Copa del Rey draw pairs 16 Primera División clubs with lower-tier sides as 56 ties are set

Tournament format and exempt clubs

The Royal Spanish Football Federation (RFEF) held the draw for the first round of the 2026–2027 Copa del Rey on 5 October at the Salón Luis Aragonés in the Ciudad del Fútbol in Las Rozas, Madrid. The draw established 56 single-leg fixtures involving 112 of the 116 clubs entered in the 123rd edition of the competition. Four teams (FC Barcelona, Real Madrid, Atlético de Madrid, and defending cup champion Real Sociedad) are exempt from the opening rounds because of their participation in the Supercopa de España, entering the tournament at the round of 32. The remaining 16 Primera División clubs will play their opening matches away from home against lower-tier opposition between 27 and 29 October. To limit travel and reduce match-ups between clubs in identical tiers, the RFEF divided the participants into four geographical groups.

Top-flight fixtures and regional matchups

The draw paired Primera División sides against regional and lower-league clubs. Real Betis, competing in the Champions League this season, will travel to Madrid to face CDA Navalcarnero, currently ninth in Group 5 of the Segunda RFEF, at the 2,500-seat Municipal Mariano González. Valencia CF will visit CFUE Tavernes de la Valldigna, a regional club from the hometown of Valencia forward Carlos Espí. Villarreal CF travels to the Balearic Islands to play Tercera RFEF side CD Manacor at the Na Capellera stadium. Getafe CF, managed by José Bordalás, will visit UB Lebrijana, an Andalusian regional club founded in 1928 that qualified through the preliminary rounds under coach Alejandro Ceballos. Other top-tier pairings send RCD Espanyol to Sestao River, RC Celta to Salamanca CF UDS, CA Osasuna to Atlético Calatayud, Deportivo Alavés to CD Anaitasuna, and Girona FC to CD Cuarte. Draw assistants included Racing player Sergio Canales and Salamanca UDS manager Iker Muniain.

Postponements and security suspensions

Two top-tier clubs must wait to confirm their opponents due to unresolved preliminary ties. Athletic Club, a 24-time cup winner, will face the victor of AE Prat against CF San Rafael; the Catalan side won the first leg 1-5, but the second leg was postponed due to adverse weather. Sevilla FC will play the winner of Atlético Unión Güímar versus Sporting de Hortaleza. That second leg, scheduled for 4 October at the Municipal Tasagaya in Tenerife, was suspended after individuals with covered faces threw stones at the visiting Madrid team's bus and continued the altercation at the stadium entrance, where a visiting player was affected. Sporting de Hortaleza held a 1-0 lead from the first leg in Madrid. RFEF president Rafael Louzán opened the draw by condemning the incident while the competition committee deliberates on the outcome.

Calendar and progression to the final

The 56 ties are scheduled for 27, 28, and 29 October, with specific dates determined by domestic league fixtures. Real Betis is set to play Navalcarnero on Wednesday 28 October, fitted between a league match at Balaídos against Celta on 25 October, a home game against Málaga on 31 October, and a Champions League fixture in Dortmund on 4 November. Sevilla FC is scheduled to play on Thursday 29 October, having played Osasuna on Monday 26 October before travelling to Getafe on 1 November. The four clubs contesting the Supercopa de España will play that tournament in Turkey in February 2027 before joining the Copa del Rey in the round of 32. The competition will conclude on 24 April 2027 with the final at Estadio de La Cartuja in Seville.