Copa del Rey Winners List: All You Need to Know About History of Spanish Cup Champions
Copa del Rey is the oldest football tournament in Spanish football history, with the knockout club competition being founded back in 1903. As the century-old tournament is played at the national level, the Copa del Rey winners’ list has seen most of the major clubs of the country like Barcelona, Real Madrid, Atletico Madrid and Athletic Bilbao dominating the glorious journey so far. There are many clubs, that are not popular in modern-day Spanish football, that have savored the taste of victory in Copa del Rey, reflecting on the competitiveness of the Spanish Cup.
Athletic Bilbao are the current champions of Copa del Rey. They defeated their unlikely opponents in the final, Mallorca 4-2 on penalties after a 1-1 draw in the normal period of play. Los Leones are the second most successful club in the competition with 24 titles, only seven behind FC Barcelona on the list of Copa del Rey winners as the Catalan side sits strong on top with 31 silverware.
The winner of the tournament directly earns a qualification in the UEFA Europa League. If the champions are already qualified for the same, then the club with the highest points in the La Liga table, who has not qualified for the European club competition, will be handed that qualification spot.
Clubs With Most Copa del Rey Titles
Copa del Rey has a massive influence on the trajectory of Spanish football and the royal family. In 1902, the then Athletic Bilbao president, Carlos Padros founded a football tournament under the name of Copa de la Coronacion to honour the coronation of the Spanish king, King Alfonso XII. Bilbao FC won that tournament after beating Barcelona in the final, but that feat was not recognised by the Royal Spanish Football Federation as a Copa del Rey victory.
However, in the inaugural edition, Athletic Bilbao stood tall and emerged victorious again to become the first club to be on the list of the Copa del Rey winners’ list. There has always been a dispute in the country regarding the participation of the clubs in the tournament. After 1990, 83 teams from La Liga, Segunda A, Segunda B and Tercera Division were allowed to take part in Copa del Rey. However, following an amendment in the rules and regulations, the number of participants has been increased to 125 after the edition of 2019-20. Since its official inaugural edition, 13 different teams have won the Copa del Rey title.
FC Barcelona (31 Titles)
Football Club Barcelona is the most successful club on the Copa del Rey winners’ list as the Spanish club has won the tournament on a whopping 31 occasions to date. In the 1909-10 season, they first laid their hands on the prestigious Spanish Cup which was called “His Majesty King Alfonso XII’s Cup” back then. In the next three years, the Catalans won it two times, snatching the momentum back from the high-flying Athletic Bilbao, who were considered the favourites at that time.
After being the Copa del Rey winners in 1998, Barcelona had to wait 11 years to lift the silverware again. They thrashed Athletic Bilbao 4-1 in the final to win their 25th Spanish Cup. From 2014 to 2018, Lionel Messi-led Barcelona became Copa del Rey winners four times on the trot. Their last Spanish Cup came in the 2020-21 season when they decimated Athletic Bilbao 4-0 in the showdown to lift their 31st trophy.
Athletic Bilbao (24 Titles)
Athletic Bilbao were the winners of the first edition of Copa del Rey, and they were the ones who took the initiative to found the Spanish Cup. In 1903, The Lions edged past Madrid FC in a 3-2 victory in the final showdown. After retaining the title the next year, they became the Copa del Rey winners again in 1910, having beaten Vasconia SC.
Athletic Bilbao were the first team to win three consecutive Copa del Rey titles as they lifted the Spanish Cup in 1914, 1915 and 1916. They cruised to their 24th silverware last year after winning on penalties against Mallorca.
Real Madrid (20 Titles)
Another Spanish giants, Real Madrid sit third on the list of the Copa del Rey winners’ list. The most successful club in La Liga won their first Spanish Cup in 1905 after beating the then champions Athletic Bilbao 1-0 in the final. The Madrid-based outfit won their 20th title in 2023.
