The Spanish cup competition changed it's format for the 2000/1 season.

In an attempt to make the tournament more exciting, and to reduce the number of games by the larger clubs, the two earlier rounds were played over one leg at the ground of the lesser division side.

All first division teams entered the competition from the first round together with second division A teams and winners from a preliminary round involving the top teams from second division B and the third division.

First division teams were seeded in the first two rounds, and clubs competing in European competitions were seeded from the last 16 stage.

The first two rounds were regionalized , with clubs first of all being sorted into four geographical sections before the draw was made.

To avoid embarrasing scenes such as Barcelona only having 10 players available for the semi-final last season, teams were allowed to call up six players from their B teams, with four allowed on the field at any one time.

The changes were made as the competition had been losing interest in recent years, with matches played in empty stadiums and virtually everyone losing money.

This being the 25th edition of the cup with it's current name, the final was played in Sevilla with a special ceremony presided by the king of Spain. Zaragoza beat Celta 3-1 in a repeat of the 1994 final game, with the winners qualifying for the UEFA cup as a result.