We are now used to the Italian Super Cup and the Spanish Super Cup no longer being played before the start of the season, as was previously the case in England and Germany, but now taking place during the winter. And both tournaments have been held several times in Saudi Arabia.

The Italians have already held their own Super Cup – in December, Napoli lifted the trophy in a tournament also featuring Bologna, Inter and Milan.

Meanwhile, in Spain, the winner will be determined at the weekend – with Real Madrid and Atletico Madrid vying for a place in the final where Barcelona is already.

But why aren’t these competitions held in their own countries and why is it now played in a four-team format? Let’s analyze.

Italian Super Cup “abroad” since the ’90s – Saudi Arabia provides the largest prize fund

Saudi Arabia is just the latest stop in the long history of the Italian Super Cup’s travels. The competition was first played abroad in 1993 in the United States, when Milan beat Torino 1-0 in Washington.

Since then, the Super Cup has been held once in the US, twice in Qatar and four times in China – during a period when football in China was growing significantly. Most notably, Tripoli, the capital of Libya, remains where Juventus beat Parma 2-1 in 2002.

– YouTube www.youtube.com

Since 2018 (with a COVID-19 interruption in 2020 and 2021), the Italian Super Cup has been held in Saudi Arabia. As previously happened in Qatar, this move also affected the timing of the tournament – ​​instead of serving as the season opener, it is now held in the winter due to weather conditions.

Saudi Arabia has also influenced the tournament format. Starting with the 2023 Super Cup (played in January 2024), moving to a four-team tournament – ​​two semi-finals and a final, rather than a single match – was a contractual requirement imposed by Saudi Arabia on the organizers.

In return, the Gulf king pays 23 million euros per year to Serie A, of which 16.2 million euros goes directly to the prize fund – the largest of any European super cup. The winner receives 8 million euros, the runner-up 5 million euros, while the semi-finalists receive 1.6 million euros each.

Spanish Super Cup – most profitable, but dependent on Real Madrid and Barcelona

After an experiment in Morocco in 2018, Spain has also held its Super Cup in Saudi Arabia since 2020 (with a break in 2021 due to COVID). The Spaniards pioneered the four-team format, first introducing it in January 2020. In comparison, Italy kept the traditional format until 2024.

Saudi Arabia pays the Spanish Football Federation (RFEF) more than the Italians – 40 million euros for each edition until 2028. However, only about 12 million euros goes directly to the prize fund for the clubs. A significant part of the money is distributed even before the tournament starts.

There is also a clear dependence on Real Madrid and Barcelona. If neither of the Spanish giants reaches the final, the federation risks losing €10 million, and another €5 million if one of them fails to qualify for the tournament at all.

So far, the federation has avoided any penalties – every final held in Saudi Arabia has involved either Real Madrid or Barcelona, ​​with the last three finals being directly between these two clubs. /Telegraph/