Villarreal CF now know their first opponent in the 2026/27 Copa del Rey. The draw held on Monday, October 5th at the Ciudad del Fútbol de Las Rozas paired the Yellow Submarine with CD Manacor, a club from the Tercera Federación based in Mallorca.

The match will be played at the lower-ranked team's ground, the Na Capellera stadium, on Tuesday, October 27th. This is the most likely date, as Villarreal have a La Liga fixture against Espanyol at the Cerámica scheduled for Friday, October 30th. Iñigo Pérez's side, currently ninth in the table with 8 points from seven games, will be looking to start their cup run on the right foot.

The draw and the opponent

The first-round draw involved 112 clubs to form 56 ties. The 16 First Division teams taking part in the Spanish Super Cup, including Real Madrid and Barcelona, are exempt from this phase and will enter directly in the round of 16. To reduce travel, participants were divided into four geographical groups. Villarreal were placed in Group 3 alongside Valencia, Elche, Levante and Málaga, which limited their possible opponents to five.

The options included CD Manacor and CD Tarancón, both from the Tercera Federación, and three regional football teams: UD Pinatar, Sporting de Alcázar and Tavernes de la Valldigna. The draw dictated that Villarreal's path would begin in the Balearic Islands. CD Manacor, founded in 1923 and wearing red and white, are in fine form with five wins from their first five league games this season, their best start in 103 years. In their last three matches they have scored 11 goals, beating Migjorn 5-1, Sineu 1-4 and Andratx 2-1.

The Mallorcan club has a recognised youth academy tradition, having produced players like Miquel Àngel Nadal, Albert Riera and Xisco Muñoz. Their current squad includes names like Sergi Vecina, Fernando Albert, 'Chato', Adrià Marín and Joan Marí. For Villarreal, who face a tough trip to the Santiago Bernabéu to play fourth-placed Real Madrid next, this tie represents a first test in a competition that always brings hope.

Objective: advance

The Copa del Rey is played as a single match in these early rounds, so Villarreal must win in Manacor to stay in the competition. The single-leg format will remain until the semi-finals, which will be two-legged. The final is scheduled for Saturday, April 24th, 2027 at the Estadio La Cartuja in Seville.

Villarreal's sporting director, Nacho Gimeno, recently emphasised the importance of the youth setup for the club. "Hay oportunidades para quedarse y trabajar aquí", Gimeno said. This match against a lower-division opponent could be an opportunity for some reserve team players or first-team squad members with fewer minutes to prove their worth.

With a busy schedule, the team must manage their efforts between the league and the cup. Villarreal's next La Liga fixture is an away match against Real Madrid, who currently sit fourth in the league standings. The immediate objective is clear: get past the first round and keep alive the chances of progressing in a competition Villarreal have always approached with ambition. The match at Na Capellera will be the first step.

Background and full detail: elperiodicomediterraneo.com