Copa Catalunya · History

The Copa Catalunya is the cup competition run by the Catalan Football Federation (FCF) for clubs from Catalonia and Andorra. It was first played in 1984 under the name Copa Generalitat, open only to teams from the Spanish fourth tier, then known as Tercera División. The FCF does not recognise the first five editions as official and has run the tournament as an official competition since the 1989-90 season. Every round is a single-leg tie and the final is a one-off match; if it ends level, it goes to a penalty shootout.

Origins: the Catalan Championship

Catalan football had its own competition early in the 20th century. The Copa Macaya was founded in 1900 and in 1903 gave way to the Catalan Championship, a league-format tournament that also served as a qualifier for the Spanish Cup. It was played until 1940, when the Franco regime reorganised Spanish football and abolished the regional championships. From then on, Catalan clubs played only in Spanish federation competitions. The Copa Catalunya is regarded as the heir to that championship.

The Copa Generalitat (1984-1989)

After the return of democracy, the tournament came back in 1984 as the Copa Generalitat. On 30 June 1984 Barcelona C won the first final on penalties against Manresa after a 3-3 draw. Manresa took the next two, beating Terrassa in 1985 (0-0, 3-1 on penalties) and again in 1986 (5-2). CF Lloret beat San Cristóbal 3-0 in 1987 and Sant Andreu on penalties in 1988. These five editions are not part of the federation’s official records.

Official status and the arrival of professional clubs

The FCF ran the tournament officially for the first time in 1989-90, still with fourth-tier and lower-league sides. CD Blanes won that final 2-0 against Gramenet on 2 June 1990. The following season, clubs from the top two divisions joined, and FC Barcelona won the 1990-91 edition by beating Sabadell 6-3. Palamós beat Lleida in 1992, Barcelona won again in 1993 against Espanyol (4-3), and in 1993-94 the competition was renamed Copa Catalunya. The first winner under the new name was FC Andorra, who beat Espanyol on penalties on 7 June 1994.

Barcelona and Espanyol lead the way

Since the professional clubs came in, Barcelona and Espanyol have played in most of the finals, although smaller clubs have won it regularly. RCD Espanyol won in 1995 and 1996, and CE Europa beat Barcelona in back-to-back finals, in 1997 (3-1) and 1998, the second on penalties. Espanyol won again in 1999 and Barcelona in 2000. CF Balaguer (2001) and Terrassa (2002 and 2003) also lifted the cup, twice beating Barcelona in the final. Between 2004 and 2014 Barcelona added five more titles, three of them against Espanyol on penalties (2007, 2013 and 2014). Espanyol won in 2006, 2010 and 2011, and Gimnàstic de Tarragona in 2008 and 2012. The 2009-10 edition was settled by a three-team final round between Espanyol, Barcelona and L’Hospitalet, won by Espanyol.

Restructuring and new winners

In 2014-15 the federation split the senior competition from a separate Copa Catalunya amateur, which ran until 2023-24 and was dropped when the tournament was restructured from 2024-25. In the senior event, CE Europa beat Girona 2-1 in 2015 and Sabadell beat Barcelona B 2-0 in 2016. Gimnàstic won their third title in 2017, again against Girona, followed by UE Cornellà (2018), Sant Andreu (2019) and CE L’Hospitalet, who beat Llagostera on penalties on 9 October 2020. The COVID-19 pandemic wiped out the 2020-21 and 2021-22 editions. When the competition resumed, FC Andorra won two finals in a row, beating Badalona 1-0 in 2023 and Olot on penalties in 2024.

Honours and recent finals

Including the unofficial Copa Generalitat titles, FC Barcelona top the honours list with eight titles and nine defeats in the final. Espanyol follow with six titles and nine runner-up finishes, while Andorra, Europa and Gimnàstic have three each. Terrassa, Manresa, Sant Andreu, Sabadell and Lloret have two apiece. The federation has also run a women’s Copa Catalunya since 2005-06; Barcelona won it for the eleventh time in 2024-25 and SE AEM of Lleida in 2025-26. In the men’s competition, Girona won their first title on 23 July 2025, beating Espanyol on penalties (0-0, 5-4). The 2025-26 final was played on 2 September 2026 at the Nova Creu Alta in front of around 7,000 spectators, and CE Sabadell beat Barça Atlètic 2-1 for their second Copa Catalunya.