Spanish Super Cup: Saudi Arabia’s Riyadh to welcome Real Madrid, Barcelona, and more
Saudi Arabia is set to host the Spanish Super Cup, one of this year’s biggest football events, from January 10 to 14 in its capital city Riyadh.
This year’s highly anticipated tournament, held in the Kingdom for the fourth time, features several iconic Spanish clubs, including defending champions Barcelona, Real Madrid, Atletico Madrid, and CA Osasuna.
All three matches will take place at the Al Awwal Park Stadium, the 25,000-capacity stadium and home of Al Nassr FC.
The 40th edition of the historic Supercopa de Espana will see world-class players and international fans come together to watch the tournament unfold as part of its long-term partnership with the Royal Spanish Football Federation.
The teams facing off are all winners and runners-up of the Copa del Rey (Spanish Cup) and La Liga.
Copa del Rey winners Real Madrid will face inter-city rivals Atletico Madrid, who finished third in last season’s La Liga, for the first match on January 10.
In the second semi-final on January 11, reigning La Liga champions Barcelona will play against CA Osasuna, the Copa del Rey runners-up.
The final will then take place on January 14, with all matches kicking off at 10 p.m. local time.
The previous three editions in Saudi Arabia saw tens of thousands of fans in attendance, with matches broadcast worldwide.
Saudi commitment to sporting events
The Spanish Super Cup will kickstart an incredible year-round schedule of international sports in Saudi Arabia that features football, motorsport, tennis, esports, combat sports, golf, and equestrian events all locked in for 2024.
The Spanish Super Cup is the latest demonstration of the Kingdom’s commitment to hosting some of the best global sporting events, with football taking center stage.
According to Saudi Arabia’s Ministry of Sport, 80 percent of people in Saudi Arabia either play, attend, or follow football. In recent years, the government has heavily invested in the sector as part of the country’s Vision 2030 economic reform goals.
Since late 2022, the Kingdom has made international headlines for recruiting dozens of high-profile footballers, including Cristiano Ronaldo and Karim Benzema, and hosting world class championships.