Battle of UPL clubs, amateur stars, and sensation teams: preview of the 1/32 finals of the Ukrainian Cup
On Thursday, August 20, the 1/32 finals of the 35th edition of the Ukrainian Football Cup season 2026/27 will start. The game schedule will consist of 28 matches and will last for four days.
Thanks to the updated format, including a blind draw and the abandonment of extra time, teams from lower divisions of professional football and amateur teams have a chance to compete for the trophy. Last year's tournament exceeded all expectations, giving fans a series of sensational results as representatives of the UPL were eliminated from the Ukrainian Cup one after another.
The new Ukrainian Cup tournament promises to be no less interesting.
"Champion" has prepared a preview of the most unpredictable tournament in Ukraine.
Schedule of matches for the 1/32 finals of the Ukrainian Cup
Thursday, August 20:
12:00. Dynaz (Vyshhorod) - Phoenix-Mariupol (Mariupol)
Friday, August 21:
12:00. Bratslav (Vinnytsia region) - Oleksandriya
12:00. Rebel (Kyiv) - Agrobusiness (Volochysk)
12:00. Druzhba-Kozaky (Nizhyn) - Bazys (Kochubiyivka, Cherkasy region)
14:00. Podillya (Khmelnytskyi) - Viktoria (Sumy)
14:00. Lokomotiv (Kyiv) - Probiy (Horodenka)
Saturday, August 22:
11:00. To4ka (Odesa) - Epicenter (Kamianets-Podilskyi)
12:00. Avangard (Lozova) - Kudrivka
12:00. Yuksa (Tarasivka) - Kolos (Kovalivka)
13:00. Skala 1911 (Stryi) - Zorya (Luhansk)
13:00. Mayak (Sarny) - SK Poltava
13:00. Reshetylivka (Poltava region) - Prykarpattya-Blaho (Ivano-Frankivsk)
13:00. Rokyta (Poltava region) - Kryvbas (Kryvyi Rih)
13:00. Kolos (Polonne) - Trostyanets (Sumy)
14:00. Kalynivka (Kyiv region) - Kharkiv
15:00. Inhulets (Petrove) - Veres (Rivne)
15:00. Dnister (Zalishchyky) - Livyi Bereh (Kyiv)
16:00. Niva (Ternopil) - Bukovyna (Chernivtsi)
16:00. Niva (Vinnytsia) - Rukh (Lviv)
18:00. Karpaty (Lviv) - Obolon (Kyiv)
Sunday, August 23:
12:00. Palmira (Odesa) - Kulykiv-Bilka (Kulykiv)
12:00. Agrotekh (Tyshkivka, Kirovohrad region) - Vilkhivtsi (Ivano-Frankivsk region)
12:00. Penuel (Kryvyi Rih) - Metalist (Kharkiv)
13:00. Pokuttia (Kolomyia, Ivano-Frankivsk region) - Karbon (Cherkasy)
13:00. Olimpiya (Savintsy, Poltava region) - Metalurh (Zaporizhzhia)
15:00. Novyi Rozdil (Lviv region) - Atlet (Kyiv)
16:00. Vilkhivtsi (Zakarpattia region) - Chornomorets (Odesa)
16:00. Lutskantekhmontazh №536 (Lutsk) - FC Chernihiv
Who will start in the 1/32 finals of the Ukrainian Cup?
Within the 1/32 finals of the Ukrainian Cup, 56 teams will participate, playing 14 tickets to the 1/16 finals in 28 matches. At this stage, 12 representatives of the UPL will start, along with 14 First League clubs, 15 Second League teams, six amateur football representatives, and nine winners of the regional qualification round.
The four Eurocup representatives from the UPL - Shakhtar, LNZ, Polissya, and Dynamo - will enter the competition from the 1/16 finals. It should be noted that in the Ukrainian Cup tournament, only one team from each club can participate. Therefore, the second teams of Kolos and Polissya from the First League, as well as Sambir-Niva-2, Poltava-2, and Oleksandriya-2 from the Second League, will not take part in the tournament.
The holders of the Ukrainian Cup 2025/26 will start from the 1/16 finals.
What will the teams fight for?
The winner of the Ukrainian Cup season 2026/27 will receive an updated trophy, which was first awarded last season.
The central element of the cup is the Cossack mace, symbolizing strength, victory, and invincibility. Its image is associated with the figure of the hetman Ivan Sirko, who, according to legends, never lost a battle. Similarly, the future trophy holder must go through the entire cup path undefeated.
