The president of the RFEF, Rafael Louzán, formalized this Thursday the agreement by which the Spanish Super Cup will be played for the first time in Istanbul for the 2027 edition, which will be held between February 2 and 6. The three matches of the tournament (the two semifinals and the final) will be played in the same number of stadiums: the final will take place at Ali Sami Yen, the Galatasaray venue, which has a capacity for 52,000 people. The match between Atlético and Barcelona will be at Vodafone Park, of Besiktas, with a capacity of 42,000 people while the Madrid-Real Sociedad at Chobani, of Fenerbahçe, which holds up to 50,000 fans. Together, the three venues add up to a capacity close to 150,000 people.
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In addition, the tournament will bring an economic benefit of 40 million to be distributed among the four participants and the lower categories of Spanish football, an amount identical to that granted by Saudi Arabia in each edition.
The Super Cup had been played since 2020, except in 2021 due to the coronavirus pandemic, in Saudi Arabia, but the holding of the Asia Cup in that country in January has forced the Spanish Federation to look for a new venue. Offers were not lacking. According to Luis Louzán, the RFEF received about seven proposals including Morocco, China, or the United States.
International projection
The Turkish authorities present at the event, the Ministers of Sports and Tourism, Osman Bak and Mehmet Ersoy, highlighted: “We will make them feel at home. And it will be broadcast to 150 million countries and will achieve great international projection of Turkey and strengthen the capacity to organize major events. It will be an important showcase.”
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Louzán cited the capacity the city has shown to organize sporting events such as the Champions League finals of 2005 and 2023 and the important fan base the Ottoman country has as strong reasons to justify the choice of the new venue.
The 2027 edition will be the seventh time the Super Cup is played outside Spain after having been held six times in Saudi Arabia. The Middle Eastern country will host the tournament again in the 2028 and 2029 editions since the contract signed in 2020 by the then president of the Federation, Luis Rubiales, grants the venue to the country until 2030.
