Barcelona faced their eternal rivals Real Madrid in the Spanish Super Cup final for the fourth consecutive year on Sunday, continuing a fiercely contested tradition between the clubs.

Oddly, no team had won the trophy in back-to-back seasons for 15 years, with Barcelona being the last to do so. Additionally, the LaLiga runners-up in each of the previous three seasons had claimed the Super Cup, meaning if the pattern continued, the 2026 edition was widely expected to favor Los Blancos.

Paths to the final

Earlier this season, Real Madrid had ended a Clasico losing streak from 2024/25 by defeating Barcelona in LaLiga, giving Xabi Alonso’s side a morale boost. Meanwhile, Barcelona reached the final by dismantling Athletic Club in the semi-finals, scoring five goals while keeping a clean sheet — their ninth consecutive victory under Hansi Flick and their fifth straight game with multiple goals.

Real Madrid, for their part, had needed a hard-fought 2–1 win over Atlético Madrid in the semis, highlighted by a thunderous free-kick from Fede Valverde. The victory set up a highly anticipated clash with the Blaugranes, with both sides eager to add to their storied Super Cup histories.

High stakes for both clubs

Having won 10 of the previous 18 Super Cup head-to-heads (D2, L6), Madrid sought to close the gap on Barcelona’s record 15 titles, while Barca aimed to extend their dominance with a 16th trophy, keeping them three ahead of their nearest pursuers.

The match began at a frenetic pace. Barcelona controlled possession early, while Madrid disrupted the rhythm with a series of fouls. Despite few clear-cut chances initially, the game remained absorbing thanks to Barcelona’s midfield duo of Pedri and Frenkie de Jong and Real’s blistering pace through Vinícius Júnior.

Raphinha sparks the goals

Barcelona took the lead in the 36th minute when Raphinha fired a low drive across Thibaut Courtois. The goal marked the Brazilian’s third in the competition and his fourth goal involvement in his last two outings, putting him just one behind Aritz Aduriz’s record for a single Super Cup edition.

Lamine Yamal and Fermin López continued to threaten before Real hit back in stoppage time. Vinícius Júnior turned sharply past Jules Koundé and finished with precision to equalize, completing 11 touches and four shots on target — more than anyone else on the pitch.

Lewandowski and Garcia push Barca ahead

Within two minutes, Pedri’s exquisite pass found Robert Lewandowski, who lifted the ball over Courtois to restore Barcelona’s lead. Moments later, after a Rodrygo corner caused confusion, Gonzalo Garcia scored for the second time for Barcelona despite falling backward, giving the Catalans a 3–2 advantage by half-time.

By the break, 11 of Barcelona’s 14 Super Cup goals under Flick had been scored, highlighting their attacking dominance. Madrid had struggled defensively, winning only half of their duels despite Fede Valverde and Jude Bellingham contesting key battles throughout.

Late drama seals the victory

The second half remained end-to-end, with Barcelona eventually exploiting a slip by Raphinha. A deflection off Raul Asencio left Courtois wrong-footed, allowing Barcelona to extend their lead. Alonso introduced Kylian Mbappé in a bid to spark a Madrid comeback, but the Frenchman could not change the outcome.

Late opportunities arose for both sides, including a missed chance by Marcus Rashford and injury-time efforts from Asencio and Alvaro Carreras, but Barcelona held on for a memorable 3–2 win, retaining the Spanish Super Cup.