The widely accepted narrative seems to be that domestic cup competitions are in the doldrums. Many have lost the old magic and are struggling to stay relevant in an increasingly crowded football calendar. That was certainly the case for the Copa del Rey before it was radically transformed this season. So far, the early signs are encouraging.

Even though the Copa del Rey is the oldest football competition in Spain, predating La Liga by 26 years, it has never carried quite the same sense of tradition of the FA Cup. Nor has it previously been inclusive enough to allow for the type of Cinderella stories that are relatively common in the Coupe de France. Two-legged ties, seeding and a format that ensured only 12 lower league sides would remain by the time top-flight clubs entered made it almost impossible for smaller clubs to progress to the latter rounds. Last season the round-of-16 was made up of 15 top-flight clubs and Sporting Gijón, who had only dropped down into the Segunda División a couple of years earlier. Not since 1980 – when Real Madrid bizarrely met their reserve team – has a lower division side reached the Copa del Rey final.

The Spanish football federation eventually came to their senses and prevented reserve teams from featuring, but they struggled to stop the competition from falling into decline. Not only did the Copa feel as though it had been designed to protect big clubs and minimise the chance of upsets, but fixture congestion also became a problem. Valencia, the winners last year, had to play 21 matches in the first 10 weeks of 2019 – six of them in the Copa del Rey.

Clubs in the bottom half of La Liga invariably prioritised their fight for survival; and teams higher up the table found it difficult to combine European commitments with the elongated, two-legged Copa. Only the best resourced squads could cope: every Copa del Rey final since 2010 has featured either Real Madrid or Barcelona (or both of them).

Facebook Twitter Pinterest Gareth Bale celebrates after scoring the winning goal in the final between Real Madrid and Barcelona in 2014. Photograph: Alberto Saiz/AP

The widespread dissatisfaction with the format coupled with the Copa del Rey’s lack of a clear sense of tradition has at least made the overhaul easier and less controversial than it would be in many other countries. There were few complaints when a streamlined format for announced before this season.

There have been three big changes. Firstly, the two-legged snoozefests in the early rounds have been scrapped. Every tie up to and including the quarter-finals is settled on the night. Secondly, the number of clubs who are still in the tournament when the first top-flight teams enter has shot up from six to 75, giving a host of sides from the Tercera División the chance to test themselves against elite opponents – in many cases for the first time. And thirdly – and most significantly – even though there is still seeding to ensure clubs from higher divisions are drawn against lower-league opponents when possible, the lower-ranked clubs are always given home advantage.

As a result, every top-tier team has faced at least one tricky away tie over the past few months as the Copa del Rey has visited small villages, towns and islands across Spain in a manner that was not possible before. There have been various tales of cup magic, with the revamped competition clearly capturing the imagination of Spanish football fans – particularly those of smaller teams.

There is still magic in the French Cup Read more

Perhaps the most inspiring story is that of Unionistas de Salamanca, a fan-owned club set up following the dissolution of UD Salamanca in 2013. Unionistas play in Las Pistas, a tiny athletics stadium that sits beside a 17,000-seat stadium that is used by their local rivals. When Unionistas drew Real Madrid in the third round of the Copa, the obvious solution was to play the game at their neighbours’ ground or switch back to the Santiago Bernabéu, which would have earned the club around €500,000 – their entire annual budget.

Unionistas president Miguel Angel Sandoval had other ideas, though. “This clash must be played in Las Pistas,” he said. “We can’t allow this match to be held anywhere else, because this tournament rewards the humble.”

He was as good as his word. Real Madrid visited Las Pistas and won 3-1, but a small club’s decision to put principles before profit was the real story. As well as turning down the huge windfall that a stadium switch would have generated, Unionistas also refused to sell advertising space to betting companies for the televised clash. The day before what was the biggest game in their history by far, they also became the first Spanish club to sign up to Common Goal, committing to give 1% of their matchday income to charitable causes.

Facebook Twitter Pinterest Unionistas players celebrate after levelling the score against Real Madrid. Photograph: Javier Soriano/AFP via Getty Images

Just minutes before Real Madrid kicked off in Salamanca, Barcelona were catching their breath after surviving an almighty scare in Ibiza, an island synonymous with many things, none of which are football-related. Dubbed “Europe’s best away day” when the draw was made, those sentiments would not have been shared by new Barça boss Quique Setien when his side were 1-0 down going into the final 20 minutes against third-tier opponents. A late brace from Antoine Griezmann saved Barcelona from what would have been one of the biggest cup upsets of all time.

