The COVID-19 pandemic in Spain led to the 2020 and 2021 editions of the competition being cancelled. The hiatus led to the format being revised by the Royal Spanish Football Federation. Previously a 16-team end-of season tournament with qualification based on the finishing positions in the División de Honor Juvenil de Fútbol, 32 teams were now invited based on their league positions at the halfway stage, with the Copa del Rey being completed over several months in the second half of the season. Two-leg ties were also replaced by single matches in each round. The first round draw was based on geographical proximity, with teams from each regionalised División de Honor group facing one another in most cases.