Copa del Rey first round: full draw and every fixture

The Copa del Rey has its first 56 ties. Monday's draw at the Ciudad del Fútbol in Las Rozas (Madrid) paired 112 clubs from LaLiga, Segunda, Primera RFEF, Segunda RFEF, Tercera RFEF and regional divisions for a single-leg knockout round to be played on October 27, 28 and 29. The standout detail of this edition is that four top-flight sides are not involved yet: Real Madrid, Barcelona, Real Sociedad and Atlético de Madrid are exempt until the round of 32 because they will be playing in the Spanish Super Cup.

All 56 Copa del Rey first round fixtures

The draw was arranged in four pots using a geographical proximity criterion, meaning travel distances were kept as short as possible. As in previous seasons, lower-division teams host every tie. The confirmed pairings are as follows:

Fixtures involving LaLiga sides

• Atlético Calatayud (Regional) - Osasuna (1ª)
• Lebrijana (Regional) - Getafe (1ª)
• Anaitasuna (Regional) - Alavés (1ª)
• Auriense (Regional) - Deportivo (1ª)
• Ribadesella (Regional) - Real Racing Club de Santander (1ª)
• Sporting de Alcázar (Regional) - Málaga (1ª)
• UE Tavernes (Regional) - Valencia (1ª)
• Pinatar (Regional) - Elche (1ª)
• Winner of Güímar-Sporting Hortaleza (Regional) - Sevilla (1ª)
• Winner of Prat-San Rafael (Regional) - Athletic Club (1ª)
• Manacor (3ª RFEF) - Villarreal (1ª)
• Tarancón (3ª RFEF) - Levante (1ª)
• Salamanca UDS (2ª RFEF) - Celta de Vigo (1ª)
• Sestao River (2ª RFEF) - Espanyol (1ª)
• Navalcarnero (2ª RFEF) - Betis (1ª)
• Recreativo de Huelva (1ª RFEF) - Rayo Vallecano (1ª)

Segunda, Primera RFEF and lower-league matchups

• Covadonga (3ª RFEF) - Real Valladolid (2ª)
• Laredo (3ª RFEF) - Burgos (2ª)
• Guijuelo (3ª RFEF) - Real Sporting de Gijón (2ª)
• Varea (3ª RFEF) - Andorra (2ª)
• Pamplona (3ª RFEF) - Eibar (2ª)
• Cuarte (3ª RFEF) - Girona (2ª)
• Trival Valderas (3ª RFEF) - Leganés (2ª)
• Utebo (2ª RFEF) - Sabadell (2ª)
• Alcoyano (2ª RFEF) - Real Mallorca (2ª)
• Conquense (2ª RFEF) - Castellón (2ª)
• Castellonense (2ª RFEF) - Almería (2ª)
• Cieza (2ª RFEF) - Granada (2ª)
• Puertollano (2ª RFEF) - Albacete (2ª)
• Xerez (2ª RFEF) - Cádiz (2ª)
• Alcalá (2ª RFEF) - UD Las Palmas (2ª)
• Atlético Paso (2ª RFEF) - Córdoba (2ª)
• Badajoz (2ª RFEF) - Tenerife (2ª)
• Atlético Baleares (2ª RFEF) - Eldense (2ª)
• Poblense (2ª RFEF) - AD Ceuta (2ª)

Ties between Primera RFEF and Segunda RFEF clubs

• Numancia (2ª RFEF) - Real Oviedo (2ª)
• Coruxo (2ª RFEF) - Zamora (1ª RFEF)
• Gimnástica Segoviana (2ª RFEF) - CYD Leonesa (1ª RFEF)
• Real Ávila (2ª RFEF) - Unionistas de Salamanca (1ª RFEF)
• Arosa (2ª RFEF) - Pontevedra (1ª RFEF)
• UD Llanera (2ª RFEF) - Ponferradina (1ª RFEF)
• Gimnástica de Torrelavega (2ª RFEF) - UD Ourense (1ª RFEF)
• Atlético Tordesillas (2ª RFEF) - Mirandés (1ª RFEF)
• Tudelano (2ª RFEF) - Real Zaragoza (1ª RFEF)
• Amorebieta (2ª RFEF) - UD Logroñés (1ª RFEF)
• Reus (2ª RFEF) - Barakaldo (1ª RFEF)
• Portugalete (2ª RFEF) - Real Unión (1ª RFEF)
• Manresa (2ª RFEF) - UE Sant Andreu (1ª RFEF)
• Peña Sport (2ª RFEF) - Huesca (1ª RFEF)
• Calamocha (2ª RFEF) - Europa (1ª RFEF)
• CP Mijas-Las Lagunas (2ª RFEF) - Real Jaén (1ª RFEF)
• San Sebastián de los Reyes (2ª RFEF) - CD Coria (1ª RFEF)
• Lucena (2ª RFEF) - Rayo Majadahonda (1ª RFEF)
• Don Benito (2ª RFEF) - Extremadura CF (1ª RFEF)
• Antequera (1ª RFEF) - Águilas (1ª RFEF)

When the first round Copa del Rey games take place

The 56 ties in this opening round will be spread across October 27, 28 and 29. As every tie is single-leg, any draw after 90 minutes goes to extra time and, if needed, a penalty shootout. The only exception to the one-match format comes in the semifinals, the only round played over two legs.

VAR rules and yellow card suspensions in the Copa del Rey

This competition has two specific refereeing details. First, VAR will not be used until the round of 16, so in the opening stages controversial calls rest entirely with the on-pitch official. Second, the yellow card cycle is more forgiving than in LaLiga: a player is suspended after picking up three bookings or receiving a straight red card.

Why Real Madrid, Barcelona and other top clubs enter later

Real Madrid, Barcelona, Real Sociedad and Atlético de Madrid are missing from these pairings for a sporting reason: all four will be playing in the Spanish Super Cup, whose schedule clashes with the early cup rounds. Their Copa del Rey campaign therefore begins in the round of 32, when they will face sides that have already survived at least one knockout tie. For the other top-flight clubs, the tournament starts with trips to modest grounds where a single bad day means elimination.

Home advantage and the single-leg format set up giant killings

The draw kept the rule that has defined the Copa del Rey in recent years: the lower-division team always plays at home. Combined with the single-leg format through to the semifinals, every tie becomes a prime setting for an upset. The pots were also arranged on a geographical basis, cutting down travel for clubs and ensuring local fans can get behind their team in matches that, for many smaller sides, will linger in the memory for years.