Istanbul will host the 2027 Spanish Super Cup, bringing Spain's premier four-team tournament to Türkiye for the first time following a five-year run in Saudi Arabia, the Turkish Football Federation (TFF) announced Thursday.
The tournament will be held between Feb. 2-7, according to the TFF, which hosted a launch event Thursday attended by Turkish Youth and Sports Minister Osman Aşkın Bak, Culture and Tourism Minister Mehmet Nuri Ersoy and Saudi Arabia's Sports Minister Prince Abdulaziz bin Turki Al Faisal.
Also present were TFF President Ibrahim Hacıosmanoğlu, Saudi Royal Court Advisor and General Entertainment Authority Chair Turki Al Sheikh, Royal Spanish Football Federation (RFEF) President Rafael Louzan and World Ethnosport Union President Necmeddin Bilal Erdoğan.
The four-team marquee competition will feature global powerhouses Real Madrid, Barcelona, Atletico Madrid and Real Sociedad. The tournament will unfold across three of Istanbul's primary football venues.
The first semifinal between Real Madrid and Real Sociedad will take place on Feb. 2 at Fenerbahçe's Chobani Stadium, while the second, featuring Barcelona and Atletico Madrid, will follow on Feb. 3 at Beşiktaş's home ground.
The final match will be held on Feb. 6 at Galatasaray's Rams Park Stadium.
Speaking at the launch event, TFF's Hacıosmanoğlu emphasized Istanbul's growing stature as a global capital for international sporting events, citing the city's successful track record in staging major UEFA fixtures.
"We have successfully completed many major organizations, especially the UEFA Champions League and UEFA Europa League finals," Hacıosmanoğlu said. "Most recently in May, we hosted football fans from all over the world in Istanbul as part of the UEFA Europa League final. Now, we will put all our experience forward for the 2027 Spanish Super Cup."
He noted that the tournament will reach millions of football fans by being broadcast live in more than 150 countries, offering significant global exposure for Türkiye and its sporting infrastructure.
"In this respect, the organization will make a significant contribution to Türkiye's international visibility and brand value," said Hacıosmanoğlu. "Football fans coming to Istanbul will not only witness the struggle of world stars, but also have the opportunity to closely experience our country's thousands of years of history, unique culture, and strong passion for sports."
Expressing his appreciation to political leadership and international partners, Hacıosmanoğlu extended gratitude to President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, Saudi King Salman bin Abdulaziz, Saudi officials and RFEF leadership for facilitating the agreement. He also thanked host clubs Fenerbahçe, Beşiktaş and Galatasaray for providing their stadiums and training facilities.
Saudi Arabia holds the hosting rights to the expanded Super Cup format under a multi-year agreement with the RFEF.
The decision to stage next year's edition in Istanbul was driven largely by a scheduling clash with the Asian Cup in Saudi Arabia and not by security concerns in the region, RFEF's Louzan told Reuters following the event.
Louzan said negotiations over moving the competition had begun before the latest regional tensions because organizers knew its dates would coincide with the Asian Cup.
He said Real Madrid, Barcelona, Real Sociedad and Atletico Madrid were satisfied with the arrangement, and thanked Beşiktaş, Galatasaray and Fenerbahçe for providing stadiums and infrastructure.
The financial terms for the Istanbul edition will remain broadly the same as under the existing arrangement, said Louzan, with "some improvements," but did not disclose the value of the deal.
He said talks were already under way with Saudi authorities about extending their agreement beyond 2030.
"This year, the alliance between Türkiye and Saudi Arabia has also allowed us to come here," Louzan said.
