RFEF announces Copa del Rey pot distributions for first round

The Royal Spanish Football Federation (RFEF) has finalized the pot distributions for the Copa del Rey first-round draw. The official seeding ensures that certain regional matchups are avoided to prevent scheduling conflicts with league fixtures.

Specifically, the distribution prevents a potential derby between SD Ponferradina and Cultural Leonesa, as the two clubs cannot face each other in the cup just ten days before their scheduled league match. The classification of Sestao River into the tournament following their success in the Copa RFEF has finalized these pot adjustments.

In the first round, teams are grouped into quadrants based on geographic proximity. Cultural Leonesa and SD Ponferradina are placed in Pot 1, meaning they will face opponents from lower categories, including teams from the 2nd RFEF, 3rd RFEF, or regional levels. Meanwhile, Córdoba CF and Ciudad de Lucena have been placed in Pot 4, which includes teams from Andalusia, Madrid, Extremadura, and the Canary Islands.

The official draw is scheduled to take place this Monday at 13:00.