68 teams, blind draw, no extra time: UAF presented updated format for Ukrainian Cup

The Ukrainian Association of Football presented an updated format for the Ukrainian Cup for the 2025/2026 season at the capital's Football House. This includes an increase in the number of teams to 68, a blind draw, changes to the match regulations, and the participation of amateur teams. This was announced by UAF Technical Director Ihor Dedyshyn during a press conference, as reported by UNN.

Details

68 teams have agreed to participate in the Cup and have confirmed their involvement. Among them are 48 professional teams and 20 amateur teams. I want to emphasize the amateur teams, because we had the idea and desire to expand the geography of the Ukrainian Cup as much as possible, so that it truly becomes a nationwide competition, and a competition not only for professional clubs, but also for clubs from the so-called hinterlands.

He noted that the Cup stages will consist of 6 stages, and the 7th stage will be the tournament final, which is tentatively scheduled for May 20, 2026.

We proposed that clubs that won regional Cups compete in the qualifying round. There we apply the regional principle to ensure soft participation for clubs in this tournament, because these are amateur clubs, and we understand that their financial situation is not at a very high level, but this will allow them to fully participate in the Ukrainian Cup. In the qualifying round, the regional principle will be applied to ensure short travel distances and low financial burdens on these clubs. But from this round, we will have a prize money system in place, and it will increase at each stage. We have changed the approach to how prize money is distributed… clubs have expressed a desire for arbitration costs to be distributed 50/50

According to him, the distribution of prize money has been changed, with 70% going to the home team and 30% to the away team, to compensate for logistics and arbitration expenses.

He also emphasized that the competition regulations abolished extra time after the main time – penalties will be taken immediately, which, according to Dedyshyn, will give "small" clubs a chance to compete with higher-ranked teams. The tournament's prize fund has also been increased by 25%.

In addition, starting from the 1/8 finals, a blind draw will be ensured, which will determine both the home team and the opponents on the field, regardless of the division that one or another club represents.

Match broadcasts will be available on UPL TV, which will be accessible on OTT platforms, as well as YouTube.

Recall

The Ukrainian Association of Football presented a new design for the Ukrainian Cup trophy. The Cup is designed with the idea of Cossacks, and the motto "Honor to oneself, glory to Ukraine" adorns the trophy.