On Sunday, the first major soccer match of 2026 will be played in Saudi Arabia. Real Madrid and Barcelona will meet in the Spanish Super Cup final, both looking to start the year with a trophy. For his part, Hansi Flick will attempt to extend a remarkable winning streak.
Flick has never lost a final in his managerial career. After a brief spell at TSG 1899 Hoffenheim in the early 2000s, he spent many years as an assistant coach with the Germany national team under Joachim Low before resuming his head coaching career in 2019 with Bayern Munich.
With the German giants, Flick enjoyed an outstanding run, winning seven trophies, including two Bundesliga titles. Most notably, he was perfect in every final he coached, leading the club to victories in the 2019–20 DFB-Pokal, the 2020 DFL-Supercup, the 2019–20 UEFA Champions League, the 2020 UEFA Super Cup, and the 2020 FIFA Club World Cup.
After a short tenure with the Germany national team that lasted just over two years and included a group-stage exit at the 2022 FIFA World Cup, Flick was hired by Barcelona in the summer of 2024. There, he has only continued to build on his remarkable finals record.
Hansi Flick, Head Coach of FC Barcelona, looks on prior to a La Liga match.
Flick’s success at Barcelona
In his first season with Barcelona, Hansi Flick won three of the four competitions the club entered. Los Blaugranas captured the 2024–25 La Liga title, along with the Copa del Rey and the Spanish Super Cup. The only unfinished business was the 2024–25 UEFA Champions League, where they were eliminated in the semifinals by Inter Milan.
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The two finals Flick has coached since arriving at Barcelona both came against Real Madrid, and he won them both. This Sunday will mark his third final with the club — once again in El Clasico — as he looks to extend his perfect record.
Real Madrid betting big on the Super Cup final
The Spanish Super Cup semifinals could not have been more different. While Barcelona showed overwhelming control and attacking firepower in a 5–0 win over Athletic Bilbao, Real Madrid struggled against Atletico Madrid and edged out a narrow 2–1 victory.
That contrast appears to give Barcelona the edge, as they have looked sharper than their rivals in recent weeks. In that context, Real Madrid will need all the help they can get, which is why they plan to rely on Kylian Mbappe, who initially did not travel to Saudi Arabia as he continued recovering from a knee injury.
“Mbappe is traveling tomorrow, and the match will be different,” head coach Xabi Alonso said during the post-match press conference following the win over Atletico Madrid. With the French forward on the field, Los Blancos’ chances of lifting the trophy will undoubtedly increase.
