoza | 1 - 0 | F. C. Barcelona | Vicente Calderón, Madrid | |
| 1986-87 | Real Society | 2 - 2 (4 - 2 p.m.) | Atletico de Madrid | La Romareda, Zaragoza | |
| 1987-88 | F. C. Barcelona | 1 - 0 | Real Society | Santiago Bernabéu, Madrid | |
| 1988-89 | Real Madrid C. F. | 1 - 0 |  Real Valladolid C. F. | Vicente Calderón, Madrid | |
| 1989-90 | F. C. Barcelona | 2 - 0 | Real Madrid C. F. | Luis Casanova, Valencia | Thirteenth trophy: awarded to F.C. Barcelona. |
| 1990-91 | Atletico de Madrid | 1 - 0 (dog.) |  R. C. D. Mallorca | Santiago Bernabéu, Madrid | |
| 1991-92 | Atletico de Madrid | 2 - 0 | Real Madrid C. F. | Santiago Bernabéu, Madrid | |
| 1992-93 | Real Madrid C. F. | 2 - 0 | Real Zaragoza | Luis Casanova, Valencia | |
| 1993-94 | Real Zaragoza | 0 - 0 (5 - 4 p.m.) |  R. C. Vigo Celt | Vicente Calderón, Madrid | |
| 1994-95 | R. C. D. La Coruña | 2 - 1 | Valencia C. F. | Santiago Bernabéu, Madrid | |
| 1995-96 | Atletico de Madrid | 1 - 0 (dog.) | F. C. Barcelona | La Romareda, Zaragoza | |
| 1996-97 | F. C. Barcelona | 3 - 2 (dog.) |  Real Betis Balompié | Santiago Bernabéu, Madrid | |
| 1997-98 | F. C. Barcelona | 1 - 1 (5 - 4 p.m.) | R. C. D. Mallorca | Mestalla, Valencia | |
| 1998-99 | Valencia C. F. | 3 - 0 | Atletico de Madrid | La Cartuja, Seville | |
| 1999-00 | R. C. D. Espanyol | 2 - 1 | Atletico de Madrid | Mestalla, Valencia | |
| 2000-01 | Real Zaragoza | 3 - 1 | R. C. Vigo Celt | La Cartuja, Seville | |
| 2001-02 | R. C. D. La Coruña (2) | 2 - 1 | Real Madrid C. F. | Santiago Bernabéu, Madrid | |
| 2002-03 | R. C. D. Mallorca (1) | 3 - 0 | R. C. Recreative of Huelva | Martínez Valero, Elche | |
| 2003-04 | Real Zaragoza (6) | 3 - 2 (dog.) | Real Madrid C. F. | Lluís Companys, Barcelona | |
| 2004-05 | Real Betis Balompié | 2 - 1 (dog.) |  C. A. Osasuna | Vicente Calderón, Madrid | |
| 2005-06 | R. C. D. Espanyol (4) | 4 - 1 | Real Zaragoza | Santiago Bernabéu, Madrid | |
| 2006-07 | Sevilla F. C. | 1 - 0 | Getafe C. F. | Santiago Bernabéu, Madrid | |
| 2007-08 | Valencia C. F. | 3 - 1 | Getafe C. F. | Vicente Calderón, Madrid | |
| 2008-09 | F. C. Barcelona | 4 - 1 | Athletic Club | Mestalla, Valencia | |
| 2009-10 | Sevilla F. C. (5) | 2 - 0 | Atletico de Madrid | Camp Nou, Barcelona | Fourteenth trophy: awarded to Seville F.C. |
| 2010-11 | Real Madrid C. F. | 1 - 0 (dog.) | F. C. Barcelona | Mestalla, Valencia | |
| 2011-12 | F. C. Barcelona | 3 - 0 | Athletic Club | Vicente Calderón, Madrid | |
| 2012-13 | Atletico de Madrid (10) | 2 - 1 (dog.) | Real Madrid C. F. | Santiago Bernabéu, Madrid | |
| 2013-14 | Real Madrid C. F. (19) | 2 - 1 | F. C. Barcelona | Mestalla, Valencia | |
| 2014-15 | F. C. Barcelona | 3 - 1 | Athletic Club | Camp Nou, Barcelona | Fifteenth trophy: awarded to F.C. Barcelona. |
| 2015-16 | F. C. Barcelona | 2 - 0 (dog.) | Sevilla F. C. | Vicente Calderón, Madrid | |
| 2016-17 | F. C. Barcelona | 3 - 1 | Deportivo Alavés | Vicente Calderón, Madrid | |
| 2017-18 | F. C. Barcelona | 5 - 0 | Sevilla F. C. | Metropolitano, Madrid | Sixteenth trophy: awarded to F.C. Barcelona. |
| 2018-19 | Valencia C. F. (8) | 2 - 1 | F. C. Barcelona | Benito Villamarín, Seville | First edition of the tournament using VAR |
| 2019-20 | Real Society (3) | 1 - 0 | Athletic Club | La Cartuja, Seville | Single party establishment up to 1/4 and fixed headquarters in the end. |
| 2020-21 | F. C. Barcelona (31) | 4 - 0 | Athletic Club | La Cartuja, Seville | |
| 2021-22 | Real Betis Balompié (3) | 1 - 1 (5 - 4 p.m.) | Valencia C. F. | La Cartuja, Seville | |
Notes: (x) last title achieved; pró. = extension; pen. = penalties.
