Real Madrid to face FC Barcelona in the 2026 Spanish Super Cup final after thrilling 2-1 win over Atletico Madrid

That marks the end of our live coverage of the second semifinal of the 2026 Spanish Super Cup, with Real Madrid advancing to the final after a narrow 2-1 win over Atletico Madrid, now set to face FC Barcelona on Sunday. See you next time!

In a thrilling 2-1 definition against Atletico Madrid, Real Madrid earn the ticket to the 2026 Spanish Super Cup final!

Building up slowly looking for spaces, Almada played a perfect ball to the space for Alvarez to penetrate into the box, but his shot went wide!

With both teams exhausted, the game remains open as Giuliano Simeone plays a cross easily captured by Courtois.

With the game still open, seven minutes have been added of stoppage time.

Xabi Alonso makes the last substitutions for Real Madrid, bringing Franco Mastantuono and Dani Ceballos onto the pitch for Rodrygo and Eduardo Camavinga.

Julián Álvarez played a corner to the edge of the box for Marcos Llorente, who took a touch before curling a shot that sailed inches wide of the post.

After a great play on the right side between Simeone, Alvarez, and Llorente, the Spaniard unleashed a strike with his left foot that went wide.

Following a great cross from Hancko, Griezmann connected the ball with a wonderful volley in the air, but the ball found Courtois in between the posts.

Xabi Alonso opted to replace Vinícius Júnior with Arda Güler, but as he made his way off the pitch, a heated exchange with Diego Simeone resulted in the Brazilian being shown a yellow card.

Giving the ball away in the build up, Rodrygo found the ball to unleash a strike that got saved by Oblak.

Coach Simeone makes Atletico’s last substitution of the game: Nahuel Molina in, Matteo Ruggeri out.

Goalscorer Alexander Sorloth walks off the pitch to leave his place to Thiago Almada.

Xabi Alonso makes the first two substitutions for Los Blancos, with Antonio Rüdiger and Raúl Asencio coming off for Ferland Mendy and Fran García.

Capturing  a long ball, Sorloth, marked by Asencio, unleashed a powerful strike that got save by the Belgian goalkeeper.

Right after the goal, coach Simeone makes other two substitutions, bringing Antoine Griezmann and Johnny Cardozo in for Alex Baena and Koke.

With a one-two between Llorente and Simeone, the Argentine winger played a pinpoint cross to the second post finding Sorloth, who now shortens the distance in the scoreline.

After a perfectly weighted pass from Valverde on the right, Rodrygo dribbled past Le Normand and, one-on-one with Oblak, finished calmly across goal to extend the lead.

After scoring the opener in the second minute, Valverde tried his luck from long range again, but this time his shot sailed over the bar.

With Sorloth as the target, Courtois easily captures a cross from Koke.

Diego Simeone makes the first substitution of the game: Robin Le Normand in, Conor Gallagher out.

With Atletico Madrid and Real Madrid back on the field, referee Mateo Busquets Ferrer marks the beginning of the second half.

Real Madrid head into halftime with a narrow 1-0 win over Atletico Madrid in the Spanish Super Cup semifinal.

After the first 45, four more minutes have been added to the first half.

In midfield, Aurélien Tchouaméni and Alexander Sørloth went up for an aerial ball, collided heads, and required medical attention.

After winning the ball back, Álex Baena launched Atlético Madrid’s attack, forcing a save from Courtois. Julián Álvarez then collected the rebound but saw his effort blocked by Rüdiger, before Marcos Llorente finished the sequence with a shot that drifted wide.

With less than 20 minutes to play, the second-half cooling break brings both teams to the sideline, allowing the coaches to deliver their final instructions.

Connor Gallagher delivered a perfect cross to the far post, finding Sørloth, but the striker missed a clear chance by heading the ball over the bar.

Before the play fades away, Alex Baena tried from distance, but a well-positioned Thibaut Courtois made his first save of the evening.

After Vinicius' header over the bar, teams regroup on the sideline to rehydrate.

Following a counterattack off an Atlético Madrid corner, Rodrygo cut inside and fired a left-footed shot that Jan Oblak was able to save.

After a sharp link-up with Álex Baena down the left flank, Julián Álvarez tried to curl an effort toward the far post, but his shot lacked power and drifted wide.