The composition is complemented by 11 spears symbolizing team unity and eleven players on the field. The blue topaz of Ukrainian origin and amber give the award a special national color.
The winner of the Ukrainian Cup 2026/27 will earn a direct entry to the Europa League 2027/28, making the tournament especially attractive for teams that do not aim for high positions in the championship.
Who can provide a sensation?
The Ukrainian Cup traditionally gives teams from lower divisions the opportunity to make a name for themselves. This time, among the participants, there are many interesting teams that have already shown themselves in the previous season or have everything they need to become the main discoveries of the new tournament.
In the last Ukrainian Cup tournament, Chernihiv provided a real sensation, only losing to Dynamo Kyiv in the final. In the 1/32 finals, the cup fighter will meet a representative from the regional association - Lutskantekhmontazh №536.
Kyiv's Lokomotiv, which reached the quarterfinals last season, will play against a divisional opponent - Probiy from Horodenka.
The well-known cup fighter Inhulets from Petrove will host Veres from Rivne. Vasyl Kobin's "Cossacks" have every chance to knock out a representative of the UPL from the tournament.
The ambitious Phoenix-Mariupol, who lost to Chernihiv in a penalty shootout in the quarterfinals of the last tournament, will play against Dynaz from Vyshhorod, which will compete in the Second League.
The leader of the First League, Viktoria from Sumy, will play away against Podillya from Khmelnytskyi in the 1/32 finals. Vladimir Romanenko's team has every chance to become a discovery of the tournament.
Fans should pay attention to the debutant of the Second League, Bratslav, who will face Oleksandriya. After three rounds, the Vinnytsia region representative leads Group A. The team's head coach is Yuri Hura, who previously worked quite successfully with the "townspeople," so this game will have a special subtext for him. Bratslav's squad includes a number of players with UPL experience - goalkeeper Valeriy Voskanyan (former Poltava), defender Oleksandr Nasonov (Volyn, Arsenal, Mariupol, and others), Ruslan Palamar (former Minai), Vladyslav Nehtiy (former Kolos).
The confrontation between YUKSA and Kolos promises to be intriguing. The team from Tarasivka significantly strengthened before the start of the season and aims to improve its class. So where else but in the Cup to loudly declare their ambitions.
Confrontation of UPL clubs.
Even before the start of the 1/32 finals, it can be confidently stated that the elite division will lose one representative. By the luck of the draw at this stage, Karpaty and Obolon will meet.
Fran Fernandes' team managed to surprise with a confident start in the new UPL season, where after three rounds they top the standings. "Brewers" did not start the season as brightly, with two draws and one defeat. Alexander Antonenko's team has enough qualified players to surprise the favorite. Moreover, as the classic said, the championship and the Cup are two different tournaments.
Familiar faces among amateurs.
A number of amateur teams include players who until recently shone in the UPL and European competitions. In particular, Mayak Sarny is led by player-coach Vladyslav Kulach, who was the top scorer of the UPL in the 2020/21 season. In addition, the squad includes former Veres forward Mykhailo Serhiichuk, former Vorskla winger Yuri Kozirenko, former captain of Epitsentr Andriy Bezhenar and Yuri Romaniuk, known for his performances for Dnipro-1, Chornomorets, and Metalist. The team from Rivne region will face Poltava.
Odesa's Palmira is coached by former Ukrainian national team player Serhiy Tkachenko, and former Desna forward Ilya Shevtsov plays in attack. In the 1/32 finals, the Odessa team will play against the team from the First League Kulykiv-Bilka.
The two-time champions of Ukraine among amateurs, Agrotekh from Tyshkivka, is led by the charismatic Maxim Kovalov. A graduate of Shakhtar has played over 100 matches in the UPL, representing Zirka, Zorya, and Inhulets. Among his players are Oleksiy Chychykov, known for his performances for Dnipro-1 and the Ukrainian youth national team, as well as Ihor Zahalskyi, who played in the UPL for Zirka, Dnipro-1, and Inhulets. The representative of Kirovohrad region in the 1/32 finals will face the opponent from the amateur league - Vilkhivtsi from Ivano-Frankivsk region.
Where to watch?
All matches of the 1/32 finals of the Ukrainian Cup will be broadcast live on the YouTube channel UPL-TV.
