An official event for the Ukrainian Cup 2025/2026 "Start of the Cup Season" took place at the Football House in the capital, during which the updated competition format, the model of the new trophy, and the principles of the tournament were presented.
A special working group was involved in the development of the trophy and format. It was led by the UAF Vice President Oleksandr Shevchenko and the tournament director Oleg Luzhny. The ideas of the working group were reflected in the design of the cup and the format of the competition.
In the 2025/2026 season, 68 teams will participate in the Ukrainian Cup — 48 professional and 20 amateur.
The competitions will consist of seven stages and encompass 67 matches:
All draws will be "blind". Each stage involves one match. In case of a draw, a series of penalty shootouts will be conducted immediately, except for the final match.
Compared to the previous season, the overall prize pool of the tournament has increased by 25% due to a significant rise in the number of teams. Payments to participants will be made according to the scheme: 70% — for the home team, 30% — for the guests.
Match broadcasts will be conducted within a unified TV pool on OTT platforms, on the UPL TV YouTube channel. The UAF has managed to consolidate all media rights for match broadcasts. This lifted the financial burden placed on clubs in the previous season regarding the organization of game displays.
In the new season, all costs for production of broadcasts will be covered by partnership payments. Matches will be available on YouTube, OTT services, and cable television. It is expected that this will significantly expand the tournament’s audience and increase its commercial appeal.
The winner of the 2025/2026 season will receive a new trophy, the model of which was officially presented during the event.
The main element of the trophy is a Cossack mace representing strength and invincibility. The legendary Cossack ataman Ivan Sirko never lost a battle — just like the winning team that will go the entire way to the final. The mace is surrounded by 11 spears — a symbol of unity of the 11 players who achieve "Honor to themselves — Glory to Ukraine".
The key decorative element is a blue topaz of Ukrainian origin, as well as amber. These stones will add uniqueness and symbolism to the trophy.
“Thank you to the 92nd OShBr named after ataman Ivan Sirko for the patriotic motto and protection! The UAF plans to actively cooperate with this brigade. They will become partners in this tournament. Joint charitable activities are planned”, — says the statement from the UAF press service.