Real Sociedad 2025-26 season ends with Copa triumph despite LaLiga struggles
Real Sociedad 2025-26 season closed with contrasting narratives as the club secured the Copa del Rey with supporters in the stands while finishing a disappointing 10th in LaLiga. The campaign combined memorable cup success and deep league difficulties, shaped by departures, injuries and a midseason managerial change.
Copa del Rey triumph offsets league woes
Real Sociedad’s highlight of the Real Sociedad 2025-26 season was an emphatic Copa del Rey victory achieved in front of their own supporters. The club defeated Atlético de Madrid at La Cartuja to lift the trophy, delivering the long-awaited experience of celebrating a cup with fans rather than an empty stadium. That triumph guaranteed European qualification and provided a historic emotional reset for a squad and fanbase still haunted by the 2021 final played behind closed doors.
The cup success changed the tone of the campaign for many supporters and club officials. Despite the jubilation, the victory could not fully erase the inconsistencies that marred the league season. The dichotomy between domestic cup glory and league instability became the defining characteristic of the club’s year.
Disruptive summer departures and late arrivals
The season began under a cloud after several significant exits and an unsettled recruitment window. The departure of coach Imanol and the sale of key midfielder Martín Zubimendi removed continuity and leadership from the squad at a critical moment. New signings Gonçalo Guedes and Carlos Soler arrived later than planned, while other acquisitions carried issues that limited their immediate impact.
Real Sociedad also grappled with riskier transfers and injury-prone additions early on. Yangel Herrera was brought in while still carrying an existing injury, and Orri Óskarsson suffered recurrent muscular problems that restricted his availability. These personnel challenges compounded the team’s difficulty in establishing rhythm during the opening phase of the campaign.
Stuttering start plunged club into early crisis
On the field, the club’s LaLiga form failed to match preseason expectations as Real Sociedad did not register a league win until the sixth round. The second league victory only came in the tenth matchweek, a slow return that left the team perilously close to the bottom of the table. At one point the side sat second-from-bottom, level on points with the cellar club, and the situation produced the first major crisis of the season.
Manager Sergio Francisco initially steadied the ship with a run of three wins and a draw across four fixtures, a sequence that suggested the new project might be taking shape. That upturn provided temporary relief and raised hopes that the side could stabilize and climb away from danger. However, the fragile recovery proved to be vulnerable to setbacks that followed later in the season.
Oyarzabal injury triggers slide and coaching change
The campaign’s momentum suffered a further blow when captain Mikel Oyarzabal sustained a significant injury, removing a central attacking force from the squad. The team then endured three consecutive defeats, a run that directly precipitated the dismissal of Sergio Francisco. Francisco had been the club’s high-profile summer appointment, but results and circumstances forced the board’s hand.
Jon Ansotegi took charge on an interim basis to navigate the immediate fixtures and the upcoming cup tie, before the club appointed Pellegrino Matarazzo as the new head coach. The managerial transition was disruptive but reflected the club’s urgent need to arrest the decline and reorient both league and cup ambitions.
Matarazzo’s impact and the surge towards Europe contention
The arrival of Pellegrino Matarazzo sparked a clear improvement in results and performance. Under his guidance Real Sociedad recorded a sequence of four league wins and two draws that lifted them away from the relegation zone and briefly put the squad back into contention for European places. The change in coaching approach reinvigorated several players and introduced defensive stability that had been absent earlier.
Simultaneously, Matarazzo oversaw a strong cup campaign that carried the team into the latter stages of the Copa del Rey. The blend of tactical adjustments and renewed confidence allowed the side to compete on two fronts and to dream of winning a final with supporters present, a central objective for the club after the pandemic-era disappointment of 2021.
Cup final with supporters reshapes season narrative
With attention focused on the showpiece at La Cartuja, Real Sociedad delivered the most enduring image of the 2025-26 season by beating Atlético and lifting the Copa del Rey amid jubilant fans. The victory represented more than silverware; it was a symbolic reclamation of the relationship between club and supporters, confirming the squad’s capacity to win big matches. That communal moment will anchor memories of the season for players, staff and thousands of traveling fans.
The triumph also brought the practical benefit of European qualification, softening the blow of an otherwise underwhelming league position. For many within the club, the cup win validated Matarazzo’s arrival and provided a platform for rebuilding ahead of the new season.
Late-season slump and missed league opportunities
Despite the cup high, the final weeks of LaLiga exposed persistent shortcomings as Real Sociedad endured an eight-game winless streak. The poor run extinguished any remaining hope of reaching higher European places and highlighted the inconsistent contributions from some signings and squad members. Questions around recruitment, squad depth, and the impact of midseason losses re-emerged as the campaign drew to a close.
Club officials now face a clear set of lessons from the league downturn: the need for better-managed transitions after summer exits, greater attention to medical and fitness planning, and sharper recruitment timing. The end-of-season malaise underlined how fragile momentum can be when injuries and delayed transfers coincide.
Key personnel lessons and forward planning
Looking ahead, the club must address structural issues exposed during the Real Sociedad 2025-26 season to convert cup success into sustained league progress. Retaining or replacing key leaders, improving squad balance and integrating new signings more efficiently are immediate priorities. The influence of the Copa win can be a constructive lever in discussions with potential recruits and in setting expectations for next season.
Medical and recovery protocols will also be scrutinized, given the impact of injuries to leading figures such as Oyarzabal and the recurring problems faced by younger talents. Strengthening the backroom team and ensuring that new signings arrive fully fit or with clear rehabilitation plans will be central to avoiding a repeat of the season’s early instability.
The Copa del Rey victory allows Real Sociedad to approach the summer with a positive headline and the assurance of European football, but it does not mask the glaring weaknesses revealed in domestic competition. The club’s leadership now faces a dual task: consolidate the achievements of the cup run and make targeted changes to restore consistent LaLiga performance.
