The Spanish football federation (RFEF) have decided that the Copa del Rey final will take place at the Benito Villamarin in Seville on May 25.
Real Betis’s stadium will host the event after beating out Valencia’s Mestalla, which was the alternative.
It’s an unprecedentedly early decision, given the whole thing usually gets decided after the finalists are known, amid a boat load of controversy.
The RFEF wanted to make sure it had a minimum 45,000 tickets to sell, along with an emblematic space in the city between 5,000-10,000 square metres to celebrate events in a ‘festival of football’ around the game.
There also needed to be sufficient hotels in the city to host fans, at a reasonable distance from the stadium and price, not demanding minimum stay length or raising the price beyond that of a normal weekend rate.
The Benito Villamarin has a 60,721 capacity. It was inaugurated on March 17, 1929, and recently renovated.
Source: Sport