The biggest derby in world football unfolds on Sunday in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, as Barcelona and Real Madrid battle for the Spanish Super Cup.
The arch rivals already locked horns this season in a heated match that ended in a 2–1 victory for Real Madrid, concluding Barcelona’s run of four consecutive Clásico victories. One of the more lopsided results during that stretch came in the 2024–25 Spanish Super Cup final, when the Catalans demolished Los Blancos 5–2 to claim their record 15th title in the competition.
Hansi Flick’s men hope to defend their Spanish Super Cup one year later, and got their campaign off to a flying start. Barcelona delivered a 5–0 thrashing of Athletic Club on Thursday to punch their tickets to the final.
Real Madrid followed suit one day later thanks to a 2–1 victory over Atlético Madrid, setting up the fourth consecutive Spanish Super Cup final between the two Spanish powerhouses. The winner not only gets to leave Jeddah with silverware, but also bragging rights in the first Clásico of 2026.
Here is Sports Illustrated’s guide to the game.
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Barcelona vs. Real Madrid Head-to-Head Record (Last Five Games)
Current Form (All Competitions)
Barcelona Real Madrid
Barcelona 5–0 Athletic Club - 1/7/26 Atlético Madrid 1–2 Real Madrid - 1/8/26
Espanyol 0–2 Barcelona - 1/3/26 Real Madrid 5–1 Real Betis - 1/4/26
Villarreal 0–2 Barcelona - 12/21/25 Real Madrid 2–0 Sevilla - 12/20/25
Guadalajara 0–2 Barcelona - 12/16/25 Talavera 2–3 Real Madrid - 12/17/25
Barcelona 2–0 Osasuna - 12/13/25 Alavés 1–2 Real Madrid - 12/14/25
Country TV Channel/Live Stream
United States ABC, ABC App, ESPN Select, ESPN App, ESPN Deportes, fuboTV
United Kingdom TNT Sports 1, TNT Sports 4
Canada Not Televised
Mexico Sky Sports Mexico, Sky+
Lamine Yamal
Lamine Yamal did not start against Athletic Club. / CRISTINA QUICLER/AFP/Getty Images
What was once a packed infirmary is now looking much less crowded for Barcelona. Only Gavi, Marc-André ter Stegen and Andreas Christensen remain sidelined due to injury.
Lamine Yamal was a fitness concern for the club’s semifinal bout with Athletic Club, and Flick erred on the side of caution, limiting the teenage superstar to just 18 minutes off the bench. With silverware on the line, though, the Spain international has been confirmed as fit enough to start on the right wing.
Otherwise, the German boss will be tempted to roll out an unchanged side from Wednesday’s rout. Ferran Torres and Fermín López will likely retain their spots in the XI after combining for four goal contributions last time out, keeping Robert Lewandowski and Dani Olmo out of the lineup.
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Barcelona predicted XI
Lamine Yamal returns to Hansi Flick’s XI in the Spanish Super Cup final. / FotMob
Barcelona predicted lineup vs. Real Madrid (4-2-3-1): García; Kounde, Cubarsí, Garcí, Balde; Pedri, De Jong; Yamal, Fermín, Raphinha; Torres.
Kylian Mbappé
Question marks surround Kylian Mbappé’s status. / Jose Breton/Pics Action/NurPhoto/Getty Images
Even when he has not played a single minute in 2026, Kylian Mbappé is stealing all the headlines in the buildup to the Spanish Super Cup final. The Frenchman originally did not travel with the team due to a knee injury, but a positive recovery had the club’s leading goalscorer joining up with his colleagues on Friday.
Such an unexpected trip from Mbappé points to the forward getting the nod up top, even if he is not at full strength. If he can only feature off the bench, though, Gonzalo García will surely make his third consecutive start in his place.
Real Madrid are also sweating over the health of Rodrygo, Antonio Rüdiger and Raúl Asencio. All three players were forced off the pitch against Atlético Madrid, and face late fitness tests for Sunday’s final.
Otherwise, only Éder Militão remains in the infirmary for Los Blancos. Brahim Díaz is also unavailable; the forward remains with Morocco at the Africa Cup of Nations.
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Real Madrid predicted XI
Kylian Mbappé faces a late fitness test for the Spanish Super Cup final. / FotMob
Real Madrid predicted lineup vs. Barcelona (4-2-3-1): Courtois; Valverde, Asencio, Huijsen, Carreras; Tchouaméni, Camavinga; Rodrygo, Bellingham, Vinicius Junior; Mbappé.
Sixteen goals were scored across the last three Clásico Spanish Super Cup finals. No matter how close Barcelona and Real Madrid battle in La Liga, their matchups in the cup competition are always high-scoring affairs.
Sunday’s game will likely be no different with the wealth of talent comprising both attacks. Yamal, Raphinha, Ferran Torres, Vinicius Junior, Rodrygo and possibly Mbappé all on the pitch at the same time promise end-to-end action and goals galore.
The difference in the final outcome will come down to defense, and the injuries plaguing Real Madrid’s backline put them at a significant disadvantage. Barcelona, meanwhile, have only conceded one goal in their last six matches.
It will not be perfect at the back by any means from Flick’s side, but they could very well do enough to eke out a win and claim back-to-back Spanish Super Cups.
Prediction: Barcelona 3–2 Real Madrid
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