Honours of Prizes
- For a better detail see History of the King's Cup
The following table shows all the clubs that have ever played in a Cup final. They are ordered by number of titles won. At the same number of titles, by number of runners-up and if equality persists, by seniority of their first title or runner-up.
| Equipment | Titles | Subcamp. | Finals | Years championships |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Club Barcelona | 31 | 11 | 42 | |
| Athletic Club | 24 | 16 | 39 | |
| Real Madrid Club of Football | 19 | 20 | 39 | |
| Club Atlético de Madrid | 10 | 9 | 19 | |
| Valencia Club of Football | 8 | 10 | 18 | |
| Real Zaragoza | 6 | 5 | 11 | |
| Sevilla Football Club | 5 | 4 | 9 | |
| Real Club Deportivo Espanyol | 4 | 5 | 9 | |
| Real Union Club de Irún | 4 | 1 | 5 | |
| Real Sociedad de Fútbol | 3 | 4 | 7 | |
| Real Betis Balompié | 3 | 2 | 5 | |
| Real Club Deportivo de La Coruña | 2 | - | 2 | |
| Getxo Arenas | 1 | 3 | 4 | |
| Real Club Deportivo Mallorca | 1 | 2 | 3 | |
| Real Club Celta de Vigo
| - | 4 | 4 | - |
| Club English de Madrid †
| - | 3 | 3 | - |
| Real Valladolid Club of Football
| - | 2 | 2 | - |
 Real Sporting de Gijón
| - | 2 | 2 | - |
| Getafe Football Club
| - | 2 | 2 | - |
| Bizcaya †
| - | 1 | 1 | - |
| Vasconia Sporting Club †
| - | 1 | 1 | - |
| Sociedad Gimnástico Española †
| - | 1 | 1 | - |
| Football Club Spain of Barcelona †
| - | 1 | 1 | - |
| Club Esportiu Europa
| - | 1 | 1 | - |
| Centre d'Esports Sabadell Futbol Club | - | 1 | 1 | - |
| Racing Club de Ferrol
| - | 1 | 1 | - |
| Granada Club of Football
| - | 1 | 1 | - |
| Elche Club Football
| - | 1 | 1 | - |
| Club Deportivo Castellón
| - | 1 | 1 | - |
.svg){kind=small} Las Palmas Sports Union
| - | 1 | 1 | - |
| Real Madrid Castilla Club of Football | - | 1 | 1 | - |
| Real Club Recreativo de Huelva
| - | 1 | 1 | - |
| Club Atlético Osasuna
| - | 1 | 1 | - |
| Deportivo Alavés
| - | 1 | 1 | - |
Note †: Clubs defunct
Owned trophy
The rules of the tournament establish that each time a club wins the competition three times in a row or five alternate times, and before another club achieves it, it receives the trophy as its property, and from the next edition the possession of the trophy is disputed. new one. Meanwhile, each winner receives a replica of it. On exceptional occasions, proprietary trophies have been delivered, such as the Coronation Cup, the first and last Generalísimo Cup, or the 2010 Copa del Rey to celebrate the world championship of the Spanish Soccer Team at the World Cup in South Africa. Only six of the champions have shared 15 trophies in possession (7 FC Barcelona, 3 Athletic Club, 2 Sevilla FC, 1 Real Madrid, 1 Real Unión de Irún and 1 Atlético de Madrid).
