Belarusian Cup

The Belarusian Cup is an annual knockout cup competition held by the Football Federation of Belarus for the country’s men’s football clubs. This tournament was inaugurated in 1992 and follows the traditional fall-to-spring football schedule unlike the Belarusian Premier League, which kicks off in the spring and wraps up in autumn of the same year.

This single-elimination competition is open to all clubs from the Belarusian Premier League, First League, and Second League. Additionally, amateur clubs can qualify for the Belarusian Cup but that number is small. In the first round, First League clubs are paired against Second League and amateur teams in one-off matches. The winners move on to the round of 32, where they face Belarusian Premier League sides. In the first two rounds, home advantage is handed to the club from the lower league. After that comes the quarter-finals and semi-finals, which are typically two-legged affairs, followed by the final which is often held in May.

This domestic cup competition is important as it offers Belarusian clubs a ticket to Europe. A spot in the Europa League second qualifying round is awarded to the champions of the Belarusian Cup.