For all their dominance of Spanish football, Real Madrid and Barcelona haven’t been the pre-eminent forces of recent times in the Spain’s domestic cup competition, the Copa del Rey. The tournament, which draws sides from Spain’s top six divisions, most of them regional, has had seven different winners in the past seven years since Barcelona won four times in succession between 2015-18.
Valencia, Real Sociedad, Real Betis, Real Madrid and Athletic Club have all won the trophy since 2018 and for fans of all those clubs apart from Madrid, it was the best moment of their recent history, a huge deal.
Barcelona have won the Spanish cup 31 times, more than any other team, but it’s the Basques of Athletic Club in second place with 24, then Real Madrid with 20.
Athletic Club are the current holders and their win last year saw their first trophy since 1984, but Saturday’s 2025 final is between Barcelona and Real Madrid at Seville’s recently expanded 72,000-seater Cartuja stadium, with its athletics track removed for more seats and a better atmosphere.
It’s 11 years since Real Madrid last won the Copa del Rey – against Barcelona – the winning goal coming when substitute Gareth Bale ran at such speed – and at times off the pitch – to get past Marc Bartra to score the winner. It was heralded as a great goal. In 2011, also in Valencia, Cristiano Ronaldo’s extra-time winner for an ultra-defensive Madrid broke Barcelona’s dominance under Pep Guardiola.
In 2025, Barcelona are La Liga leaders and could win a quadruple; Madrid are second and could still win a league-and-cup double. Preventing their greatest rivals winning either trophy would almost be as significant as winning the trophy in itself. Barca are ascendant, Madrid set for change and it’s likely to be the last final which Carlo Ancelotti heads into as Madrid boss. He’s set to depart at the end of the season, and that suits both the coach and his club.
For his opposite number Hansi Flick, it’s a chance of a second trophy after January’s Spanish Super Cup win in Riyadh. The German is enjoying a superb season and his side are favourites to win the Copa del Rey. They’ve easily beaten Madrid twice this season, winning 4-0 and 5-1. The Barcelona clasico is on May 11, sure to be pivotal in deciding the league.
Madrid are down, but they’re still Real Madrid and they’re not out. They still boast Kylian Mbappe, Fede Valverde, Vinicius Jr. They could play defensively and still hit any team in the world on the counterattack, but they’re out of the Uefa Champions League, the competition they have long dominated. So high are expectations, this is considered a failure at the Bernabeu.
Full-back Alejandro Balde and striker Robert Lewandowski are out for Barcelona, and likely to be replaced by Ferran Torres up front and Hector Fort, a right-back playing on the left. For Madrid, Eduardo Camavinga and David Alaba are set to be out together with long-term absentee Dani Carvajal.
Both clubs have sold their full 26,000 ticket allocation, and despite the enmity between the two clubs trouble is also rare between fans. Barcelona fans will travel by coach (€136), which takes 10 hours or train (€265), which takes six. It’s less than half that for Madrid fans. Match tickets cost between €95 and €240.
Barcelona reached the final after a 4-0 win at fourth-tier Barbastro, a 5-1 home win against Real Betis followed by another five-goal win in the last eight, at Valencia. Barcelona scored yet another five over two legs in the semi-final against Atletico Madrid, winning 5-4- on aggregate. The first leg of that game was wild, with Atletico surging into a 2-0 lead inside six minutes before Barca came back to lead 4-2 – only for Atletico to draw level after two goals in the last seven minutes.
Real Madrid were not averse to hitting teams for five themselves, winning 5-0 at fourth-tier Minera, then again in a 5-2 extra-time triumph against Celta Vigo. Madrid defeated neighbours Leganes 3-2 away in the last eight before their own 5-4 semi-final win over two legs against Real Sociedad. Interest was high, with both semi-finals seeing sell-out crowds. It will be even higher for the final.
Country-size land deals
US interest in purchasing territory is not as outlandish as it sounds. Here's a look at some big land transactions between nations:
Louisiana Purchase
If Donald Trump is one who aims to broker "a deal of the century", then this was the "deal of the 19th Century". In 1803, the US nearly doubled in size when it bought 2,140,000 square kilometres from France for $15 million.
Florida Purchase Treaty
The US courted Spain for Florida for years. Spain eventually realised its burden in holding on to the territory and in 1819 effectively ceded it to America in a wider border treaty.
Alaska purchase
America's spending spree continued in 1867 when it acquired 1,518,800 km2 of Alaskan land from Russia for $7.2m. Critics panned the government for buying "useless land".
The Philippines
At the end of the Spanish-American War, a provision in the 1898 Treaty of Paris saw Spain surrender the Philippines for a payment of $20 million.
