Copa del Rey

The Copa del Rey is an annual football cup competition for Spanish football teams. Its full name is Campeonato de España – Copa de Su Majestad el Rey (Championship of Spain – His Majesty the King's Cup). Like the Emperor's Cup in Japan the tournament is one of the most well-known football competitions bearing the name of a monarch.
The competition was founded in 1903, thus making it the oldest Spanish football competition. Typically, the winner of Copa del Rey goes to the UEFA Europa League; but if the winner also qualifies for UEFA Champions League, then the losing finalist goes into the Europa League.
The current holders are Atletico Madrid, who won their 10th Spanish title reign against crosstown rivals Real Madrid at the 2013 Copa del Rey final held at the Estadio Santiago Bernabeu. FC Barcelona has won the cup on the most occasions, with 26 wins.
==History==
In 1902, a competition under the name Copa de la Coronación, was played after Carlos Padrós, later president of Real Madrid, suggested a football tournament to celebrate the coronation of King Alfonso XIII. Four other teams joined Madrid FC for the competition: FC Barcelona, Club Español de Foot-Ball, New Foot-Ball de Madrid and Club Bizcaya (a team made up of players from Athletic Club and Bilbao FC) which eventually defeated Barcelona in the final. That cup is on display in the Athletic Bilbao museum and the club includes the victory in its honours list. Nevertheless, it is considered only the forerunner of the Copa del Rey and the Royal Spanish Football Federation officially don't recognize it.
 
Copa del Rey was Spain's football National Championship from 1903 until the foundation of the Campeonato de Liga — League Championship — in 1928. It was initially known as the Copa del Ayuntamiento de Madrid (Madrid City Council's Cup). Between 1905 and 1932, it was known as the Copa de Su Majestad El Rey Alfonso XIII (His Majesty King Alfonso XIII's Cup). During the Second Spanish Republic, it was known as the Copa del Presidente de la República (President of the Republic Cup) or Copa de España (Spanish Cup) and during the years of Francisco Franco's dictatorship, it was known as the Copa de Su Excelencia El Generalísimo or Copa del Generalísimo ((His Excellency) The Supreme General's Cup). Teams from upper and lower divisions play against each other but the number of clubs allowed to participate is restricted.
Athletic Bilbao were declared winners in 1904 after their opponents Español de Madrid failed to show up. In both 1910 and 1913, there was a split among the clubs and two rival associations, the Unión Española de Clubs de Fútbol and the Federación Española de Fútbol, organised rival competitions, the Copa UECF and the Copa FEF. In 1937, during the Spanish Civil War, clubs in the Republican area of Spain entered the Copa de la España Libre, with Levante FC beating their city rivals Valencia CF 1–0 in the final. (Although in 2007 the Congress of Deputies urged Royal Spanish Football Federation to recognise it as a Copa del Rey win for Levante, the governing body of Spanish football has not made a decision yet.)
Because of the dispute regarding the 1902 competition, the statistics regarding the leading winners are also disputed. Barcelona have won the Copa 26 times; Athletic Bilbao are just behind, with either 24 or 23 titles, depending on the source. Throughout the history of the competition, there have been 12 actual trophies. Trophies have been permanently awarded to clubs for winning the competition either three times in a row or on five separate occasions and for other special reasons.
Thus, four trophies have been permanently awarded to Barcelona, three to Bilbao and one to Real Madrid.
Athletic Bilbao kept the first trophy as inaugural winners, Sevilla FC were awarded the Trofeo del Generalísimo in 1939 and Atlético Madrid, winners the previous year, were awarded the 11th trophy following the death of Francisco Franco. In December 2010, the cup was given to Sevilla, the 2010 winners, to keep in honour of Spain's World Cup win.
