Russian Football Union Approves New Russian Cup Regulations for 2026/2027

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The Russian Football Union (RFU) has officially approved the regulations for the Fonbet Russian Cup for the 2026/2027 season. This announcement was made via the tournament's Telegram channel, highlighting several changes that will take effect in the upcoming season. The new season will commence on July 28. Among the notable changes is the renaming of playoff stages. The knockout rounds for both the RPL Path and Regional Path will begin from the Round of 16 instead of the Quarterfinals, as in previous seasons. Both brackets will conclude with semifinal matches, and the championship match will once again be called the 'Final,' rather than the 'Super Final.' For the Round of 16 in the RPL Path, the hosting club for the first match will be the team that finished second in its group. In the Quarterfinals and Semifinals of the RPL Path, the first home match will be played by the team that accumulated fewer points during the group stage compared to their opponents. If points are equal, the team with poorer group performance will host the first match. Previously, the order of matches was determined by a draw. In the second stage of the Round of 16 for the Regional Path, the host team in each pair will be a non-RPL club. If both teams in a pair are RPL clubs, the home game will be played by the team that lost in the Round of 16 of the RPL Path. Previously, the home advantage was given to the club that won in the previous Regional Path stage.

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