Why are Real Madrid and Barcelona not playing in the first round of the 2023-24 Copa del Rey?
The first round of the 2023-24 Copa del Rey gets underway on Tuesday, with the current format of the com Pet ition allowing plenty of scope for “the magic of the cup” to happen. However, notable by their absence are the names of Real Madrid and Barcelona , who are nowhere to be seen on the list of fixtures despite other LaLiga sides entering the tournament in round 1. Since the 2019-20 season, all ties have been decided in one-off matches , with the exception of the semi-finals, which are played over two legs. With teams in the lower divisions playing at home , there has been lots of potential for cup shocks, which will again be the case this year. Champions League qualifiers Sevilla and Real Sociedad will travel to face Quintanar and Buñol, who both play in the sixth tier of the Spanish soccer pyramid, while LaLiga side Alavés will face Deportivo Murcia, the only seventh-tier team left. ⌛️ Tic, tac... vuelve la #CopaDelRey.#LaCopaMola pic.twitter.com/GOniKBmmmZ — RFEF (@rfef) ...