Before the formation of La Liga in 1929, the competition was effectively a national championship. Teams qualified to enter via their regional leagues. Over the years, various formats, including group stages have been used. Unlike the English FA Cup, entry is limited. Only teams from the Primera División, Segunda A, about 23 teams from the Segunda B and the Tercera División champions (or runners-up if the champion is a reserve team) are invited to enter. The early rounds are one-off games with teams from the lower divisions given home advantage. The round of 32, the round of 16, the quarter-finals, and semi-finals are played over two legs. The final is a one-off game played at a neutral venue. The winners qualify for both the Supercopa de España and the UEFA Europa League the following season.
==Trophy==
22 December 2010, at an extraordinary general meeting of the Royal Spanish Football Federation, Sevilla FC requested permission from the Federation to keep the trophy they had won in the 2010 final to commemorate the victory of the Spanish national team at the 2010 FIFA World Cup in South Africa. There had been a precedent for this; Real Madrid were allowed to keep the first Copa de la República (1936), Sevilla, the first Copa del Generalísimo (1939) and, Atlético Madrid, the last Copa del Generalísimo (1976).
A new trophy was made by Madrid jeweller Federico Alegre. The trophy, made of silver, weighs 15 kg (33 lb) and is 75 cm (30 in) tall. On 21 April 2011, Real Madrid became the first recipients of the trophy. During the post-game celebrations, the trophy was accidentally dropped at Plaza de Cibeles by the Real Madrid player Sergio Ramos from the top of a double-decker bus, which then ran over it. Ten pieces were found by civil servicemen when they recovered it from the ground. The club received a copy which is displayed at Santiago Bernabéu.
==Venues==
The Santiago Bernabéu in Madrid has hosted 36 Copa del Rey finals, more than any other venue. Between 1948 and 1973, there were only three occasions when the final was not held at the Bernabéu - Estadi Olímpic Lluís Companys in 1957 and Camp Nou in 1963 and 1970. Real Madrid have played 8 home cup finals, winning two.
==Winners and runners-up==
Club 	Wins	Last final won	Runners-up	Last final lost
Barcelona 	26 	2012 	10 	2011
Athletic Bilbao 	23 	1984 	12 	2012
Real Madrid 	18 	2011 	20 	2013
Atlético Madrid 	10 	2013 	9 	2010
Valencia 	7 	2008 	9 	1995
Zaragoza 	6 	2004 	5 	2006
Sevilla 	5 	2010 	2 	1962
Espanyol 	4 	2006 	5 	1957
Real Unión 	3 	1927 	1 	1922
Betis 	2 	2005 	2 	1997
Deportivo La Coruña	2 	2002 	0 	
Real Sociedad 	2 	1987 	4 	1988
Arenas 	1 	1919 	3 	1927
Mallorca 	1 	2003 	2 	1998
Bizcaya 	1 	1902 	1 	1907
Ciclista 	1 	1909 	0 	
Racing de Irún 	1 	1913 	0 	
Celta de Vigo 	0 	 	3 	2001
Getafe 	0 	 	2 	2008
Valladolid 	0 	 	2 	1989
Sporting de Gijón 	0 	 	2 	1982
Español de Madrid 	0 	 	2 	1910
Osasuna 	0 	 	1 	2005
Recreativo 	0 	 	1 	2003
Castilla CF‡ 	0 	 	1 	1980
Las Palmas 	0 	 	1 	1978
Castellón 	0 	 	1 	1973
Elche 	0 	 	1 	1969
Granada 	0 	 	1 	1959
Racing de Ferrol 	0 	 	1 	1939
Sabadell 	0 	 	1 	1935
Europa 	0 	 	1 	1923
Espanya 	0 	 	1 	1914
Gimnástica 	0 	 	1 	1912
Real Vigo Sporting 	0 	 	1 	1908
‡ Real Madrid's reserve team. Reserve teams were banned for this competition for first time in the 1990–91 edition.
