Cupa (Romania)

Romanian Cup (Cupa României) - Romania’s domestic cup competition organised by the Romanian Football Federation. Regulations: the tournament follows a cup format with preliminary rounds and then a main group stage of 24 teams split into 4 groups of 6, where each team plays 3 group matches and faces one opponent from each seeding pot, with the top two in each group qualifying for the quarter-finals; home advantage in the preliminary rounds and up to and including the group stage is allocated by giving hosting priority to the lower-division club or the lower-ranked club from the previous season, and the knockout phase is played as single-leg ties, with group winners hosting in the quarter-finals, followed by semi-finals and a one-match final. If teams are level on points in the group, the ranking is decided by head-to-head points, head-to-head goal difference, head-to-head goals scored, overall goal difference, overall goals scored, and if still level the academy classification ranking is used as an additional criterion before a potential play-off match. In knockout matches, a draw is resolved by extra time of two 15-minute periods and, if needed, a penalty shoot-out, and the cup winner qualifies for UEFA Europa League qualifying, with the entry round and any reallocation depending on Romania’s access list and UEFA rules.