Record-breakers. Athletic Bilbao reach the semi-finals for the sixth time in the last seven Copa del Rey editions

In the quarter-finals of the Copa del Rey, Athletic Bilbao travelled away to Valencia and secured a 2–1 victory, booking their place in the semi-finals.

Details: According to Opta, the Basque side have now reached the Copa del Rey semi-finals for the sixth time in the last seven editions of the competition. They did so in the 2019/20, 2020/21, 2021/22, 2022/23, 2023/24 and 2025/26 seasons.

No other team has reached the semi-finals more often than Athletic Bilbao since the competition’s format was changed ahead of the 2020/21 season.

In 2024, Athletic Bilbao lifted the trophy after defeating Mallorca in a penalty shootout in the final, although they were eliminated at the round-of-16 stage in last season’s campaign.

Reminder: Athletic Bilbao and Spain winger Nico Williams has encountered serious complications during his recovery from pubalgia, a chronic groin injury.