In search of the equalizer, Marcos Llorente delivered a cross to Sorloth, but the striker made poor contact and sent his effort over the bar.

With Sorloth positioned as the reference in the box, Atletico Madrid are lacking creativity to break through Real Madrid's low block.

With the result in their favor and Atlético Madrid forced to press high to recover possession, Real Madrid have shifted their approach, opting for long balls in behind the Colchoneros’ defense.

After the opening goal, Real Madrid organized themselves on their own half, with Atletico Madrid looking for the equalizing goal.

Following a foul in the opening minute, Federico Valverde stepped up to take the free kick, unleashing a ferocious strike into the left corner.

Referee Mateo Busquets Ferrer blows his whistle and the second semifinal of the Spanish Super Cup is underway!

After El Clásico, Atlético Madrid vs. Real Madrid stands as one of the most historic rivalries in Spanish soccer. However, when it comes to the head-to-head record, there has been a clear dominant side.

Across 303 meetings between the two clubs, Real Madrid hold the edge with 154 victories, while Atlético Madrid have claimed 76 wins, with the remaining 73 matches ending in draws.

Without Kylian Mbappé available, head coach Xabi Alonso has opted to name the exact same starting XI that opened the 5-1 win over Real Betis, sticking with a lineup that delivered a convincing result for Los Blancos.

Asked about the decision on Movistar+ ahead of kickoff, the Spanish coach explained his thinking: "That’s the decision we’ve made for today. We want to give continuity to the good things we did against Betis. The players on the bench can also have a strong impact."

Since being appointed in December 2011, Diego Simeone has become one of Atlético Madrid’s legends and the most influential coach in the club’s modern history. With another opportunity to compete for silverware following the La Liga title in 2020-21, Thursday’s match carries special significance for the Argentine.

In the Spanish Super Cup semifinal, Diego Pablo Simeone will surpass Luis Aragonés as the manager who has faced Real Madrid the most times, reaching 49 meetings. The Argentine currently holds a record of 14 wins, 17 draws, and 17 losses against Los Blancos, a balance he will be eager to tilt in his favor.

Kylian Mbappé’s absence has raised concerns among fans. Of the 57 goals Real Madrid have scored across all competitions during the 2025-26 season, the French star has accounted for 29, more than half of the team’s total. Still, despite being sidelined, there is one statistic that offers optimism for Los Blancos.

As highlighted by Opta Jose, since joining from PSG last season, Real Madrid have lost 21.7% of their matches with Mbappé on the pitch (83 games: 57 wins, 8 draws, 18 losses). However, when the Frenchman has been unavailable, the Spanish giants have suffered defeat in just 9.1% of their matches (11 games: 7 wins, 3 draws, 1 loss), a figure that underscores the squad’s collective strength even without one of its biggest stars.

Head coach Diego Simeone also confirmed the eleven players that'll look for the ticket to the final against Real Madrid from the start (4-4-2): Jan Oblak; Marcos Llorente, Marc Pubill, David Hancko, Matteo Ruggeri; Giuliano Simeone, Koke, Connor Gallagher, Álex Baena; Alexander Sorloth, Julian Alvarez.

Coach Xabi Alonso confirmed the starting XI to face Atletico Madrid (4-3-3): Thibaut Courtois; Federico Valverde, Raul Asencio, Antonio Rüdiger, Álvaro Carreras; Aurelien Tchouameni, Eduardo Camavinga, Jude Bellingham; Rodrygo, Vinicius Jr., Gonzalo Garcia.

The biggest absence in the match will be Kylian Mbappé, who remains sidelined after suffering a knee sprain in late December and has yet to fully recover. As a result, the club has adopted what has been described internally as a “zero-risk” approach with the French star.

Still, there is cautious optimism within Real Madrid that Mbappé could be available if they reach the final, where FC Barcelona await after cruising to a dominant 5–0 victory over Athletic Club.

The game between Atletico Madrid and Real Madrid will begin at 2:00 PM (ET).

You can watch the Spanish Super Cup live on Fubo, DirecTV Stream, Sling, ESPN2 and ESPN Deportes.

Welcome to our live blog for the match between Atletico Madrid and Real Madrid for the second semifinal of the 2026 Spanish Super Cup. Stay with us for crucial updates and live minute-by-minute coverage!