2026 Belgian Cup final
 The King Baudouin Stadium, where the 2026 Belgian Cup final will be played. | |||||||
| Event | 2025–26 Belgian Cup | ||||||
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| Date | 14 May 2026 | ||||||
| Venue | King Baudouin Stadium, Brussels | ||||||
| Referee | Bram Van Driessche | ||||||
The 2026 Belgian Cup final, named Croky Cup after the sponsor, was the 71st Belgian Cup final. It was played on 14 May 2026 between Union SG and Anderlecht.
Route to the final
| Union SG | Anderlecht | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Opponent | Result | Scorers | Round | Opponent | Result | Scorers |
| Tubize-Braine (III) | 3–0 (A) | Rodríguez (2), David | Seventh round | Ninove (III) | 2–0 (H) | Bertaccini, Huerta |
| Zulte Waregem (I) | 2–1 (H) | Rodríguez, David | Eighth round | Genk (I) | 3–1 (A) | Bertaccini, Hazard, Kanaté |
| Dender EH (I) | 2–0 (A) | David, Van de Perre | Quarter-finals | Gent (I) | 1–0 (H) | Hazard |
| Charleroi (I) | 0–0 (A), 4–1 (H) (4–1 agg.) |
none; David, Fuseini, Sykes, Florucz | Semi-finals | Antwerp (I) | 0–1 (H), 4–0 (A) (4–1 agg.) |
none; Saliba, Degreef, De Cat, Scott (o.g.) |
Pre-match
Going into the match, Union SG were the favorites on paper, having won most recent duels between both Brussels-based clubs, and in a battle with Club Brugge to renew their league title, while Anderlecht had been struggling to complete a string of good results and only in fourth. Furthermore, Union SG had already played three cup finals and won each time, most recently winning the 2024 Belgian Cup final, while Anderlecht were now nearly a decade without a major trophy, last winning the title in 2016–17, and the cup in 2008.
On the other hand, Union SG was in a fierce battle for the title, with Club Brugge one point ahead with just three games to go and both teams meeting in Bruges in what could be a title-decing match just three days after the cup final, while Anderlecht was in fourth and could no longer gain positions. For Anderlecht however, European football was not certain yet, while Union SG had already mathematically secured the 2026–27 UEFA Champions League Third qualifying round through their league position. With the winner of the match qualifying for the 2026–27 UEFA Europa League play-off round, this meant that in case Anderlecht wins, their season is effectively over as they cannot improve their league position or European ticket. If Union SG won the cup however, then Anderlecht can at best qualify for the 2026–27 UEFA Europa League Second qualifying round if they hold off both Gent and Mechelen for fourth position, leading over both of those teams by two points with three games to play, alhough a fifth-place finish might also lead to Europe via the 2025–26 Belgian Pro League European_competition_play-off where a ticket for the 2026–27 UEFA Conference League Second qualifying round can be won.
Match
Summary
The main highlight of the first half was a disallowed goal in the 16th minute, as Christian Burgess seemed to have opened the score for Union SG, heading in a free kick, however after a lenghthy VAR review the goal was disallowed for offside by teammate Kevin Mac Allister, who was judged to have influenced play by causing Mihajlo Cvetković to lose his balance which in turn freed up space for Burgess. Later that half, Anderlecht goalkeeper Colin Coosemans made one more save, and Rob Schoofs had a decent free kick for Union SG, while Anderlecht had no chances whatsoever.
In the second half, both clubs showed very little offensively. Anderlecht had its first shot on goal through Ilay Camara (on Kjell Scherpen), and had more space open up, but both Thorgan Hazard and Yari Verschaeren missed their decisive passes. Fifteen minutes before time Union SG opened the score as Kevin Mac Allister hit a volley from inside the penalty box following a cross by Anan Khalaily, only for Anderlecht to equalize a few minutes later as Cvetković cleanly headed the ball into the top corner, sending the match into extra-time.
After the restart, Union SG finished off the game in just nine minutes as both Mohammed Fuseini and Kevin Rodríguez scored in short succession with Anderlecht having no real answer.
Due to the victory of Union SG and the fact that they were already certain of finishing in the top two and thus entering at least the qualifying rounds of the 2026–27 UEFA Champions League, this meant that Sint-Truiden inherited the 2026–27 UEFA Europa League Play-off round spot (and hence were certain of entering the league phase as they had the backup of the 2026–27 UEFA Conference League).
Details
| Union SG | 3−1 (a.e.t.) | Anderlecht |
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         Union SG
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     Anderlecht
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Match rules
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References
External links
- Official website (in French and Dutch)