The winner of the 2025-26 Copa del Rey has been crowned. Real Sociedad, led by Matarazzo, defeated Atlético Madrid in a penalty shootout in the final, securing their fourth Copa del Rey title in club history. Beyond the overwhelming joy felt by players and fans, the club also receives a financial reward for lifting the trophy—though it’s not as massive as in other competitions.
The Copa del Rey is a tournament that boosts prestige more than it fills the coffers. The prize money distribution system is complex and relatively modest, but in short: the champion, Real Sociedad, takes home approximately €1.2 million, while the runner-up gets around €1 million. To put that into perspective, the Club World Cup champion earns €5 million, the La Liga champion gets €60 million, and the Champions League winner takes €100 million. Why such a difference? Because the Copa’s objective, since its format change, is to distribute money across all levels of Spanish football—including non-professional teams—not just to line the pockets of the finalists.
Here’s how the system works: the Copa generates around €33 million per season from television rights. That amount is then divided into several branches. First, 90% goes to professional football (roughly €29.5 million), and the remaining 10% goes to amateur football and its Copa participants (over €3 million). From the professional share, 90% goes to First Division clubs and 10% to Second Division clubs. That means about €26.5 million is allocated among the 20 La Liga Santander teams. From that pot, 50% is split equally among all 20 clubs: Atlético Madrid, Real Sociedad, and the other 18 had already secured around €660,000 each. The other 50%, about €13 million, is distributed as a “performance bonus” based on each team’s results over the past five seasons. That bonus pool is divided into five segments (roughly €2.5 million per season). Teams reaching the round of 16 get 2.5% (€62,500), quarterfinalists get 6% (€150,000), semifinalists get 9% (€225,000), the runner-up gets 16% (€400,000), and the champion gets 22% (€550,000). Therefore, adding the base amount, Real Sociedad ends up with €1.21 million, and Atlético gets €1.06 million.
These figures are approximate, based on €33 million in TV revenue. If that figure is higher, all amounts increase proportionally; if lower, they decrease. Compared to other titles, the Copa’s prize is modest: the La Liga champion gets about €60 million, and the Champions League winner gets €100 million. But the competition’s broader aim is to support all Spanish football, from the biggest clubs down to the smallest.
