2026–27 Belgian Cup

2026–27 Belgian Cup
Croky Cup
Tournament details
CountryBelgium
Dates26 July 2026 – TBA 2027
Teams277

The 2026–27 Belgian Cup, called the Croky Cup for sponsorship reasons, is the 72nd season of Belgium's annual football cup competition. The competition began on 26 July 2026. The winners of the competition will qualify for the 2027–28 UEFA Europa League. Union SG are the defending champions. Match times are CEST (UTC+2) during the summer and CET (UTC+1) during the winter.

Competition format

The competition consists of multiple proper rounds. All rounds are single-match elimination rounds, except for the semi-finals. When tied after 90 minutes in the first three rounds, penalties will be taken immediately. From round four onwards, when tied after 90 minutes first an extra time period of 30 minutes will be played, then penalties are to be taken if still necessary.

Round and draw dates

Round Draw date Match dates
First round 24 June 2026[1] 26 July 2026
Second round 2 August 2026
Third round 9 August 2026
Fourth round 16 August 2026
Fifth round 23 August 2026
Sixth round 27 September 2026
Seventh round 28 September 2026 TBA
Eighth round TBA TBA
Quarter-finals TBA
Semi-finals TBA
Final TBA

First round

This round of matches is scheduled to be played on 26 July 2026. It features 116 teams from the provincial leagues.

Number of teams per tier still in competition
Pro League Challenger Pro League Division 1 Division 2 Division 3 Provincial Leagues Total
18 / 18
11 / 11
23 / 23
45 / 45
64 / 64
116 / 116
277 / 277

Second round

This round is scheduled to be played on 2 August 2026. The 58 winners from the first round are joined by 64 clubs from the Division 3.

Number of teams per tier still in competition
Pro League Challenger Pro League Division 1 Division 2 Division 3 Provincial Leagues Total
18 / 18
11 / 11
23 / 23
45 / 45
64 / 64
58 / 116
219 / 277

Third round

This round is scheduled to be played on 9 August 2026. The 61 winners from the second round are joined by 45 clubs from the Division 2.

Number of teams per tier still in competition
Pro League Challenger Pro League Division 1 Division 2 Division 3 Provincial Leagues Total
18 / 18
11 / 11
23 / 23
45 / 45
47 / 64
14 / 116
158 / 277

Fourth round

This round is scheduled to be played on 16 August 2026. The 53 winners from the third round are joined by 23 clubs from the Division 1.

Number of teams per tier still in competition
Pro League Challenger Pro League Division 1 Division 2 Division 3 Provincial Leagues Total
18 / 18
11 / 11
23 / 23
36 / 45
14 / 64
3 / 116
105 / 277

Fifth round

This round is scheduled to be played on 23 August 2026 and features the 38 winners from the previous round.

Number of teams per tier still in competition
Pro League Challenger Pro League Division 1 Division 2 Division 3 Provincial Leagues Total
18 / 18
11 / 11
20 / 23
15 / 45
3 / 64
0 / 116
67 / 277

Sixth round

This round is scheduled to be played on 27 September 2026 and features the 19 winners from the previous round, joined by the 11 eligible clubs from the Challenger Pro League and two teams from the Pro League (Kortrijk and Lommel).

Number of teams per tier still in competition
Pro League Challenger Pro League Division 1 Division 2 Division 3 Provincial Leagues Total
18 / 18
11 / 11
11 / 23
8 / 45
0 / 64
0 / 116
48 / 277

Seventh round

This round will feature the 16 winners from the previous round together with the remaining 16 teams from the Pro League, who enter at this stage.

Eighth round

The draw for the eighth round will take place after the completion of the seventh round.

Quarter-finals

The draw for the quarter-finals will take place after the eighth round matches are concluded.

Semi-finals

The four quarter-final winners will enter the semi-finals, held over two legs.

Final

References

  1. ↑ "Croky Cup 2026-2027" (PDF). RBFA.
  2. 1 2 Bree-Beek lost the match 1-4 but was awarded a 5-0 forfeit win as Racing Gent were unable to present ID-cards for four of their players.