Real Madrid and Barcelona have both qualified for the Copa del Rey round of 16, but fans will have to wait longer for a possible El Clasico.
Teams will have to wait until January 7, 2026 to find out who they will play in the Round of 16.
How Barcelona and Real Madrid did in the Copa del Rey round of 32
On Tuesday evening, Hansi Flick’s Barça came away with a 2-0 victory at Guadalajara. Although the hosts ultimately had no sign of their effort, they did not make it easy for the Spanish champion.
The Blaugrana struggled to break down the minnows. Ultimately it took a heavily deflected header from Andreas Christensen to break the deadlock before Marcus Rashford confirmed victory with a late goal.
Real Madrid, meanwhile, barely advanced to the eighth finals. They won 3-2 against CF Talavera away from home, thanks to a match-winning performance from Kylian Mbappé.
Kylian Mbappé makes this ball boy’s day pic.twitter.com/dCpfplnKet
— B/R Football (@brfootball) December 17, 2025
Mbappé scored Cristiano Ronaldo’s record with a brace and also played a key role in Madrid’s other goal.
The narrow victory did not do Xabi Alonso any good, as the Spaniard is under intense scrutiny in the Spanish capital.
Why fans should wait for El Clasico in the Copa del Rey
Copa del Rey rules ensure that Real Madrid and Barcelona will not face each other in the round of 16 this season.
Under the updated regulations, the four teams taking part in the Supercopa de Espana next month cannot draw before the quarter-finals. They are placed in separate pots for the Round of 32 and Round of 16, which ensures that lower ranked opponents are drawn.
This season, Barcelona, Real Madrid, Atletico Madrid and Athletic Bilbao have qualified for the Supercopa de Espana. These four teams will therefore not face each other or even another team from LaLiga in the pre-quarter-finals.
Barcelona, Real Madrid and Atletico Madrid have already qualified for the round of 16, while Athletic Bilbao will have to beat Ourense to book their place.
Teams Barcelona and Real Madrid could draw in round 16 of the Copa del Rey
Under the updated Copa del Rey rules, Real Madrid and Barcelona are guaranteed to face a lower-ranked team in the next round.
It took 77 minutes for the breakthrough, but Barcelona defeated third division side Guadalajara 2-0 in the Copa del Rey round of 32 pic.twitter.com/4xDAHazrga
— B/R Football (@brfootball) December 16, 2025
If Burgos (vs Getafe), Real Murcia (vs Real Betis), Ourense (vs Athletic Bilbao) and Granda (vs Rayo Vallecano) qualify, here are the possible opponents for Real Madrid and Barcelona in the Round of 16:
- Deportivo La Coruña (Second Division)
- Leonese Cultural (Second Division)
- Racing Santander (Second Division)
- Albacete (Second Division)
- Burgos* (Second Division)
- Real Murcia* (First Federation Group 2)
- Ourense* (First Federation Group 1)
- Grenada* (Second Division)
*still to play
With a guaranteed favorable draw, Spain’s two biggest teams are expected to reach the quarter-finals. From that moment on, all gloves are off.
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