The first round of Spain’s Copa del Rey will feature 56 ties. Barcelona, Real Madrid, Atlético Madrid and holders Real Sociedad enter later.
The draw for the first round of the Copa del Rey was held on Monday, pairing 112 clubs in 56 one-off matches. Games are scheduled for Oct. 27-29, with the lower-division side hosting. When teams are from the same tier, the club whose ball was drawn first will play at home.
Sixteen teams from La Liga are in the field. Barcelona, Real Madrid, Atlético Madrid and defending champions Real Sociedad are exempt from the early rounds because they will play in the Spanish Super Cup. The draw was split into four regional groups, with organizers seeking to limit travel and, where possible, match lower-tier clubs against stronger opposition.
Among the ties are Manacor against Villarreal, Navalcarnero against Real Betis, and Tavernes de la Valldigna against Valencia. Tavernes is the hometown club of Valencia forward Carlos Espí. Celta Vigo will visit Salamanca UDS, returning to the Helmántico stadium where it won 7-0 in the 2024 cup. Espanyol travel to Sestao, Girona to Cuarte, Osasuna to Calatayud and Alavés to Anaitasuna.
Several places in the bracket remain open. Athletic Bilbao will face the winner of the postponed second leg between AE Prat and San Rafael. Sevilla await the outcome of Atlético Unión Güímar versus Sporting de Hortaleza, a match suspended after the Madrid club’s bus was pelted with stones and further disturbances followed at the ground. Spanish federation president Rafael Louzán condemned the incidents at the draw.
The most nostalgic pairing is Xerez CD against Cádiz. The Andalusian derby has not been played since 2008, and the clubs now compete one division apart. Video assistant referees will not be used in the opening round. VAR is scheduled to begin only in the quarterfinals.