Spanish football could incorporate a new international tournament into its calendar in the coming years. At the most recent 'Portugal Football Summit', the president of FC Porto, André Villas-Boas, confirmed his intention to create the Iberian Super Cup, a tournament that would bring together the highest-ranked clubs from the Spanish and Portuguese leagues.
Although the project is still in its initial phase, it has been well received by the clubs involved, according to Villas-Boas himself. In that sense, the main attraction of the tournament would be to have FC Barcelona and Real Madrid annually.
Barça and Madrid could join the Iberian Super Cup after the failed European Super League
"We have been thinking about other types of competitions that exist in other sports. Super Cups or cross-border leagues, and I think football is moving in that direction," the Porto president began by saying when presenting his initiative.
According to Villas-Boas, in addition to Barça and Real Madrid, clubs such as Atlético de Madrid, Benfica, and Sporting CP would also participate, that is, the most powerful from both leagues.
There are still no clear details on the number of participants or the possible dates on which the tournament would be held. However, Porto has already presented the project to the Portuguese Federation and its president, Pedro Proença, receiving a positive response to the objective of promoting the internationalization of Portuguese football.
Probably, the tournament would take the 'final four' format that the Spanish Super Cup has implemented since 2019 and that the Italian Super Cup has also emulated from 2024: four teams, two semi-finals and a final to a single match and in a neutral venue.
If confirmed, the initiative would be the second international project that Barcelona and Real Madrid have joined, after the failed European Super League. However, unlike the tournament created by Florentino Pérez, the Iberian Super Cup would have the 'Ok' from the federations of Spain and Portugal, as well as from UEFA.
The Main Obstacles Facing the Iberian Super Cup
Beyond the interest of the participating clubs, the main obstacle facing the creation of another international tournament has to do with the calendar. Players face a brutal workload of matches between clubs and national teams, with matches every three or four days during a good part of the season.
Adding another international tournament to the calendar, even if it only involved two matches, implies more travel and taking up an extra week of work. In that line of thinking, choosing a date that works for both leagues would not be easy either.
The most sensible thing would be to opt for playing the tournament in the summer, but this would condition the number of players available in each participating club, even more so if it is a year (like 2026) when the World Cup or Euro Cup is played.
Furthermore, the appeal of the Iberian Super Cup would depend on the presence of the main clubs from Spain and Portugal in each edition, something that would not always be guaranteed. The fact is that, while Barça, Madrid, Benfica, and Porto usually occupy the top spots in their leagues each season, there can always be room for a surprise.
Another challenge has to do with choosing the venue. Ideally, the bet would be to play somewhere on the Peninsula to avoid further travel fatigue. However, an alternative destination (such as Arabia or Asia) would guarantee better income for the participants, the main objective of the calendar expansion (to generate more money). Will this initiative be successful?
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