The round of 32 of the Copa del Rey already has a date and clear rules. This Tuesday, December 9, at 13:00 hours, at the Ciudad del Fútbol in Las Rozas, a draw will be held that incorporates the four big clubs that will dispute the Supercopa de España: FC Barcelona, Real Madrid, Atlético de Madrid and Athletic Club. The event marks a crucial moment in the competition, which maintains the magic of the crossings between elite teams and youth teams.
The draw for this round remains faithful to the spirit of the Cup: a single match at the home of the lower-ranked team and crossings designed to maximize the sporting attraction. On the verge of the round of 16, this phase is key to dreaming of historic feats.
Copa del Rey Draws: distribution by categories
The Real Federación Española de Fútbol has defined the groups according to the category of each club, and has reserved a special group for the Supercopa clubs and the Federation Cup champion. In total, six different groups will make up the draw for the 32 qualified teams.
A Cup – Super Cup teams (4 teams)
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FC Barcelona
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Real Madrid
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Atlético de Madrid
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Athletic Club
These clubs will be compulsorily paired with the lower-ranked teams: one from the RFEF Second Division and three from the RFEF First Division (including Ourense).
B Cup – First Division (13 teams)
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Osasuna
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Mallorca
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Alavés
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Getafe
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Levante
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Real Sociedad
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Betis
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Elche
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Villarreal
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Rayo Vallecano
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Seville
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Celta
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Valencia
C Cup – Second Division (9 teams)
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Huesca
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Cultural Leonesa
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Racing de Santander
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Sporting de Gijón
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Eibar
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Albacete
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Deportivo de La Coruña
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Burgos
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Grenada
Cup D – First RFEF (4 teams)
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Guadalajara
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Eldense
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Talavera
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Real Murcia
E Cup – Second RFEF (1 team)
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Atletico Baleares
F Cup – Federation Cup (1 team)
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Ourense
Round of 16 Draw Rules
The configuration of the groups prioritizes the crossings between clubs of different categories, always looking for the modest ones to receive at home the giants of national soccer. The pairings are regulated in such a way that:
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The four Supercopa teams will be assigned to Atlético Baleares, Ourense and three Primera RFEF teams.
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The two remaining Primera RFEF teams will face Primera División opponents.
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The clubs of the Second Division will face the other teams of the First Division.
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There will only be two matches between clubs in the second division.
In addition, all matches in this round will be single-legged and without VAR, a technology that will only be incorporated from the round of 16 onwards.
The rules also ensure that matches are played at the stadium of the lower-ranked team, thus ensuring that fans of the lower-ranked clubs can experience the thrill of facing historic rivals at home.
Dates of the meetings: December 16, 17 and 18
Once the draw has been defined, the 16 matches will be played on December 16, 17 and 18. The organization maintains the usual scheme: maximum proximity to the local public, emotion concentrated in three days and direct access to the round of 16 for the winners.
The draw can be followed live on Teledeporte, Movistar Plus and the official RFEF channels, with transmission scheduled from 13:00 (Spanish peninsular time).
Expectations for the crossroads and possible surprises
The sporting morbidity will be focused on seeing which rivals the four giants of Spanish soccer will be paired with. Clubs like Atletico Baleares, the only survivor of the RFEF Second Division, will be the focus of attention, as they will face Barcelona, Real Madrid, Atletico and Athletic. A duel that could mark a before and after in the history of the Balearic club.
These are the results of Thursday evening-night!!!!! #CopaDelReyMAPFRE #LaCopaMola🏆 pic.twitter.com/cbyAKLvbIf
– King’s Cup (@copadelreyRFEF_) December 5, 2025
The rest of the pairings are also promising, with historic clubs such as Deportivo, Murcia, Cultural Leonesa and Eldense looking to spring a surprise. At the same time, the teams from the second division will try to measure their strength against rivals from the first division in duels that could be more balanced than expected.
A draw with a pure soccer flavor
In a Copa del Rey that has recovered much of its essence in recent years, this draw represents the prelude to some vibrant playoffs. With no margin for error, without VAR and in the stadium of the most modest, the epic and excitement will be guaranteed in each crossing.
The Copa del Rey Draw not only defines the paths to the round of 16, but also strengthens the link between professional soccer and the lower categories. Everything is ready for the dreams to begin.