==Finals==
Season	Location 	Champion 	Runner-up 	Score
1902 	Hipódromo, Madrid 	Bizcaya 	Barcelona 	2–1
1903 	Hipódromo, Madrid 	Athletic Bilbao 	Madrid FC 	3–2
1904 	Tiro de Pichón, Madrid 	Athletic Bilbao 	--- 	No final
1905 	Tiro de Pichón, Madrid 	Madrid FC 	[---] 	No final
1906 	Hipódromo, Madrid 	Madrid FC 	Athletic Bilbao 	No final
1907 	Hipódromo, Madrid 	Madrid FC 	Bizcaya 	1–0
1908 	O'Donnell, Madrid 	Madrid FC 	Real Vigo Sporting 	2–1
1909 	O'Donnell, Madrid 	Ciclista 	Español de Madrid 	3–1
1910 	Ondarreta, San Sebastián 	Athletic Bilbao 	Vasconia 	No final
1910 	Tiro de Pichón, Madrid 	Barcelona 	Español de Madrid 	No final
1911 	Jolaseta, Bilbao 	Athletic Bilbao 	RCD Espanyol 	3–1
1912 	La Industria, Barcelona 	Barcelona 	Gimnástica 	2–0
1913 	O'Donnell, Madrid 	Racing de Irún 	Athletic Bilbao 	1–0
1913 	La Industria, Barcelona 	Barcelona 	Real Sociedad 	2–1
1914 	Amute, Irún 	Athletic Bilbao 	Espanya 	2–1
1915 	Amute, Irún 	Athletic Bilbao 	RCD Español 	5–0
1916 	La Industria, Barcelona 	Athletic Bilbao 	Madrid FC 	4–0
1917 	La Industria, Barcelona 	Madrid FC 	Arenas 	2–1
1918 	O'Donnell, Madrid 	Real Unión 	Madrid FC 	2–0
1919 	Martínez Campos, Madrid 	Arenas 	Barcelona 	5–2
1920 	El Molinón, Gijón 	Barcelona 	Athletic Bilbao 	2–0
1921 	San Mamés, Bilbao 	Athletic Bilbao 	Atlético Madrid 	4–1
1922 	Coia, Vigo 	Barcelona 	Real Unión 	5–1
1923 	Les Corts, Barcelona 	Athletic Bilbao 	Europa 	1–0
1924 	Atotxa, San Sebastián 	Real Unión 	Real Madrid 	1–0
1925 	Reina Victoria, Sevilla 	Barcelona 	Arenas 	2–0
1926 	Mestalla, Valencia 	Barcelona 	Atlético Madrid 	3–2
1927 	Torreo, Zaragoza 	Real Unión 	Arenas 	1–0
1928 	El Sardinero, Santander 	Barcelona 	Real Sociedad 	3–1
1929 	Mestalla, Valencia 	RCD Español 	Real Madrid 	2–1
1930 	Montjuïc, Barcelona 	Athletic Bilbao 	Real Madrid 	3–2
1931 	Chamartín, Madrid 	Athletic Bilbao 	Betis 	3–1
1932 	Chamartín, Madrid 	Athletic Bilbao 	Barcelona 	1–0
1933 	Montjuïc, Barcelona 	Athletic Bilbao 	Madrid 	2–1
1934 	Montjuïc, Barcelona 	Madrid 	Valencia 	2–1
1935 	Chamartín, Madrid 	Sevilla 	Sabadell 	3–0
1936 	Mestalla, Valencia 	Madrid 	Barcelona 	2–1
1939 	Montjuïc, Barcelona 	Sevilla 	Racing de Ferrol 	6–2
1940 	Chamartín, Madrid 	RCD Español 	Real Madrid 	3–2
1941 	Chamartín, Madrid 	Valencia 	RCD Español 	3–1
1942 	Chamartín, Madrid 	Barcelona 	Atlético Bilbao 	4–3
1943 	Estadio Metropolitano de Madrid, Madrid	Atlético Bilbao 	Real Madrid 	1–0
1944 	Montjuïc, Barcelona 	Atlético Bilbao 	Valencia 	2–0
