Spain's football federation cancelled all 24 Copa del Rey first-round matches scheduled for Wednesday after the deadly train accident in Toledo. The RFEF said the decision was taken as a sign of respect and solidarity with the victims, while traffic on the Madrid-Andalusia line remained completely cut off.
The cancellation and the casualty count
At least 30 people died in the collision of two high-speed trains in the province of Toledo. That made a blanket postponement the only realistic option for a night that had been set to include 24 fixtures across the first round of the competition.
The federation said the move was also a practical response to the disruption on the rail line. Travel between Madrid and Andalucía was still blocked after the crash, so the postponement affected clubs, referees and supporters who would have been moving across that route.
The RFEF also issued condolences through Relevo, saying: "The RFEF wishes to convey its deepest condolences to the families and loved ones of the deceased, as well as send all its support to the affected people." SPORT1 reported the federation's explanation as "a sign of respect and solidarity with all the victims of the tragic train accident."
Clubs and fixtures affected
Relevo named several of the clubs due to be involved, including Betis Sevilla, FC Valencia and Deportivo Alavés. The postponed schedule also included Anaitasuna-Alavés, Tarancón-Levante, Peña Sport-Huesca and Utebo-Sabadell in the 19:00 hours slot, with Xerez-Cádiz, Navalcarnero-Betis, Salamanca UDS-Celta and Tavernes de la Valldigna-Valencia set for 21:00 hours.
New dates for the 24 fixtures will be announced in the coming days. Until then, the opening round of Wednesday's Copa del Rey schedule remains on hold after a tragedy that stopped football from going ahead.
Written by Sam Whitfield with AI-assisted research, cross-checked against 2 outlets. How we work →
