The draw for the first stage of the 2025/2026 Copa del Rey took place at the Las Rozas football center. This year, 112 teams are competing for the trophy, each receiving their opponent for the opening round. Four of the country’s top clubs — Barcelona, Real Madrid, Atlético Madrid, and Athletic — will enter the tournament later, starting from the round of 32, as they are set to participate in the Supercopa de España.
As a result of the draw, 56 pairings were determined to play knockout matches from October 28 to 30. For the first time, organizers used a territorial proximity principle to form the matchups, aiming to reduce travel and simplify logistics for the clubs. To achieve this, the country was divided into four geographical zones.
The first group included clubs from Galicia, País Vasco, Asturias, Castilla y León, Cantabria, and La Rioja. The second zone brought together teams from Navarra, the Balearic Islands, Catalonia, Aragón, and Andorra. The third group consisted of representatives from the Valencian Community, Andalucía, Ceuta, Murcia, and a club from Toledo. The fourth zone covered Madrid, Castilla-La Mancha, the Canary Islands, Extremadura, and Ibiza.
Within each region, pairings were created between teams from different divisions, with lower-league clubs given home advantage. The only exceptions are two matches between teams from the same level—both taking place in groups 3 and 4—and involving representatives of the Primera Federación.
Among the most notable matchups in the first round are Getxo vs Alavés, Negreira vs Real Sociedad, Puerta de Vega vs Celta, Ourense vs Oviedo, Caudal vs Sporting Gijón, Atlético Tordesillas vs Burgos, Tropezón vs Cultural Leonesa, Portugalete vs Valladolid, Nájera vs Eibar, Atlético Astorga vs Mirandés, SD Logroñés vs Racing Santander, Samano vs Deportivo La Coruña, Numancia vs Arenas Club, UD Logroñés vs Ponferradina, Langreo vs Racing Ferrol, and others.
Other regions will also see interesting encounters: Athletic Sant Just will face Mallorca, Sant Jordi plays Osasuna, Athletic Lleida vs Espanyol, Constancia vs Girona, Valle de Egués vs Andorra, Mutilvera vs Zaragoza, Utebo vs Huesca, Poblença vs Sabadell, Ebro vs Tarazona, Reus vs Europa, Atlético Baleares vs Gimnàstic Tarragona, and Sant Andreu vs Teruel.
In the southern and eastern regions, the pairs have also been determined: Los Garres vs Elche, Atlético Palma del Río vs Betis, Maracena vs Valencia, Toledo vs Sevilla, Orihuela vs Levante, Ciudad de Lucena vs Villarreal, Roda vs Granada, Cieza vs Córdoba, Estepona vs Málaga, Lorca Deportiva vs Almería, UCAM Murcia vs Cádiz, Atlético Antoniano vs Castellón, La Unión Atlético vs Ceuta, Torrent vs Juventud Torremolinos, Puente Genil vs Cartagena, Real Jaén vs Eldense, and Real Murcia vs Antequera.
The capital region and the islands also brought their share of intrigue: Inter Valdemoro will face Getafe, Yunques will take on Rayo Vallecano, Asuaga will play Leganés, UD San Fernando will meet Albacete, Extremadura will go up against Las Palmas, Navalcarnero will face Mérida, Rayo Majadahonda will play Talavera de la Reina, Quintanar del Rey will meet Ibiza, RSD Alcalá will play Tenerife, and Guadalajara will face Cacereño.
The ceremony was attended by players and representatives of the clubs, who expressed hope for a successful performance and the opportunity to face the country’s strongest teams. The tournament’s final match is scheduled for April 25, 2026.
As a reminder, four leading Spanish clubs are skipping the opening stage due to their participation in the Supercopa. The new format and regional pairings aim to make the tournament more accessible for fans and participants.
