Why are Real Madrid and Barcelona not playing in the first round of the 2023-24 Copa del Rey?

The first round of the 2023-24 Copa del Rey gets underway on Tuesday, with the current format of the comPetition allowing plenty of scope for “the magic of the cup” to happen. However, notable by their absence are the names of Real Madrid and Barcelona, who are nowhere to be seen on the list of fixtures despite other LaLiga sides entering the tournament in round 1.

Since the 2019-20 season, all ties have been decided in one-off matches, with the exception of the semi-finals, which are played over two legs. With teams in the lower divisions playing at home, there has been lots of potential for cup shocks, which will again be the case this year. Champions League qualifiers Sevilla and Real Sociedad will travel to face Quintanar and Buñol, who both play in the sixth tier of the Spanish soccer pyramid, while LaLiga side Alavés will face Deportivo Murcia, the only seventh-tier team left.

When do Madrid and Barça start playing in the Copa del Rey?

Most of the other big hitters, including Real Betis, Athletic Club and Villarreal, will also start their cup campaigns, but the biggest of them all, Real Madrid and Barcelona, are two of the four teams who will enter the competition at a later stage. And not only will Los Blancos and La Blaugrana skip the first round, to be played between 31 October and 2 November, they will also receive a bye in round 2, set for the week of 6 December.

Last season’s Copa del Rey winners Madrid and runners-up Osasuna, along with LaLiga champions Barça and third-placed Atlético Madrid will all take part in the 2023-24 Supercopa de España (Spanish Super Cup), to be held Saudi Arabia from 10-14 January 2024.

When will the Copa del Rey round of 32 be played?

In accordance with the new format, those four clubs will be thrown into the Copa del Rey in the round of 32, which actually takes place just a few days (6-7 January) before they jet off to the Gulf state. No date has as yet been set for the draw, although it is likely to take place a few days after the second round is played on the week of 6 December.