The past week was a special one in the world of Spanish football, and LALIGA in particular, with the Copa del Rey final taking place on Saturday night. That and the rest of the week’s biggest developments are outlined below.
Real Sociedad win the Copa del Rey
The 2025/26 Copa del Rey final took place on Saturday night, and Real Sociedad overcame Atlético de Madrid on penalties after a 2-2 draw. Academy graduate Pablo Marín converted the winning penalty, after Ander Barrenetxea and Mikel Oyarzabal had scored during the 90 minutes.
La Real are back in Europe
Their win in the Copa del Rey final means that Real Sociedad have secured European football for themselves for next season. Currently seventh in LALIGA EA SPORTS, there was a chance La Real could have qualified through their league position anyway, but now they’ve guaranteed a place in the 2026/27 UEFA Europa League first round, a return to UEFA competition after missing out this season.
The Spanish Super Cup semi-finals are almost set
The result of the Copa del Rey final also has an impact on next season’s Spanish Super Cup. The semi-final match-ups will pit Real Sociedad against the second-placed team in this season’s LALIGA EA SPORTS, while Atlético de Madrid will take on the champions. With FC Barcelona currently holding a nine-point lead at the top, it looks like another Barça vs Atleti is possible, while Real Madrid and Real Sociedad would face off in the other semi-final tie.
Atleti defeat FC Barcelona in the Champions League
Despite losing the cup final, it wasn’t an entirely terrible week for Atlético de Madrid. Diego Simeone’s side managed to eliminate FC Barcelona in the Champions League quarter-finals, progressing 3-2 on aggregate to reach the final four of the competition. There, they’ll take on Arsenal in the semi-finals, and hope to reach a final against either Bayern Munich or PSG.
Rayo Vallecano are in the final four of the Conference League
One other LALIGA EA SPORTS side remains alive in European competition, and that’s Rayo Vallecano. Los Franjirrojos eliminated AEK Athens 4-3 on aggregate in the quarter-finals of the Conference League, and will now take on French side Strasbourg in the semi-finals. The other semi-final is between Shakhtar Donetsk and Crystal Palace, with all four teams hoping to reach the final in Leipzig.
Spain still has a chance of a fifth Champions League position
Following the results in Europe last midweek, the race between leagues to claim an additional Champions League spot is ever so tight. The top two ranked associations by UEFA coefficient points will gain an extra ticket to Europe’s top competition, and currently England (26.569) and Spain (21.406 points) are the two countries in the top two. But, Germany is close behind (21.214 points), so it’ll be fascinating to watch over the final rounds of the European season.
José Copete has another knee operation
Valencia CF centre-back José Copete won’t be back this season. After requiring a knee operation at the beginning of March, a setback means he has had to go under the knife again and his recovery will take longer than initially expected.
Miguel Sierra renews with Sevilla FC
Sevilla FC announced this past week that young winger Miguel Sierra has signed a new contract at the club, one which will run until 2029. The 21-year-old is highly rated and has played four times for Los Rojiblancos in LALIGA EA SPORTS this season.
It’s time for a midweek round of LALIGA EA SPORTS
There were no LALIGA EA SPORTS fixtures over the weekend, with the Copa del Rey final taking centre stage. But, now there will be a midweek matchday in Spanish football’s top tier, across Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday. FC Barcelona host RC Celta in a crucial game, as the leaders seek another three-point haul.
The top two win again in LALIGA HYPERMOTION
There was a full round of action in LALIGA HYPERMOTION, Spanish football’s second tier, and the top two teams both picked up three points to remain in the automatic promotion spots. Real Racing Club won 3-1 at Real Sociedad’s B team to stay top, while Léo Baptistão scored a stoppage-time winner to earn second-placed UD Almería a 3-2 win against Málaga CF.
