Alicante Clubs and the King’s Cup KO Start

One derby and two long trips mark the calendar for the Alicante clubs taking part in the first round of the King’s Cup. Hercules will host La Nucia at the Rico Perez; the other Alicante side will travel to Pontevedra to face its counterpart. FC and Intercity must head to Cintruénigo in Navarre to challenge Cirbonero Athletics Club, as reported by federation sources and match organizers. (Source: official draw notes and federation briefing)

Three eliminations are scheduled as single-match ties on consecutive days, with games set for November 12 and 13. The aim is clear: one of the three province clubs will advance to the second stage. Elche will begin its KO campaign against Castellón side Alkora, which earned its draw position after coming through the previous round by winning the regional cup, a milestone reached by hundreds of clubs in the community during the national competition in early June. (Report: federation recap and regional sports coverage)

The draw took place this Monday, October 24, at 12:30, in the Luis Aragonés room at the Roses city venue. After the unveiling of the documentary series Everyone’s Cup, now streaming worldwide on Prime Video and featuring memorable moments from clubs across the category, the participants pulled the balls to decide the pairings for matches scheduled between November 12 and 13. Oscar Quesada of Mancha Real and Rene Román of Atlético Baleares selected the Alicante clashes to determine who would face whom. (Event summary and broadcast notes)

Luis Rubiales, president of the Royal Spanish Football Federation, underscored the competition’s new format and significance. He highlighted the impact on modest football, noting that the format change has redirected 112 million euros to smaller clubs, a substantial increase from the prior figure of ten million. (Official remarks and press briefing)

From the initial field of 110 clubs, which included 16 from the top tier, 20 from the second division, 19 from the First RFEF, 34 from the Second RFEF, plus four from the FA Cup and ten regional teams, 55 single-match ties will decide the entrants to the next round. The local ties ensure that the sub-division teams, such as Hercules, host their matches, while Eldense, Intercity and Elche will make their debuts on home soil. (Competition overview and format description)

Blue-and-white outfits were the only ones granted the chance to draw a potential opponent from a higher division, yet that opportunity came in the penultimate pairing when the Second Division sides had already been allocated. (Format notes)

55 matches that launch the knockout phase

► Drawn fixtures were determined by the ball-picking ceremony held during the Las Rozas celebration in Madrid and reflect the order of the draws. (Citing the official draw procedure)

• L’Alcora – Elche

• Velarde – Sevilla

• Santa Amalia – Villarreal

• CD Rincon – RCD Espanyol

• CD Autol – Mallorca

• CD Fuentes – Osasuna

• Algár – Celtic

• CD Cazalegas – Real Sociedad

• UD Barbadas – Real Valladolid

• Mollerussa – Rayo Vallecano

• Royal Union – Cádiz

• CD Arenteiro – UD Almería

• UD Alzira – Athletic Club

• CD San Roque – Getafe

• Quintanar del Rey – Girona

• Almazán – Athletic Madrid

• CD Manacor – FC Andorra

• CF Vimenor – Mirandés

• Huétor Tájar – Albacete

• Loyalty of Villaviciosa – Tenerife

• CD Las Rozas – Eibar

• Pena Deportiva – Málaga

• Olot – Levante

• Yeclano – Granada

• Guadalajara – Ponferradina

• CD Alfaro – FC Cartagena

• Entertainment – Burgos CF

• Teruel – Las Palmas

• Gernika – Leganés

• Gymnastics – Real Oviedo

• CD Diocese – Real Zaragoza

• The youth of Torremolinos – SD Hueca

• Arenas Club – Lugo

• Palencia Cristo Atlético – UD Ibiza

• Beasain – Sporting

• Lleida – Alavés

• CD Guijuelo – Deportivo

• Atlético Paso – Real Murcia

• Utebo – Mérida

• Cacereño – Córdoba

• Ibiza Pitiusas Islands – Rayo Majadahonda

• Coruxo – Real Madrid B

• Atlético Saguntino – Amorebieta

• Manresa – Pontevedra

• Coria – Fuenlabrada

• AD San Juan – Numancia

• Cirbonero Athletics Club – Intercity

• CD Arnedo – Atlético Baleares

• Union Adarve – Linares

• Navalcarnero – UD Logroñes

• Race Rioja – Gimnástico Tarragona

• Ourense – Alcorcón

• Sestao River – Ferrol

• Hércules – La Nucía

• Utrera – Ceuta FC

Calendar for the first three King’s Cup rounds

► Phase one events occurred on November 12 and 13, 2022.

► Phase two followed on December 21, 2022.

► The Last 32 stage was set for January 4, 2023. (Cited schedule outline and phase progression)