In the elimination system of the Portuguese Cup, the competition is usually divided into two stages, namely, the preliminary competition and the main competition. The preliminaries usually adopt a single turn system, which gives low-level teams the opportunity to challenge high-level teams. However, once the team enters the main competition through the qualifiers, the competition system will become more strict and intense.
In the main stage, the team will have a single knockout, which means that the winner of each game will advance to the next round, while the loser will be eliminated. This competition system makes the result of the game more unpredictable, because any team may become a dark horse and win the game.
The elimination system of the Portuguese Cup also adopts the method of drawing lots to choose opponents to ensure the fairness and justice of the game. During the lottery, teams will be randomly assigned to different groups to avoid any form of cheating or prejudice.
The development history of the Portuguese Cup
The predecessor of the Portuguese Cup was the "Portuguese Championship" founded by 1922. 1938/39, the Portuguese Football Association renamed the Portuguese Championship the Portuguese Cup. At present, all football clubs in the four league groups managed by the Portuguese Football Association (including Portugal Super League, Portugal A, Portugal B and Portugal C) are eligible to participate in the Portuguese Cup, and the team that won the runner-up in the regional league last season is also allowed to participate in the first lap.
Until 2007, together with the final Portuguese Cup, there were 9 rounds. The third league clubs join in the second lap, the second league clubs join in the third lap, and the top league clubs join in the fourth lap. Starting from the 2008/09 season, the semi-final will adopt the two-round host-guest system, and the one-time final will be held in the neutral national stadium.