An (almost) unique final

On 27 June 1987, at La Romareda Stadium in Zaragoza, the two sides produced one of the most closely contested finals in the competition’s history. The match ended 2–2— with Real Sociedad taking the lead on both occasions— and the winner was ultimately decided by a penalty shootout. On that day, Real Sociedad goalkeeper Luis Arconada saved two spot-kicks to secure the trophy for the Basque side.

In 2026, both clubs once again found themselves face to face, just one step away from lifting the Copa del Rey Mapfre. In what seemed like a nod to the past, Atlético de Madrid and Real Sociedad almost perfectly mirrored the events of that earlier final. Once again, the Basque side took the lead, only for Atlético to equalise twice, the second coming late in the match. After extra time failed to produce a winner, penalties would once again decide the champion.

Unai Marrero, wearing the iconic shirt in tribute to Arconada, replicated the legendary goalkeeper’s feat by saving two penalties— from Sørloth and Julián Álvarez. With successful conversions from Soler, Sučić, Aihen and Marín, Real Sociedad secured the Copa del Rey title once more, returning the trophy to San Sebastián five years later.

Relive the emotion of the final held at La Cartuja Stadium in Seville through this feature of exclusive footage captured by cameras of the Royal Spanish Football Federation positioned throughout the stadium.