Why the Spanish Super Cup will be played in Turkey, reason for venue switch | OneFootball

The Asian Cup forced the search for a new home

The 2027 Spanish Super Cup will be played in Istanbul, Turkey, an unprecedented situation for the tournament, which since 2020 had found its regular home in Saudi Arabia. The change is not due to a permanent modification of the agreement, but rather to a specific circumstance in the international calendar: Saudi Arabia will host the 2027 Asian Cup, whose dates coincide with the Super Cup.

Faced with this scenario, the Royal Spanish Football Federation had to look for an alternative to keep the Final Four format outside Spain. After analyzing up to seven bids, the RFEF chose Istanbul as the host city for the 2027 edition.

The decision will be only temporary. The Federation itself confirmed that the Super Cup will return to Saudi Arabia in 2028, once the scheduling conflict caused by the Asian Cup has been resolved.

Why was Istanbul chosen?

Istanbul ultimately prevailed over the other proposals thanks to its infrastructure for hosting major sporting events, its football tradition, and its ability to welcome international fans.

The city has already hosted major European finals, including the 2005 and 2023 Champions League finals, as well as the 2026 Europa League final. The RFEF also highlighted the city’s potential to generate sports tourism and expand the tournament’s international profile.

In addition, the agreement makes it possible to maintain economic conditions similar to those offered by Saudi Arabia. The four participating clubs will share around 40 million euros for taking part in the competition.

In this way, the Spanish Federation maintains the revenue generated by the tournament while also taking one of its main competitions to a new market.

Barcelona, Real Madrid, Atlético and Real Sociedad will play in Istanbul

The 2027 edition will feature Barcelona, Real Madrid, Atlético de Madrid and Real Sociedad. The four teams will compete for the first domestic title of the year in Spanish football.

The competition will take place between February 2 and 6, 2027, with two semifinals and a final.

The schedule was set as follows:

Initially, the Atatürk Olympic Stadium had been announced as the venue for the tournament, but during the official presentation it was confirmed that the three matches will be split among the stadiums of three of Istanbul’s biggest clubs.

A Super Cup looking to maintain its international expansion

The change of venue also continues the RFEF’s strategy of taking the Super Cup beyond Spain’s borders. The tournament will have an international presence and, according to the Federation, will reach more than one hundred million viewers worldwide.

Thus, Turkey will be the temporary home of the Spanish Super Cup in 2027 for one specific reason: Saudi Arabia cannot host the tournament that year because of the Asian Cup. Once that commitment is over, the championship is expected to return to Saudi territory starting in 2028.

This article was translated into English by Artificial Intelligence. You can read the original version in 🇪🇸 here.