Sporting, beware! Pedro Proença changes Portuguese Cup final | OneFootball

The Portuguese Cup will undergo major changes starting from the 2026/27 season, in a decision that promises to reshape the format of the premier competition. The Portuguese Football Federation has defined a new model for the decisive stage of the tournament, with the introduction of a final four to be held after the end of the league season.

According to the newspaper Record, the main change is that the semi-finals will be played as single-leg ties at a neutral venue, followed by the final at Jamor, played one week later. In this way, the entire final stretch of the competition will be condensed into a short period of time, after the League has been completed.

The proposal did not win consensus among the clubs and was challenged by teams such as Porto, Benfica and Braga. Sporting, for its part, reportedly did not formally oppose the new model, at a meeting that was also attended by Liga Portugal.

In addition to this structural change, there are other relevant changes to the calendar. Clubs taking part in European competitions will now enter the Cup only in the fourth round, in November, benefiting from a more balanced schedule, especially in weeks with European matches.

Breaks for national team commitments will also be adjusted, with the September and October windows being merged, allowing league competitions to proceed without interruption until the seventh matchday. Only after that will there be a longer break, before competition resumes.

This article was translated into English by Artificial Intelligence. You can read the original version in 🇵🇹 here.