This is how the Copa del Rey 2025/26 Round of 16 matchups look

Published New:7/01/2026 - 16:38h

Updated New:7/01/2026 - 17:15h

The Copa round of 16 draw produced historic pairings, with Barça visiting Racing de Santander, who arrive as leaders of La Liga Hypermotion, and Madrid facing Albacete

The 2025/26 Copa del Rey already has its round of 16 ties set. The draw held on Wednesday, January 07 at the Ciudad del Fútbol in Las Rozas produced several matchups with a lot of history, including FC Barcelona's first visit in 14 years to Racing de Santander.

The Blaugrana team will visit El Sardinero in the star tie of the round of 16, which will pit the leaders of the First and Second Divisions in Spain against each other. The Cantabrians maintain the lead in the Hypermotion League with 37 points, one more than UD Las Palmas and a couple of units ahead of Almería.

Barça will visit Racing on Wednesday, January 14 or Thursday, January 15, after their participation in the Spanish Super Cup. The other clubs participating in the tournament in Arabia, Real Madrid, Atlético de Madrid, and Athletic Club, will face Albacete, Deportivo La Coruña, and Cultural Leonesa in the round of 16, respectively.

All Round of 16 Ties for the 25/26 Cup

The round of 16 ties of the 2025-2026 Copa del Rey will be played as single matches, between Tuesday the 13th, Wednesday the 14th, and Thursday the 15th of January 2026.

Real Betis vs Elche CF
Alavés vs Rayo Vallecano
Burgos vs Valencia CF
Albacete vs Real Madrid
Real Sociedad vs Osasuna
Racing de Santander vs FC Barcelona
Cultural Leonesa vs Athletic Club
Deportivo La Coruña vs Atlético de Madrid

2025/26 Copa del Rey Full Schedule

The RFEF has confirmed the dates for the next rounds of the tournament:

Round of 16: January 13-15
Quarter-finals: February 03-05
Semi-finals (first leg): February 10-11
Semi-finals (second leg): March 03-04
Final: April 25 at La Cartuja (Seville)

The Copa del Rey maintains its essence intact: modest venues, single-leg ties, and the constant possibility of surprises. The round of 16 is the last that limits clashes between 'top' teams, with lower-ranked clubs facing the four Super Cup participants. Therefore, there will only be three LaLiga ties in this phase.