1945 	Montjuïc, Barcelona 	Atlético Bilbao 	Valencia 	3–2
1946 	Montjuïc, Barcelona 	Real Madrid 	Valencia 	3–1
1947 	Riazor, A Coruña 	Real Madrid 	RCD Español 	2–0
1948 	Chamartín, Madrid 	Sevilla 	Celta de Vigo 	4–1
1949 	Chamartín, Madrid 	Valencia 	Atlético Bilbao 	1–0
1950 	Chamartín, Madrid 	Atlético Bilbao 	Valladolid 	4–1
1951 	Chamartín, Madrid 	Barcelona 	Real Sociedad 	3–0
1952 	Chamartín, Madrid 	Barcelona 	Valencia 	4–2
1953 	Chamartín, Madrid 	Barcelona 	Atlético Bilbao 	2–1
1954 	Chamartín, Madrid 	Valencia 	Barcelona 	3–0
1955 	Santiago Bernabéu, Madrid 	Atlético Bilbao 	Sevilla 	1–0
1956 	Santiago Bernabéu, Madrid 	Atlético Bilbao 	Atlético Madrid 	2–1
1957 	Montjuïc, Barcelona 	Barcelona 	RCD Español 	1–0
1958 	Santiago Bernabéu, Madrid 	Atlético Bilbao 	Real Madrid 	2–0
1959 	Santiago Bernabéu, Madrid 	Barcelona 	Granada 	4–1
1960 	Santiago Bernabéu, Madrid 	Atlético Madrid 	Real Madrid 	3–1
1961 	Santiago Bernabéu, Madrid 	Atlético Madrid 	Real Madrid 	3–2
1962 	Santiago Bernabéu, Madrid 	Real Madrid 	Sevilla 	2–1
1963 	Camp Nou, Barcelona 	Barcelona 	Zaragoza 	3–1
1964 	Santiago Bernabéu, Madrid 	Zaragoza 	Atlético Madrid 	2–1
1965 	Santiago Bernabéu, Madrid 	Atlético Madrid 	Zaragoza 	1–0
1966 	Santiago Bernabéu, Madrid 	Zaragoza 	Atlético Bilbao 	2–0
1967 	Santiago Bernabéu, Madrid 	Valencia 	Atlético Bilbao 	2–1
1968 	Santiago Bernabéu, Madrid 	Barcelona 	Real Madrid 	1–0
1969 	Santiago Bernabéu, Madrid 	Atlético Bilbao 	Elche 	1–0
1970 	Camp Nou, Barcelona 	Real Madrid 	Valencia 	3–1
1971 	Santiago Bernabéu, Madrid 	Barcelona 	Valencia 	4–3
1972 	Santiago Bernabéu, Madrid 	Atlético Madrid 	Valencia 	2–1
1973 	Santiago Bernabéu, Madrid 	Atlético Bilbao 	Castellón 	2–0
1974 	Vicente Calderón, Madrid 	Real Madrid 	Barcelona 	4–0
1975 	Vicente Calderón, Madrid 	Real Madrid 	Atlético Madrid 	0–0 (penalties, 4–3)
1976 	Santiago Bernabéu, Madrid 	Atlético Madrid 	Zaragoza 	1–0
1977 	Vicente Calderón, Madrid 	Betis 	Athletic Bilbao 	2–2 (penalties, 8–7)
1978 	Santiago Bernabéu, Madrid 	Barcelona 	Las Palmas 	3–1
1979 	Vicente Calderón, Madrid 	Valencia 	Real Madrid 	2–0
1980 	Santiago Bernabéu, Madrid 	Real Madrid 	Real Madrid Castilla	6–1
1981 	Vicente Calderón, Madrid 	Barcelona 	Sporting de Gijón 	3–1
1982 	José Zorrilla, Valladolid 	Real Madrid 	Sporting de Gijón 	2–1
1983 	La Romareda, Zaragoza 	Barcelona 	Real Madrid 	2–1
1984 	Santiago Bernabéu, Madrid 	Athletic Bilbao 	Barcelona 	1–0
