For the first time since the 2002-03 season, none of Barcelona, Real Madrid, Atlético Madrid, or Valencia reached the semi-final stage of the Copa del Rey, with 2019’s format changes bringing the “magic of the cup” to Spanish football.
This season’s Copa del Rey, already exciting with tense “David vs. Goliath” type of clashes in the earlier rounds, took a massive turn at the quarterfinal stage, when four huge upsets saw Barcelona, Real Madrid, Valencia, and Villarreal all crash out of the competition.
The Copa had fallen a bit flat in recent seasons, with two-legged ties and a format that favored Spain’s superclubs typically resulting in a competition not worth watching until the latter stages. In fact, outside of Valencia’s shock victory last year, one of Spain’s Big Three had won the trophy in the previous eight consecutive seasons.
That has completely changed in 2019/20, and an argument could be made that this new format has made the Copa del Rey world football’s most exciting domestic cup competition.
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Essentially, the Spanish Football Federation aimed to make the Copa similar to the FA Cup and protect the interests of the lower-league sides, rather than the big clubs. In previous seasons, two legs, seeding, and other factors ensured only 12 lower-league teams would remain in the Round of 32 when all of La Liga entered the competition. A lower division team has not made the final in 39 years—something that could change when 2020’s Cinderella, Mirandés, face Real Sociedad in a semi-final no one saw coming.
Thankfully, to help both fixture congestion and give smaller teams a better chance at an upset, two-legged ties are gone until the semi-finals. Moreover, the competition was massively expanded, and La Liga teams were forced to compete at an earlier stage, allowing fascinating matchups such as Barcelona’s hotly-contested 2-1 victory over UD Ibiza.
By guaranteeing through the draw that lower-league teams will get a shot at a top-flight club, RFEF has given lower-league teams a huge financial boost cherished by England’s smaller clubs when given the opportunity in the FA Cup. Moreover, the lower seed is always given the home advantage, greatly enhancing the possibility of magical nights the supporters of smaller clubs will never forget.
From small towns to islands, this year’s Copa del Rey has been full of incredible stories, reminding us all of why cup football exists. In an ever-changing world of corporate football, the Copa del Rey is bringing back the magic of the cup and the spirit of the game we love so much, even if it means risking sacrificing a Clásico final that would draw millions in revenue. Cup competitions should be for the supporters of smaller clubs, and this season will have a special ending.
One of Athletic Bilbao, Real Sociedad, newly-promoted Granada, and second-division Mirandés will walk away with a piece of silverware none of them anticipated. Nearly every possible final and storyline is enticing, from the obvious chance of a Basque Derby to the idea of Granada capping off a stunning maiden season with a spot in the Europa League or Mirandés shocking the world.
The quarterfinal was one of the best rounds of any cup competition in recent memory, with Barcelona and Real Madrid losing to their respective Basque opponents on the same day, and this season’s Copa will almost inarguably go down as the most exciting in the competition’s 117-year history.
This trophy may not have had the historic prestige of a competition like the FA Cup, but in 2020, where some of England’s biggest sides devalue the trophy’s integrity by intentionally playing weak teams, Spain’s cup and its format changes have delivered: the magic is back.