Why are the big clubs absent? The secret behind Barcelona and Real Madrid's exemption from the Copa del Rey draw

The regulations of the Spanish federation respond

The road to the 2026/2027 Copa del Rey begins today, Monday, and in a twist that might baffle Spanish football fans, it starts without its giants.

112 teams will hold their breath as they wait to learn their fate in the first round. Barcelona, Real Madrid, Atletico Madrid and Real Sociedad, meanwhile, watch the draw from afar.

The Copa has long meant joy in Catalonia. Barcelona are the historic kings of the competition with 32 titles, and the tournament is unthinkable without their eternal rival Real Madrid. Yet their absence this time is neither a withdrawal nor a punishment. It is a privilege written into the regulations.

What is the secret of the exemption?

The answer lies in the Spanish Super Cup. Under the Spanish Football Federation's rules, the four teams taking part in the Super Cup skip the preliminary rounds of the Copa del Rey.

Those four Super Cup places, in a tournament that this year moved from Saudi Arabia to Istanbul after years out there, go to the champions and runners-up of the Spanish league and the Copa del Rey from last season. This time that means Barcelona, Real Madrid, Atletico Madrid and Real Sociedad.

When do the big names appear?

The big four will not have to wait long. According to the newspaper "Sport", their Copa del Rey campaign will begin straight from the round of 32, skipping the first and second rounds entirely.

The perks run deeper still. The system guarantees their first match will come against one of the lowest-ranked teams left in the competition, handing them a theoretically gentler start on the path to defending their Copa dreams.