1985 	Santiago Bernabéu, Madrid 	Atlético Madrid 	Athletic Bilbao 	2–1
1986 	Vicente Calderón, Madrid 	Zaragoza 	Barcelona 	1–0
1987 	La Romareda, Zaragoza 	Real Sociedad 	Atlético Madrid 	2–2 (penalties, 4–2)
1988 	Santiago Bernabéu, Madrid 	Barcelona 	Real Sociedad 	1–0
1989 	Vicente Calderón, Madrid 	Real Madrid 	Valladolid 	1–0
1990 	Luis Casanova, Valencia 	Barcelona 	Real Madrid 	2–0
1991 	Santiago Bernabéu, Madrid 	Atlético Madrid 	Mallorca 	1–0
1992 	Santiago Bernabéu, Madrid 	Atlético Madrid 	Real Madrid 	2–0
1993 	Luis Casanova, Valencia 	Real Madrid 	Zaragoza 	2–0
1994 	Vicente Calderón, Madrid 	Zaragoza 	Celta de Vigo 	0–0 (penalties, 5–4)
1995 	Santiago Bernabéu, Madrid 	Deportivo La Coruña	Valencia 	2–1
1996 	La Romareda, Zaragoza 	Atlético Madrid 	Barcelona 	1–0 (aet)
1997 	Santiago Bernabéu, Madrid 	Barcelona 	Betis 	3–2 (aet)
1998 	Mestalla, Valencia 	Barcelona 	Mallorca 	1–1 (penalties, 5–4)
1999 	La Cartuja, Seville 	Valencia 	Atlético Madrid 	3–0
2000 	Mestalla, Valencia 	Espanyol 	Atlético Madrid 	2–1
2001 	La Cartuja, Sevilla 	Zaragoza 	Celta de Vigo 	3–1
2002 	Santiago Bernabéu, Madrid 	Deportivo La Coruña	Real Madrid 	2–1
2003 	Martínez Valero, Elche 	Mallorca 	Recreativo 	3–0
2004 	Lluís Companys, Barcelona 	Zaragoza 	Real Madrid 	3–2 (aet)
2005 	Vicente Calderón, Madrid 	Betis 	Osasuna 	2–1 (aet)
2006 	Santiago Bernabéu, Madrid 	Espanyol 	Zaragoza 	4–1
2007 	Santiago Bernabéu, Madrid 	Sevilla 	Getafe 	1–0
2008 	Vicente Calderón, Madrid 	Valencia 	Getafe 	3–1
2009 	Mestalla, Valencia 	Barcelona 	Athletic Bilbao 	4–1
2010 	Camp Nou, Barcelona 	Sevilla 	Atlético Madrid 	2–0
2011 	Mestalla, Valencia 	Real Madrid 	Barcelona 	1–0 (aet)
2012 	Vicente Calderón, Madrid 	Barcelona 	Athletic Bilbao 	3–0
2013 	Santiago Bernabéu, Madrid 	Atlético Madrid 	Real Madrid 	2–1 (aet)
==Club name changes==
Real Madrid were originally known as Madrid FC and did not add the Real until 1920. During the Second Spanish Republic, the club dropped Real from their name. In 1941, a decree issued by Francisco Franco banned the use of non-Spanish language names. FC Barcelona and Sevilla FC became CF Barcelona and Sevilla CF and Athletic Bilbao had to change the spelling of their prefix to Atlético. (These changes were reverted after Franco's death). RCD Espanyol were known as RCD Español until 1995.
==External links==
*Spain - List of Cup Finals, RSSSF.com
Category:Copa del Rey
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