| Copa del Rey | |
| Year: | 2021–22 |
| Country: | Spain |
| Date: | 17 November 2021 – 23 April 2022 |
| Num Teams: | 126 |
| Champions: | Real Betis |
| Count: | 3 |
| Runner-Up: | Valencia |
| Matches: | 121 |
| Goals: | 369 |
| Top Goal Scorer: | Borja Iglesias (5 goals) |
| Prevseason: | 2020–21 |
| Nextseason: | 2022–23 |
The 2021–22 Copa del Rey was the 120th staging of the Copa del Rey (including two seasons where two rival editions were played). The winners were assured a place in the 2022–23 UEFA Europa League group stage. Both the winners and the runners-up qualified for the four-team 2022–23 Supercopa de España.
Barcelona were the defending champions, but they were eliminated by previous two seasons' runners-up Athletic Bilbao in the round of 16. Real Betis won the final 5–4 over Valencia on penalties following a 1–1 draw after extra time for their third Copa del Rey title.[1] [2]
As across Spain, match times up to 31 October 2021 and from 27 March 2022 were CEST (UTC+2). Times on interim ("winter") days were CET (UTC+1). Matches played in the Canary Islands used the WET .
In August 2021, the RFEF released the calendar of the competition and confirmed the format of the previous season would remain.[3]
| Round | Draw date | Date | Fixtures | Clubs | Format details |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Preliminary | 10 | New entries: Clubs qualify through the 2020–21 fifth tier. Opponents seeding: Teams faced each other according to proximity criteria. Local team seeding: Luck of the draw. Knock-out tournament type: Single match | |||
| First round | 56 | 116 → 60 | New entries: All qualified teams except the four participants in the Supercopa de España. Opponents seeding: Teams from La Liga faced teams from the lowest divisions. The four remaining teams faced teams from Segunda División B. Local team seeding: Match played at home of team in lower division. Knock-out tournament type: Single match. | ||
| 28 | 60 → 32 | Opponents seeding: Teams from lowest divisions faced La Liga teams. Local team seeding: Match played at home of team in lower division. Knock-out tournament type: Single match | |||
| Round of 32 | 16 | 32 → 16 | New entries: Clubs participating in the Supercopa de España gained entry. Opponents seeding: Teams from lowest divisions faced La Liga teams. Local team seeding: Match played at home of team in lower division. Knock-out tournament type: Single match. | ||
| Round of 16 | 8 | 16 → 8 | Opponents seeding: Teams from lowest divisions faced La Liga teams. Local team seeding: Match played at home of team in lower division. Knock-out tournament type: Single match. | ||
| Quarter-finals | 4 | 8 → 4 | Opponents seeding: Luck of the draw. Local team seeding: Match played at home of team in lower division. Knock-out tournament type: Single match. | ||
| Semi-finals | 2 | 4 → 2 | Opponents seeding: Luck of the draw. Local team seeding: Luck of the draw. Knock-out tournament type: Double match. | ||
| Final | 23 April 2022 | 1 | 2 → 1 | Single match at Estadio de La Cartuja, Seville. Both teams qualify for the 2022–23 Supercopa de España. UEFA Europa League qualification: winners qualify for the 2022–23 UEFA Europa League group stage.** |
The following teams qualified for the competition. Reserve teams were excluded.
Teams were divided into four groups according to geographical criteria.[4] [5]
The first round was played by 112 of the 116 qualified teams, with the exceptions being the four participants of the 2021–22 Supercopa de España. The ten winners from the previous preliminary round were paired with ten teams from La Liga. The four Copa Federación semi-finalists with another four teams from La Liga and the last two La Liga teams with two teams from Segunda RFEF. Twenty-one teams from Segunda RFEF were paired with the twenty-one Segunda División teams, the last nine teams from Segunda RFEF were paired with nine Primera RFEF teams. Finally, the remaining twenty teams from Primera RFEF were paired between them. In the case of opponents from the same division, the home advantage was decided by whichever team was drawn first; otherwise, the match was held in the stadium of the lower division team. A total of 56 games were played from 30 November to 2 December 2021.
The draw was held on 18 November 2021. Teams were divided into six pots.[6]
The draw was held on 3 December 2021 in the RFEF headquarters in Las Rozas. Teams were divided into 4 pots according to their division in the 2021–22 season. Matches were played at the stadiums of lower-ranked teams. A total of 28 games were played from 14 to 16 December 2021.
The draw was held on 17 December 2021 in the RFEF headquarters in Las Rozas. The four participant teams of the 2021–22 Supercopa de España were drawn with the teams from the lowest category. After them, the remaining teams from the lowest categories faced the rest of La Liga teams. Matches were played at stadiums of lower-ranked teams.
The draw was held on 7 January 2022 in the RFEF headquarters in Las Rozas. Teams are divided into 3 pots according to their division in the 2021–22 season. When possible, matches will be played at the stadiums of lower-ranked teams. Otherwise, the first team drawn plays home. A total of 8 games will be played from 15 to 20 January 2022.
| width=15% | Pot 1 | width=15% | Pot 2 | width=15% | Pot 3 |
| Athletic Bilbao Atlético Madrid Barcelona Cádiz Elche Espanyol Mallorca Rayo Vallecano Real Betis Real Madrid Real Sociedad Sevilla Valencia | Girona Sporting Gijón | Atlético Baleares |
The draw was held on 21 January 2022 in the RFEF headquarters in Las Rozas. As there are no teams from the lower divisions, home teams were selected by a draw.
| Qualified teams | |
| Athletic Bilbao Cádiz Mallorca Rayo Vallecano Real Betis Real Madrid Real Sociedad Valencia |
The draw for the semi-finals was held on 4 February 2022 in the RFEF headquarters in Las Rozas.
| Qualified teams | |
| Athletic Bilbao Rayo Vallecano Real Betis Valencia |
|}
Real Betis won 3–2 on aggregate.----Valencia won 2–1 on aggregate.
See main article: 2022 Copa del Rey final.