Also Read: List of La Liga Winners: All You Need to Know About History of Spanish League Champions
Copa del Rey Winners List (From 1903-2024)
Athletic Bilbao won the inaugural edition of Copa del Rey and they are the current champions of the tournament. Barcelona and The Lions are two most successful clubs in the Spanish Cup. Real Madrid is third in the Copa del Rey winners’ list.
| Club name | Number of Titles |
| Barcelona | 31 |
| Athletic Bilbao | 24 |
| Real Madrid | 20 |
| Atletico Madrid | 10 |
| Valencia | 8 |
| Zaragoza | 6 |
| Sevilla | 5 |
| Espanyol | 4 |
| Real Betis, Real Union | 3 |
| Real Sociedad, Deportivo La Coruna | 2 |
| Arenas, Mallorca, Club Ciclista de San Sebastián, Racing Club de Irún | 1 |
Copa del Rey Winners By Years
Barcelona and Athletic Bilbao have been the two most consistent teams in the history of Copa del Rey as both these Spanish clubs share 51 titles between them. They are the only clubs to have retained the titles in three consecutive years in the competition.
| Club name | Seasons (Years) |
| Barcelona | 1909–10, 1911–12, 1912–13, 1918–19, 1919–20, 1922, 1925, 1926, 1928, 1931–32, 1935–36, 1942, 1951, 1952, 1952–53, 1953–54, 1957, 1958–59, 1962–63, 1967–68, 1970–71, 1973–74, 1977–78, 1980–81, 1982–83, 1983–84, 1985–86, 1987–88, 1989–90, 1995–96, 1996–97, 1997–98, 2008–09, 2010–11, 2011–12, 2013–14, 2014–15, 2015–16, 2016–17, 2017–18, 2018–19, 2020–21 |
| Athletic Bilbao | 1903, 1904, 1905, 1906, 1910, 1911, 1913,1914, 1915, 1916, 1920, 1921, 1923, 1930, 1931, 1932, 1933, 1942, 1943, 1944, 1944–45, 1948–49, 1949–50, 1952–53, 1955, 1956, 1958, 1965–66, 1966–67, 1969, 1972–73, 1976–77, 1983–84, 1984–85, 2008–09, 2011–12, 2014–15, 2019–20, 2020–21, 2023–24 |
| Real Madrid | 1903, 1905, 1906, 1907, 1908, 1916, 1917, 1918, 1924, 1928–29, 1930, 1933, 1934, 1936, 1940, 1943, 1946, 1947, 1958, 1959–60, 1960–61, 1961–62, 1967–68, 1969–70, 1973–74, 1974–75, 1978–79, 1979–80, 1981–82, 1982–83, 1988–89, 1989–90, 1991–92, 1992–93, 2001–02, 2003–04, 2010–11, 2012–13, 2013–14, 2022–23 |
| Atletico Madrid | 1920–21, 1925–26, 1955–1956, 1959–60, 1960–61, 1963–64, 1964–65, 1971–72, 1974–75, 1975–76. 1984–85, 1986–87, 1990–91, 1991–92, 1995–96, 1998–99, 1999–2000, 2009–10, 2012–13 |
| Valencia | 1934, 1941, 1944, 1944–45, 1946, 1948-49, 1952, 1954, 1966–67, 1969–70, 1970–71, 1971–72, 1978–79, 1994–95, 1998–99, 2007–08, 2018–19, 2021–22 |
| Zaragoza | 1962–63, 1963–64, 1964–65, 1965–66, 1975–76, 1985–86, 1992–93, 1993–94, 2000–01, 2003–04, 2005–06 |
| Sevilla | 1935, 1939, 1947–48, 1955, 1961–62, 2006–07, 2009–10, 2015–16, 2017–18 |
| Espanyol | 1911, 1915, 1929, 1940, 1941, 1947, 1957, 1999–2000, 2005–06 |
| Real Betis | 1931, 1976–77, 1996–97, 2004–05, 2021–22 |
| Real Union | 1918, 1922, 1924, 1927 |
| Real Sociedad | 1913, 1928, 1951, 1986–87, 1987–88, 2019–20 |
| Deportivo La Coruna | 1994–95, 2001–02 |
| Arenas | 1917, 1919, 1925, 1927 |
| Mallorca | 1990–91, 1997–98, 2002–03, 2023–24 |
| Club Ciclista de San Sebastián | 1909 |
| Racing Club de Irun | 1913 |
FAQs
Who won the last 10 years of Copa del Rey?
Six Spanish clubs won the last 10 years of Copa del Rey. Barcelona, Real Madrid, Valencia, Real Sociedad, Real Betis and Athletic Bilbao are the teams who have lifted the Spanish Cups in this period. Barcelona won five times while the other teams lifted the title once each.
Who is the most successful team in Copa del Rey?
Barcelona is the most successful team in Copa del Rey, having won the title a record 31 times so far.
Who has more Copa del Rey, Barcelona or Madrid?
Barcelona has more Copa del Rey titles than its rival Real Madrid. The Catalan team has 31 Spanish Cups, while Los Blancos has only 20.