Lorraine Williamson
Spain’s cup competition has done what it so often does at this point of the season: handed the underdogs the stage, the home crowd, and the chance to make a national headline. The Copa del Rey last-16 draw has sent Barcelona, Real Madrid, and Atlético Madrid on the road, while serving up a familiar northern grudge match between Real Sociedad and Osasuna.
The ties will be played as single-leg knockouts between 13 and 15 January, immediately after the Spanish Supercopa in Saudi Arabia. The quarter-finals follow on 3, 4 and 5 February, with the road ultimately pointing to the final at La Cartuja in Seville.
A draw designed for jeopardy
The organisers made no secret of the logic. The Spanish federation split the clubs into three pots: the four Supercopa teams in one, the remaining top-flight sides in another, and the surviving Segunda División teams in the third. The result is a classic cup mix: prestige clubs dropped into hostile, smaller grounds, where one mistake can turn into a very long night.
That jeopardy is the Copa’s brand now. Since the format moved to single-leg ties in the early rounds, the competition has tilted towards shocks and away days — not always fair, but rarely dull.
The headline trips: Barcelona and Madrid away in Segunda
Barcelona, the holders, have been drawn away to Racing Santander. It is the sort of tie that looks straightforward on paper and feels anything but once the stadium tightens around the visiting favourites.
Real Madrid also travel, facing Albacete at the Carlos Belmonte. Atlético Madrid, meanwhile, head to Riazor to play Deportivo La Coruña, a fixture that carries a whiff of Spanish football’s recent past as well as its cup present.
Athletic Club will travel to Cultural Leonesa in a one-off tie, where the home crowd will be dreaming of an upset even before kick-off.
The tie locals will circle: Real Sociedad vs Osasuna, again
If you want a storyline with bite, it is in San Sebastián. Real Sociedad will host Osasuna in what has started to feel like an annual cup ritual.
Basque outlet Berria notes the sides have now been paired in the Copa for three consecutive seasons, with La Real coming through the previous meetings. That recent pattern won’t calm Osasuna supporters much — it simply sharpens the sense that this is a matchup both clubs know how to hate properly.
Full last-16 ties
The draw in full:
Deportivo La Coruña vs Atlético Madrid
Racing Santander vs Barcelona
Cultural Leonesa vs Athletic Club
Albacete vs Real Madrid
Burgos vs Valencia
Real Betis vs Elche
Real Sociedad vs Osasuna
Alavés vs Rayo Vallecano
For the smaller clubs, a glamour home draw can be financially transformative: a sell-out, higher ticket prices, and a rare spike in bar sales and local sponsorship. On top of matchday income, the Copa’s TV money is sold centrally and redistributed through the federation’s support schemes, which can make a meaningful difference to budgets outside the top flight.
UEFA’s Copa guide confirms these last-16 ties are one-off knockouts, so there is no second leg to rescue a favourite having a bad night. The tournament stays single-leg until the semi-finals, which are played over two legs, with the final scheduled for 25 April at La Cartuja in Seville.
Why this round matters more than it looks
This is the stage where the Copa del Rey starts to reshape seasons. A single bad performance can derail momentum. A single upset can finance a smaller club’s year.
And for the giants, the timing is brutal. With league schedules compressed and Supercopa commitments already in the legs, rotation becomes a gamble: rest too many and you invite chaos; play too strong and you risk injuries for the months that decide everything.
A cup week built for surprises
Spain’s cup is at its best when it forces big teams to prove they can win without comfort. The draw has done exactly that.
By mid-January, at least a few favourites will have learned the same old Copa lesson: in a one-off tie, history does not protect you — it just makes the upset louder.
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