It's January, which means it's now time for the Spanish Supercopa to take centre-stage with four of the best teams in LaLiga doing battle for the prize, founded in 1982. This year, we've got the two biggest teams in Spain, Real Madrid and Barcelona, as well as Copa del Rey winners Real Betis and the cup runners-up, Valencia, in the mix.
But how does this tournament work? How do the four teams look heading into the action? What are some of the memorable moments of Supercopas past, and can this quartet deliver some fresh drama and magic of their own?
ESPN's Sam Marsden and Alex Kirkland break it all down and get you ready for the action, which begins on Wednesday and concludes with Sunday's final in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.
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What is the Supercopa? How does the format work?
It used to be the traditional curtain-raiser to the new season, pitting the LaLiga champions against the Copa del Rey winners. But after a revamp in 2020 it is now a four-team competition that takes place in January each year. So now, instead of two teams sweating it out over two games (home and away) in August, there are four teams vying for the trophy in Saudi Arabia this January.
Qualification for the tournament is simple. The top two in LaLiga the previous season and the two Copa del Rey finalists make the last four. If the same teams finish in the top two and reach the Copa final, the numbers are made up by the teams finishing third and potentially even fourth in LaLiga. It was straightforward this year: Real Madrid and Barcelona qualified as the top two in the league, with Copa winners Real Betis and runners-up Valencia joining them.
However, the draw has not always been so simple. The semifinals have been decided in various ways, from an open draw one year to ensuring league and cup winners avoided each other the next. The idea was often to try and set up a Clasico final, but there's now a clear framework in place: LaLiga winners (Madrid) vs. Copa runners-up (Valencia) (LIVE Wednesday, 1:30 p.m. ET on ESPN+ in the U.S.), and Copa winners (Betis) vs. LaLiga runners-up (Barca) (LIVE Thursday, 1:30 p.m. ET on ESPN+ in the U.S.). -- Marsden
Why is the Spanish Supercopa being played in Saudi Arabia?
Spanish football federation (RFEF) president Luis Rubiales' desire to boost Supercopa revenue required a change in location, too. The removal of the two-legged, home-and-away format meant anything was possible, and in 2018 the Supercopa was played overseas for the first time, Barcelona beating Sevilla 2-1 in a one-off game held in Tangier, Morocco. Sevilla's protests -- they had already promised a home leg to fans as part of their season ticket package -- were ignored.
The Morocco switch was just a trial run. In September 2019, the RFEF signed a six-year deal with Saudi Arabia worth €40 million per season. It later emerged that Gerard Pique's company Kosmos had played a key role, in return for a 10% commission.
"We have good links with the Middle East," Pique said last April. "They wanted to take football competitions there and we spoke with Rubiales to see if he could be interested in taking the Supercopa ... Saudi Arabia wasn't the only [option], we spoke with Miami, [the RFEF] had an offer from Qatar."
The first "Final Four" Supercopa took place in Jeddah in January 2020. The COVID-19 pandemic then forced a change of plans, with the 2021 tournament coming home to Andalusia, before returning to Saudi Arabia -- this time in Riyadh -- for 2022. The move has drawn widespread criticism, with concerns over human rights and a lack of gender equality, but there are no plans for a rethink. The RFEF has since extended the initial six-year agreement until 2029.
"We took the decision, it's signed until 2029, we can't keep questioning it," a combative Rubiales told the RFEF general assembly in December. "If there are embassies, bilateral relationships and other businesses there, why can't football go? We're doing positive work [in Saudi Arabia]. There's now a women's league... We can either turn our backs on an entire society or try to show that things can change." -- Kirkland
How are Barcelona looking in terms of form and fitness?
Barcelona manager Xavi Hernandez said that the team's hard-fought 1-0 win at Atletico Madrid on Sunday in the league was worth "more than three points" and it sends them off to Saudi Arabia with a "massive morale boost." Barca are still a team under construction, but that victory took them three points clear of Madrid at the top of the table after 16 games.
It was much needed because Barca had returned from the World Cup break in slow motion. They were held at home by Espanyol in their first game back and needed extra time to beat third-division side Intercity in the cup in midweek. The win over Atletico, which was not pretty at times, gives them the belief that they can win ugly, and they can compete against Europe's best. They had lost their last two visits to the Estadio Metropolitano without scoring.
They now need to carry that momentum into the Supercopa, where Xavi has the chance to win a first trophy since replacing Ronald Koeman as coach last November. The competition is not high up their list of priorities but winning it could provide a platform and belief for further success in LaLiga, the Copa del Rey and the Europa League. Failure, depending on the context, could bring the spotlight back on to Xavi, who fell short in the Supercopa, the Copa del Rey and the Europa League last season.
Barca should be at full strength in the Middle East. Robert Lewandowski is currently serving a three-game ban in LaLiga but he is available to play the Supercopa. An enforced rest in the league could benefit him against Betis on Thursday and his goals -- he has 18 in all competitions this season -- could be the difference between the four teams. -- Marsden
How are Real Madrid looking in terms of form and fitness?
Saturday's 2-1 defeat at Villarreal was the third time in five LaLiga games that Real Madrid have dropped points, a run stretching back to the end of October, before the World Cup break. Their only other game this month was a laboured 1-0 Copa del Rey win over fourth-tier Cacereno. It's not exactly inspiring form, and there'll be no let-up anytime soon. This Supercopa trip is the latest step in a daunting New Year fixture list which includes another visit to Villarreal next week in the Copa, tough league games with Athletic Club and Real Sociedad, and next month's Club World Cup.