Supercopa de Espana Preview
The four-team tournament takes place in Saudi Arabia this week.
On Wednesday evening, the Supercopa de Espana will kick off at King Abdullah Sports City in Jeddah. Yes, you read that correctly. The Spanish Supercup will be hosted in Saudi Arabia — as it has been since 2019 and will be until at least 2029.
Similar to other trophies, like England’s Community Shield, Italy’s Supercoppa Italiana and Germany’s DFL-Supercup, the Supercopa de Espana is an annual competition involving the most successful clubs from the previous season.
It used to just see the winners of LaLiga take on the winners of the Copa del Rey, but in 2019, the competition was expanded to feature four teams: the winners and runners-up of the previous year’s domestic titles. With the expansion, the format also changed from a one-off match to two semi-finals, followed by a final played by the respective winners of the first-round matches.
This change, ostensibly made to add excitement and inclusion, coincided with the tournament’s relocation to Saudi Arabia. The Spanish Football Federation (RFEF) made this move under the leadership of then-President Luis Rubiales. Yes, the same Rubiales who has since been arrested on corruption charges related to the relocation and banned from all football activities following harassment scandals during the 2023 FIFA Women’s World Cup. Seems like a stunning decision-maker, doesn’t he?
Enticed by a reported €30million per year from the Saudi government through to 2029, the RFEF saw fit to pack up a piece of Spanish football’s history, heritage, and a good chunk of its integrity for a slice of the Middle Eastern money pie.
It is a poor indictment of the state of the federation and its priorities that the tournament is now held in Saudi Arabia, with local fans having effectively been completely forgotten in pursuit of larger commissions and lucrative sponsorship deals.
Nonetheless, this year, the four teams to feature are Barcelona (LaLiga runners-up), who will take on Athletic Club (Copa del Rey winners), and Real Madrid (LaLiga winners), who will take on Mallorca (Copa del Rey runners-up).
BARCELONA
Barcelona arrive in Saudi Arabia burdened by familiar off-field predicament; their financial woes once again dragging them into embarrassing headlines. At the time of writing, Dani Olmo and Pau Victor are unregistered, leaving both players ineligible for the tournament despite making the trip. Appeals to the National Sports Council are ongoing, but it is likely neither player features this week.
Amid the chaos, there is a silver lining: Lamine Yamal, among others, has been given the medical greenlight to play, and his return will undoubtedly be a big relief for Hansi Flick. Historically, Barcelona have dominated the Supercopa, winning a record 14 titles. Their most recent win came in 2023, after a comfortable victory over Real Madrid.
But recent form tells a different story. A blistering start to the season has given way to inconsistency, with just four wins in their last 10 outings. December brought back-to-back league defeats at home to Leganes and Atletico Madrid. A 4-0 Copa del Rey rout of UD Barbastro offered a brief respite, but questions will still linger.
With Yamal only now working his way back from injury, Raphinha is likely to be the talisman for Barcelona if they are to beat a well-drilled Athletic Club side, with the Brazilian enjoying his best-ever season for the Blaugrana, having already recorded 17 goals and 10 assists in just 25 matches.
ATHLETIC CLUB
Athletic Club may not boast the glittering Supercopa record of their semi-final opponents, but they arrive in Jeddah as the most in-form team. Unbeaten in their last 15 matches across all competitions, Ernesto Valverde’s side look more than capable of causing an upset (or two, if it comes to it).
Their most recent Supercopa triumph came in 2021, a memorable campaign that saw them overcome Real Madrid in the semi-final before muscling their way past Barcelona in a dramatic 3-2 extra-time final. That victory added to titles from 2015, when they dismantled Barcelona 5-1 on aggregate in a two-legged affair, and 1984, when they automatically claimed the trophy having won the domestic double.
Athletic come into the Supercopa on the back of an excellent run; their last defeat dating back to early October against Girona. A heavily rotated lineup narrowly avoided a Copa del Rey upset on the weekend, needing a penalty shootout to edge past fourth-tier Logrones after a goalless draw, but in La Liga, they’ve shown real consistency, sitting pretty in fourth place as a result. Their last league match saw them come back from behind to win 2-1 against Osasuna.
Inaki Williams remains a crucial character as ever; his blistering pace a constant threat, even if his goal tally has been modest this season. Against a Barcelona defense that has shown vulnerabilities, especially recently, Williams could prove to be the decisive figure in Athletic’s push to win their fourth Supercopa.
REAL MADRID
Real Madrid are the defending champions of the Supercopa and they will be hoping to match Barcelona’s record of 14 titles this year. Their triumph last January was sealed by a sublime first-half hat-trick from Vinicius Jr, a performance that delivered the club its 13th Supercopa title. Their overall form this season, though, hasn’t been as spectacular.
Madrid’s last league match — a fiery clash against Valencia at Mestalla where they came back from behind, as they often, even if annoyingly, do to win — showcased both their resilience and their volatility. Vinicius’ petulant shove on Stole Dimitrievski earned him a red card, though reports indicate that his suspension applies to league matches, clearing him to feature in Jeddah.
On Monday, Madrid cruised to a 5-0 victory over CD Minera in the Copa del Rey, a sure-fire confidence booster ahead of their semi-final clash with Mallorca. If history is anything to go by, Carlo Ancelotti won’t rotate too heavily, so expect him to field a reasonably strong starting XI.
Jude Bellingham has emerged as a pivotal figure for Los Blancos in recent weeks. After a slow start to the season, he has quietly picked up, scoring in seven of his last eight league games, including a dramatic stoppage-time winner against Valencia. The Englishman won the Supercopa as his first-ever trophy at Real Madrid last year and will be keen to start the new year off in the same fashion.
MALLORCA
Mallorca come into the Supercopa as underdogs, making just their third appearance in the competition. Their history here is brief but notable, with a title win in 1998 against Louis van Gaal’s formidable Barcelona and a spirited, albeit unsuccessful run against a Galactico-laden Real Madrid in 2003, where they were led admirably by a young Samuel Eto’o.
Now, over two decades later, they face Madrid again, hoping to upset the odds. Jagoba Arrasate’s side have shown resilience, earning a place in the top six in La Liga, above the likes of Real Sociedad and Real Betis. Their last league outing saw them hold off Getafe to secure a 1-0 win at the Coliseum.
But Mallorca arrive in Saudi Arabia on the back of an unceremonious exit from the Copa del Rey, in the form of a 3-0 drubbing by fourth-tier side Pontevedra, and Arrasate’s side could well be looking at the Supercopa as a shot at redemption. Granted, it will first take defeating the defending champions, which is no small task.
Vedat Muriqi, their towering forward, could be key. He scored against Madrid earlier this season in a frustrating draw and will look to use his height and physicality to exploit their injury-hit defence once again. Mallorca may come in as underdogs, as the smallest fish in the Supercopa pond, but who knows, they just might have the bite to surprise.
As these teams prepare to clash, the stage is set for another chapter in the Supercopa’s rich history. Still, the decision to stage the tournament here, far from the fans who breathe life into these clubs, feels uncomfortable. It’s a stark reminder of today’s shifting priorities, where the game is so often sold to the highest bidder. But this week, the football itself offers a chance to transcend the setting with four incredible Spanish sides facing off. The simple hope is that once again, it will.
By Chirag Sharatkumar