The 2026-27 Copa del Rey begins on Monday without Barcelona, Real Madrid, Atletico de Madrid and Real Sociedad, who have been exempted from the opening rounds under Spanish Football Federation regulations.
A total of 112 teams will discover their first-round opponents, while the four leading clubs watch the draw from outside the competition. Their absence is particularly notable given Barcelona’s status as the tournament’s record winners, with 32 titles, and Real Madrid’s longstanding place at the centre of the competition.
However, none of the four clubs has withdrawn and none has been disciplined. Their exemption is a benefit granted to the teams taking part in the Spanish Super Cup.
Under the federation’s rules, the four Super Cup participants do not have to play in the preliminary stages of the Copa del Rey. The places are allocated to the winners and runners-up of La Liga and the Copa del Rey from the previous season.
That system applies this season to Barcelona, Real Madrid, Atletico de Madrid and Real Sociedad. The Spanish Super Cup has also moved from Saudi Arabia to Istanbul this year, following several years when the competition was staged in Saudi Arabia.
When will the four clubs enter?
The exemption will not keep the four clubs out of the Copa del Rey for long. According to Sport, they will begin their campaigns in the last 32, meaning they will bypass both the first and second rounds.
The advantage extends beyond entering at a later stage. The format also ensures that their first opponents will come from among the lower-ranked teams still involved in the competition.
That arrangement gives the four Super Cup participants a theoretically more straightforward opening tie as they begin their pursuit of the Copa del Rey.