US Virgin Islands
It's not like a US president has never reached a deal with Denmark before. In 1917 the US purchased the Danish West Indies for $25m and renamed them the US Virgin Islands.
Gwadar
The most recent sovereign land purchase was in 1958 when Pakistan bought the southwestern port of Gwadar from Oman for 5.5bn Pakistan rupees.
The specs
Engine: 3.0-litre six-cylinder MHEV
Power: 360bhp
Torque: 500Nm
Transmission: eight-speed automatic
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Sole survivors
- Cecelia Crocker was on board Northwest Airlines Flight 255 in 1987 when it crashed in Detroit, killing 154 people, including her parents and brother. The plane had hit a light pole on take off
- George Lamson Jr, from Minnesota, was on a Galaxy Airlines flight that crashed in Reno in 1985, killing 68 people. His entire seat was launched out of the plane
- Bahia Bakari, then 12, survived when a Yemenia Airways flight crashed near the Comoros in 2009, killing 152. She was found clinging to wreckage after floating in the ocean for 13 hours.
- Jim Polehinke was the co-pilot and sole survivor of a 2006 Comair flight that crashed in Lexington, Kentucky, killing 49.
More coverage from the Future Forum
The White Lotus: Season three
Creator: Mike White
Starring: Walton Goggins, Jason Isaacs, Natasha Rothwell
Rating: 4.5/5
Singham Again
Director: Rohit Shetty
Stars: Ajay Devgn, Kareena Kapoor Khan, Ranveer Singh, Akshay Kumar, Tiger Shroff, Deepika Padukone
Rating: 3/5
The biog
Mission to Seafarers is one of the largest port-based welfare operators in the world.
It provided services to around 200 ports across 50 countries.
They also provide port chaplains to help them deliver professional welfare services.
Abu Dhabi GP weekend schedule
Friday
First practice, 1pm
Second practice, 5pm
Saturday
Final practice, 2pm
Qualifying, 5pm
Sunday
Etihad Airways Abu Dhabi Grand Prix (55 laps), 5.10pm
Emergency phone numbers in the UAE
Estijaba – 8001717 – number to call to request coronavirus testing
Ministry of Health and Prevention – 80011111
Dubai Health Authority – 800342 – The number to book a free video or voice consultation with a doctor or connect to a local health centre
Emirates airline – 600555555
Etihad Airways – 600555666
Ambulance – 998
Knowledge and Human Development Authority – 8005432 ext. 4 for Covid-19 queries
Venom
Director: Ruben Fleischer
Cast: Tom Hardy, Michelle Williams, Riz Ahmed
Rating: 1.5/5
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%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EDirector%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3EEric%20Barbier%26nbsp%3B%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EStarring%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3EYoussef%20Hajdi%2C%20Nadia%20Benzakour%2C%20Yasser%20Drief%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3ERating%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%204%2F5%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
The Perfect Couple
Starring: Nicole Kidman, Liev Schreiber, Jack Reynor
Creator: Jenna Lamia
Rating: 3/5
2025 Fifa Club World Cup groups
Group A: Palmeiras, Porto, Al Ahly, Inter Miami.
Group B: Paris Saint-Germain, Atletico Madrid, Botafogo, Seattle.
Group C: Bayern Munich, Auckland City, Boca Juniors, Benfica.
Group D: Flamengo, ES Tunis, Chelsea, (Leon banned).
Group E: River Plate, Urawa, Monterrey, Inter Milan.
Group F: Fluminense, Borussia Dortmund, Ulsan, Mamelodi Sundowns.
Group G: Manchester City, Wydad, Al Ain, Juventus.
Group H: Real Madrid, Al Hilal, Pachuca, Salzburg.
Mica
Director: Ismael Ferroukhi
Stars: Zakaria Inan, Sabrina Ouazani
3 stars
TERMINAL HIGH ALTITUDE AREA DEFENCE (THAAD)
What is THAAD?
It is considered to be the US's most superior missile defence system.
Production:
It was created in 2008.
Speed:
THAAD missiles can travel at over Mach 8, so fast that it is hypersonic.
Abilities:
THAAD is designed to take out ballistic missiles as they are on their downward trajectory towards their target, otherwise known as the "terminal phase".
Purpose:
To protect high-value strategic sites, such as airfields or population centres.
Range:
THAAD can target projectiles inside and outside the Earth's atmosphere, at an altitude of 150 kilometres above the Earth's surface.
Creators:
Lockheed Martin was originally granted the contract to develop the system in 1992. Defence company Raytheon sub-contracts to develop other major parts of the system, such as ground-based radar.
UAE and THAAD:
In 2011, the UAE became the first country outside of the US to buy two THAAD missile defence systems. It then stationed them in 2016, becoming the first Gulf country to do so.
