Why is the Spanish Super Cup played in Saudi Arabia?

The Super Cup is a tournament in Spanish football contested by the winners and runners-up of the Copa del Rey and La Liga.

The 2026 edition will be played in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, with the competition hosted in the Kingdom for the past six years.

The 2021 tournament was held in Spain because of the coronavirus pandemic restrictions.

The country and the Spanish Football Federation signed a deal in 2019 to play the tournament in the Middle East for three years, but that was extended until 2029.

There are also rumoured talks to extend the deal further by five years.

Although there is no definite number on the finances, the Spanish Football Federation receive an undisclosed sum of money from the Saudi Arabian government to host the Super Cup in the Middle East.

What is the format?

The format of the Super Cup now includes four teams - the top two in La Liga and the winner and runner-up from the Copa del Rey.

If a team finishes first or second and also reached the cup final, the next highest-placed La Liga teams are invited.

Two semi-finals take place at the host venue before the winners face each other in the final.

The Super Cup was previously held in the summer, but was moved to January because of pre-season commitments by clubs.

In the previous format, the La Liga champions would meet the Copa del Rey winners over two legs at each club's ground.

Who is playing?

Barcelona, Real Madrid, Atletico Madrid and Athletic Club will be in action at the 62,000-capacity King Abdullah Sports City stadium.

Barcelona and Real Madrid were the top two in La Liga last season and also Copa del Rey finalists.

Third-placed Atletico Madrid and fourth-placed Athletic Club were then invited to attend the tournament.

Barcelona face Athletic Club on 7 January and Real Madrid meet Atletico Madrid on 8 January, both matches at 19:00 GMT. The final is on 11 January at 19:00 GMT.

What is the prize money?

Spanish newspaper Marca reported that the prize money total is approximately £19.9m (23m euros), which will be distributed between the four teams.

The prize money distribution is not equal, as each club will receive a share in proportion to titles won, history and TV audiences.

What do the players make of it?

Athletic Club captain Inaki Williams said that playing the tournament in Saudi Arabia is not ideal for supporters.

"Taking a national competition out to another country does not make things easy for [fans] to move and follow the games," he added.

"When we play there, it feels like we are the away team."

His Bilbao club team-mate Unai Simon reiterated the issue, saying that instead of 40,000 fans attending, just 2,000 will be travelling from Spain.

"Fewer fans [will come] each time," he said in November 2025.

"Those who have been saw what was there and they don't want to go back."

This article is the latest from BBC Sport's Ask Me Anything team.

Tournament location creates disconnect

While the Spanish Super Cup carries value as both a trophy and a commercial product, its importance to supporters is widely seen as secondary to La Liga, the Copa del Rey, and European competitions. This perception is reinforced by the tournament's location in Saudi Arabia, which many fans feel creates a disconnect.

Supporters I spoke to from all four clubs involved expressed frustration at the high cost and difficult logistics of attending matches in the Middle East compared to in Spain. One Real Madrid fan described the event as "a scam," arguing that travelling to a Champions League match is cheaper and more important.

On the eve of Athletic's Club's semi-final match against Barcelona, Athletic Club's Inaki Williams did reflect on his comments from earlier in the week saying: "The words I used weren't the right ones, but I don't regret the meaning." However, he did say he is looking forward to having the opportunity to make Athletic Club known to the rest of the world.

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