2026 Slovak Cup final
 Štadión pod Dubňom in Žilina held the final | |||||||
| Event | Slovak Cup final | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
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| Date | 1 May 2026 | ||||||
| Venue | Štadión pod Dubňom, Žilina | ||||||
| Referee | Peter Kráľovič | ||||||
| Attendance | 9,723 | ||||||
The 2026 Slovak Cup final (known as the Slovnaft Cup for sponsorship reasons) was the final match of the 2025–26 Slovak Cup, the 57th season of the top cup competition in Slovak football. The match was played on 1 May 2026.
It was contested by MŠK Žilina and FC Košice. The match ended in a 3–1 victory for Žilina, winning their first trophy in several years. As winners, they qualified for the first qualifying round of the 2026–27 UEFA Europa League.[1] Filip Kaša scored the winning goal.
Route to the final
Note: In all results below, the score of the finalist is given first (H: home; A: away; N: neutral venue).
| MŠK Žilina (1) | Round | FC Košice (1) | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Opponent | Result | 2025–26 Slovak Cup | Opponent | Result |
| Bye | Preliminary round | Bye | ||
| Bye | First round | Bye | ||
| Spartak Vysoká nad Kysucou (6) | 7–1 (A) | Second round[2] | Slovan Kendice (4) | 5–0 (A) |
| TJ Sokol Zubrohlava (6) | 8–0 (A) | Third round | MŠK Spišské Podhradie (3) | 7–1 (A) |
| MŠK Senec (3) | 1–0 (A) | Fourth round[3] | ViOn Zlaté Moravce (2) | 4–2 (A) |
| MFK Skalica (1) | 3–1 (H) | Round of 16[4] | MFK Ružomberok (1) | 4–2 (A) |
| AS Trenčín (1) | 3–0 (H) | Quarter-finals | DAC Dunajská Streda (1) | 4–0 (A) |
| FK Železiarne Podbrezová | 2–0 (H) 1–1 (A) (3–1 agg.) | Semi-finals | Tatran Prešov (1) | 2–2 (A), 2–1 (a.e.t) (H) (3–2 agg.) |
Match
Background
On 6 September 2025, it was announced that the final of the 2025–26 Slovak Cup would be held in the Štadión pod Dubňom. It would be the second time that it would host a final, with the first being in the 2007–08 season when Artmedia Petržalka beat Spartak Trnava 1–0 following a goal from Zbyněk Pospěch in extra time.[5]
The final saw Žilina play in their first major cup final since the 2021 final, which they lost against Slovan Bratislava, and seek their first major trophy under the management of Pavol Staňo.[6] The šošoni were considered to be the favorites of the match, having already beaten Košice 4–1 earlier in the season and drawing 2–2 away from home.[7]
Summary
First half
At the start of the game, Košice had two chances by the penalty area at the right wing. The first goal came after 20 minutes when Patrik Iľko's attempt was saved by Matúš Kira. The Košice defenders stopped him from getting the ball, but shortly after, Kristián Bari sprinted past and tucked the ball into the net from in front of the open goal, with former Košice player Michal Faško scoring.[8] In the last few minutes of the first half, Filip Kaša scored a header following a cross from Timotej Hranica.[9]
Second half
10 minutes after the break, Žilina were able to increase their lead to 3–0, following a goal scored by Marko Roginić who was assisted by Faško. Around the hour mark, Iľko had a shot which hit the crossbar.[8][10] Shortly afterward, referee Kráľovič paused the match due to pyrotechnics in the Košice fans' section. Osman Kakay would make a goal-line clearance following a mistake by goalkeeper Kira. Following a cleared corner kick in additional time, Košice were able to counter, with Karlo Miljanić scoring.[9]
Details
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Assistant referees:
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Match rules
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Post-match
Reaction
MŠK Žilina reclaimed the Slovak Cup for the first time in 13 years since their 3–2 triumph in the 2012 final against FK Senica.[11] On the other hand, this denied Košice their first trophy since their re-founding in 2018. It was the first trophy that Pavol Staňo won as a coach.[7]
Following the match, it was reported that Košice fans had rioted in the city.[12]
References
- ↑ Šport.sk (2026-05-01). "Cesta MŠK ŽIlina k trofeji nebola ľahká. Pozrite si historický prehľad výsledkov finále". Šport.sk. Retrieved 2026-05-02.
- ↑ Bobko, Silvester (2025-08-19). "SLOVNAFT CUP – V Jelke sa tentoraz nebude fandiť DAC. Takýto duel sa tu ešte nehral, vraví kapitán Huszár". futbalsfz.sk (in Slovak). Retrieved 2026-05-02.
- ↑ "Prekvapenie hneď na úvod. V pohári končí ďalší druholigista, dostal päťku (Slovnaft Cup)". sportnet.sme.sk (in Slovak). Retrieved 2026-05-02.
- ↑ "Posledný piatoligista dostal debakel. Súboj žiaka proti učiteľovi pre favorita (Slovnaft Cup)". sportnet.sme.sk (in Slovak). Retrieved 2026-05-02.
- ↑ "SLOVNAFT CUP - Pohárové finále sa po 17 rokoch vracia pod Dubeň". futbalsfz.sk (in Slovak). 2025-09-06. Retrieved 2026-05-02.
- ↑ Šurin, Peter (2021-05-19). "SLOVNAFT CUP 2020/21 – Sedemnásty triumf Slovana". futbalsfz.sk (in Slovak). Retrieved 2026-05-02.
- 1 2 "SLOVNAFT CUP 2025/26 - Finále: Žilina si tlak nepripúšťa, Košice doliečili drobné zranenia". futbalsfz.sk (in Slovak). 2026-04-30. Retrieved 2026-05-02.
- 1 2 "VIDEO: Žilina suverénne ovládla finále Slovenského pohára. Získala prvú trofej po deviatich rokoch". sportnet.sme.sk (in Slovak). Retrieved 2026-05-02.
- 1 2 Šport.sk (2026-05-01). "Eufória radosti pod Dubňom! Žilina si doma vychutnala Košice a oslavuje zisk Slovnaft Cupu". Šport.sk. Retrieved 2026-05-02.
- ↑ "Prvá trofej po deviatich rokoch. Žilina ovládla finále Slovenského pohára, Košičania sa presadili až v nadstavenom čase". Športweb.sk (in Slovak). 2026-05-01. Retrieved 2026-05-02.
- ↑ "Finále Slovnaft Cup-u 8. mája v Bardejove". www.profutbal.sk (in Slovak). Archived from the original on 2016-03-04. Retrieved 2026-05-02.
- ↑ o, mediak, s r (2026-05-02). "VIDEO: Po triumfe MŠK Žilina prišli obvinenia z výtržností v meste". Žilinak.sk (in Slovak). Retrieved 2026-05-02.
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
External links
Media related to 2026 Slovak Cup final at Wikimedia Commons