The Spanish Super Cup, in its current form, dates back to 1982; however, the concept predates it by several decades. Spanish football experimented with similar competitions in the 1940s and early 1950s, most notably through the Copa de los Campeones de España and later the Copa Eva Duarte. Both followed the same basic idea of matching the league champions with the Copa del Rey winners.
Those early versions were short-lived. In 1952 and 1953, Barcelona won the league and cup double and were awarded the Copa Eva Duarte without a match being played. Shortly after, the format was abandoned altogether and remained dormant for nearly thirty years.
The Supercopa reappeared in 1982 and initially stayed true to its roots. Real Sociedad won the first edition by beating Real Madrid 4-1 on aggregate. For most of its history, the competition was contested over two legs between the La Liga champions and the Copa del Rey winners. It was functional rather than glamorous and often treated as an extension of preseason preparation.
There were exceptions. In 1984 and 1989, the trophy was not played for after Athletic Club and Real Madrid completed domestic doubles. To avoid further cancellations, the rules were adjusted. If a team won both competitions, the Copa del Rey runner-up would take part instead.
For years, the format barely changed. That stability ended in 2018. Barcelona and Sevilla played in a one-off fixture in Tangier in 2018. The following season, the RFEF expanded the competition to four teams. The top two finishers in La Liga now qualify alongside both Copa del Rey finalists. From 2020, the Supercopa became a short knockout tournament with two semifinals and a final, all played in Saudi Arabia in January, except the 2020-21 edition, when it took a global pandemic like COVID-19 to keep Spain’s Super Cup within Spain. Since the inception of the four-team tournament, Real Madrid have made it to six out of the seven finals. Sunday’s final marks the fourth consecutive El Clasico final since 2023.
Barcelona are the most successful club in the competition with fifteen titles. Real Madrid follow with thirteen. Athletic Club and Deportivo de La Coruña have three titles each. Leo Messi is the top scorer of the Supercopa with 14 goals in 20 matches. Real Madrid legends Karim Benzema and Raúl Gonzalez have scored seven goals each. Among active players, Robert Lewandowski is the top scorer with five goals, followed by Antoine Griezmann, Rodrygo, Raphinha, and Vinicius Jr, all with four goals each. Pep Guardiola and Johan Cruyff are the most successful managers in this competition with three titles each. Real Madrid’s Zinedine Zidane and Carlo Ancelotti have won two each.
In the list of significance, the Supercopa does not supersede any of the big-three titles. However, the current format has injected a sense of added significance since it is no longer played during pre-season.