Statistics
Historical scorers table
- For a complete detail see Maximum Goggles of the King's Cup.
The tournament's all-time top scorer is the Spanish Telmo Zarra, who scored 81 goals with Athletic Club, being one of the names that are linked to the competition. The Basque's goalscoring record is followed by those of fellow Spaniards José Samitier and Guillermo Gorostiza who scored 69 and 65 goals respectively. These three players are also the only ones to surpass the sixty-goal barrier.
In addition, the Spanish-Hungarian Ferenc Puskás should be highlighted among the top scorers for being the player with the best scoring average in the competition with 1.20 goals per game with the Real Madrid Club de Fútbol, ahead of the Galician Rogelio Tapia and the already mentioned Telmo Zarra with averages of 1.17 and 1.09 respectively.
Note: In bold active players in Spain. Club names according to the era.
|
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Players with the most matches played
- For a complete detail see Players with more encounters in Copa del Rey.
The Spanish Andoni Zubizarreta is the player who has played the most matches in the competition with 108, distributed among the sixteen editions he has played throughout his career. His record is followed by Joaquín Alonso's 105 and José Ángel Iribar's 101 games, the only three centenarian footballers in the competition.
Note: In bold active players in Spain. Club names according to the era.
|  Andoni Zubizarreta, player with more contested matches. |
Other statistical data
Biggest wins
The biggest win in a game occurred on September 10, 1992 when, in the second leg of the round of 32 of the 90th edition, Real Murcia Club de Fútbol defeated Club Deportivo 14–0 Cieza Promises, for a 16-0 overall in the tie.
Regarding the individual record, José María Belauste and Agustín Piru Gaínza, both with seven titles and all achieved with Athletic Club, are the most successful players in the history of the championship. Lionel Messi, Sergio Busquets and Gerard Piqué are the active players who have won the most titles (seven titles). Lionel Messi and Sergio Busquets are the players who have played in the most finals (10). Lionel Messi is the top scorer in the Copa del Rey finals with 9 goals in ten finals played between 2009 and 2021, followed by Telmo Zarra, who he scored eight goals in the four finals he played between 1943 and 1955.
In the coaching section, it was the Czechoslovakian Ferdinand Daučík who won the most titles, six with three different teams (3 with Fútbol Club Barcelona, 2 with Athletic Club, and 1 with Real Zaragoza). Referee Pedro Escartín He has the record of directing 4 Cup tournament finals.
| Date | Meeting | Edition | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 10 September 1992 | Real Murcia C. F. | 14 - 0 | C. D. Cieza Promesas | Sixteenth finals - 1992-93 |
| 14 April 1932 | C. D. Balompié | 0 - 13 | Vigo Celt | Sixteenth finals - 1932 |
| 30 March 1941 | Gijón | 13 - 0 | Stadium Avilesino | First elimination - 1941 |
| 18 May 1947 | Athletic Club | 12 - 1 | R. C. Vigo Celt | Final quarters - 1947 |
| 6 April 1930 | Real Murcia C. F. | 10 - 0 | C. D. Don Benito | Sixteenth finals - 1930 |
| 21 November 1985 | U. D. Las Palmas | 11 - 1 | C. D. Lalin | Third round - 1985-86 |
| 13 June 1943 | Real Madrid C. F. | 11 - 1 | C. F. Barcelona | Semifinal - 1943 |
| 30 March 1941 | Baracaldo C. F. | 11 - 2 | Arenas de Guecho | First elimination - 1941 |
| 8 April 1962 | F. C. Barcelona | 10 - 1 | C. D. Basconia | Final Octavos - 1961-62 |
| 26 September 1973 | A. D. Ceuta | 10 - 1 | Melilla Industrial C. F. | First round - 1973-74 |
| 11 March 1987 | Real Society | 10 - 1 | R. C. D. Mallorca "B" | Final rooms - 1986-87 |