Athletic Bilbao have learned their first opponent in the 2026/27 Copa del Rey will be the winner of the postponed tie between AE Prat and CF Sant Rafel. The Basque club, returning to the first round after a two-year absence due to Supercopa participation, awaits the outcome of this sixth-tier Spanish football clash.
The second leg between Prat and Sant Rafel, which was postponed due to a storm, is scheduled for this Sunday at 16:00 at the Municipal Sagnier. AE Prat hold a commanding 5-1 aggregate lead from the first leg, making them the likely opponent for Athletic. Journalist Endika Río Bilbao confirmed the situation, stating: "El Prat-Sant Rafel ya tiene hora, con el Athletic pendiente".
Regional-level opponent
Both teams compete in the sixth tier of Spanish football. AE Prat play in the Catalan Liga Élite, while CF Sant Rafel are in the Balearic División de Honor. This means the Copa del Rey tie, which will be a single match at the lower-division side's ground, will involve travel for Athletic.
While awaiting official confirmation of their opponent and the match date, expected to be Thursday, 29th October, Athletic focus on La Liga. Ernesto Valverde's side sit 10th with 8 points from six games, following a 0-1 win over Real Sociedad last time out. For their play, Athletic have taken an average of 52 minutes to score their league goals this season. Their next fixture is a trip to face 12th-placed Rayo Vallecano.
The report in full is at athletic-club.eus