The Copa also left Spanish territory this season when FC Andorra – owned by Barça defender Gerard Piqué – took top-flight Leganés to penalties in the first round. Even when smaller clubs have not acquitted themselves so well, they have still produced feelgood stories. After demolishing fourth-tier minnows Becerril 8-0, Real Sociedad invited the entire village, including the club’s players and staff, to come and watch a game at the Anoeta Stadium, with transport, tickets and dinner all laid on by the Basque club. There are only 754 people in Becerril but it was still a tremendous gesture.

Where did it all go wrong for Deportivo La Coruña? Read more

Eibar made a similar offer to Cacereño defender Alberto Delgado after his nightmare 93rd-minute own goal settled the clubs’ second-round meeting. Whether an all-expenses-paid trip to the Ipurúa stadium really cheered him up is open to debate, but credit must go to the Eibar players who refrained from celebrating their late winner and went over to console the devastated Delgado instead.

The new Copa format has served up plenty of shocks. When Real Jaén beat Deportivo Alavés 3-1 in the first round, it was the first time in 39 years that a fourth-tier side had knocked a top-flight team out of the Copa. Europa League participants Getafe were sent packing by third-tier Badalona in the second round and, on one of the most dramatic evenings of Copa del Rey action for many years, Atlético Madrid were beaten by third-tier Cultural Leonesa in the round-of-32.

The jubilant scenes that greeted the full-time whistle that night have been mirrored in small grounds up and down Spain. Such shocks were rare before. Under the old system, there was always a second leg to come, when smaller teams who had won the first meeting were invariably brought back to earth with a bump.

Facebook Twitter Pinterest Barcelona players wonder how they have conceded to UD Ibiza. Photograph: Quality Sport Images/Getty Images

The shocks have kept coming, with all four quarter-finals going the way of the underdog. Granada beat holders Valencia, with veteran striker Roberto Soldado scoring a brace against the club where he enjoyed the best years of his career. Second-tier Mirandés – who had already beaten Celta Vigo and Sevilla at their tiny stadium – pulled off a thrilling 4-2 victory over Villarreal. Real Madrid were beaten 4-3 by Real Sociedad. And Barcelona, who were trying to make it to a seventh straight Copa del Rey final, were beaten a 93rd-minute winner at Athletic Bilbao. Athletic had also beaten Barcelona at San Mamés in the competition three years ago but their efforts ultimately went unrewarded as Barça turned the tie around in the second leg at Camp Nou. There was no second chance this time.

No one could have predicted that Real Sociedad, Athletic Bilbao, Granada and Mirandés would be contesting the semi-finals. None of these teams has won a major trophy in 30 years. Granada have never won a major trophy and neither have Mirandés, who have never even played in the top flight.

Inside Real Sociedad, a football club shaped by its academy Read more

It has been a wonderful Copa del Rey so far and Spain’s much-maligned football federation deserves credit for having the foresight to make such sweeping changes. However, there have been some teething problems. Many tiny grounds up and down Spain have been packed, but the media have at times missed the story. The first round was overshadowed by the rearranged clásico in La Liga, which fell on the same day as many ties. And the bold plan for a second-round weekend that would mirror the famous FA Cup third round would have generated more buzz had it not coincided with the final of the considerably more controversial new Supercopa in Saudi Arabia.

The draw is still a bit too manufactured for some tastes and, if there is a downside for the smaller clubs, it is that the dream of a trip to the Camp Nou or Bernabéu has been largely taken off the table. Holding the final at the Estadio La Cartuja in Seville is a questionable choice. Not only is it an unpopular athletics stadium, but it is also inconvenient for many fans – three of this year’s semi-finalists are based at least 500 miles away.

Overall though, the revamped Copa del Rey has been almost universally welcomed in a country that loves to argue about everything. It has been a refreshing change to see the balance of power shifted to give smaller clubs a helping hand. Other football associations with struggling cup competitions should take note.

• This article is from These Football Times

• Find These Football Times and Mark Sochon on Twitter