Disney+, the streaming giant, has broadened its sports portfolio by securing rights to broadcast Spanish soccer's Copa del Rey knockout cup competition in the Nordic countries. The deal will see Disney+ exclusively broadcasting the competition from the round of 32 up until the final for a period of five years.
The agreement kicked off with this year’s edition of Copa del Rey, featuring coverage of Barcelona’s 2-0 win over Guadalajara. The long-term deal is set to run through till the 2029-30 season. Several Nordic players are expected to feature prominently in this year's tournament, including Norwegian striker Alexander Sorloth at Atletico Madrid and Danish defender Andreas Christensen and young Swedish winger Roony Bardghjiat at Barcelona.
Disney+ has been on an acquisition spree recently, snapping up live rights to several major soccer properties across key markets. This includes a three-year deal to show games from Spain’s top-flight LaLiga in UK and Ireland, as well as securing rights for UEFA Women's Champions League across Europe and men's UEFA Europa League and Conference League competitions in Sweden and Denmark.
International coverage agreements
Disney+ joins other broadcasters like DAZN - a global sports streaming service - and Irish pay-TV broadcaster Premier Sports who have also acquired Copa del Rey rights for multiple seasons. These international rights are being sold by Peak Sport Media agency which was recently hired by LaLiga for this role.
LaLiga launched a tender on November 21st for these international tournament rights with bidding closing on December 4th. They have been mandated by RFEF (Royal Spanish Football Federation) to sell all rounds except for the final match.
Domestic broadcasters & revenue growth
Spanish public service broadcaster RTVE picked up the main package of domestic rights for the next cycle, agreeing to show 116 matches from the men’s competition each campaign for the 2025-26 and 2026-27 seasons. Pay-TV heavyweight Movistar+ will also showcase Copa del Rey action after agreeing a sub-licensing deal with RTVE.
International telecoms operator Orange has also joined this list of domestic broadcasters. The RFEF recently announced that broadcast rights sales for the 2025-26 season will increase by €4.4 million ($5.2 million) compared to the previous season, projecting profits of more than €7 million from 2027 onwards.
The RFEF has secured Seville as host city for Copa del Rey finals until 2028, with matches to be played at Estadio de la Cartuja - temporary home of LaLiga club Real Betis while its Estadio Benito Villamarin is being renovated. This hosting agreement is expected to generate an average net income of €3.9 million.
