Agriculture Türkiye Cup New Format (2026–27)

The Ziraat Turkey Cup is a prestigious sports competition organized by the Turkish Football Federation (TFF), involving football clubs at the national level. Throughout its history, the tournament's structure has undergone numerous changes for various reasons, including balancing fixture congestion, enhancing match excitement, and organizing team pairings. After several transitions between different group structures and elimination systems in recent years, a completely new elimination model has been introduced effective from the 2026-2027 season.

Evolution of the Turkey Cup Format from Past to Present

Significant changes have been implemented in the tournament system since the early 2000s. Between 2000 and 2005, the competition was conducted using the traditional single-match elimination format, with ties resolved through extra time and penalty shootouts. Starting with the 2005-2006 season, a group stage was reintroduced, allowing teams that successfully passed the preliminary rounds to compete in groups, playing home and away matches. However, this structure was abolished in the 2011-2012 season, and it was decided that all rounds would be organized under a single-match elimination system on neutral venues.

In the 2012-2013 season, the group stage was reintroduced on a broader scale, with teams facing each other in a double round-robin league format. Due to the scheduling congestion caused by this expanded structure, the group stage was removed again in the 2017-2018 season, reverting to an elimination system: matches up to the round of 16 were played as single matches, while the quarterfinals and semifinals were contested over two legs.

In the 2024-2025 season, the tournament adopted a new format inspired by the “Swiss System” used in international tournaments, featuring four groups of six teams each, with every team playing three matches. Just one season later, in the 2025-2026 edition, the system was revised to accommodate 155 participating teams, with the group stage restructured into three groups of eight teams each. In this 24-team group phase, clubs were required to play four matches each—two at home and two away. The top two teams from each group, along with the two best third-placed teams, advanced to the quarterfinals.

New Format of the Ziraat Turkey Cup (2026-2027)

Following a decision made by the Turkish Football Federation Board of Directors on 4 March 2026, the competition system of the Ziraat Turkey Cup has been completely overhauled starting from the 2026-2027 season. With this decision, all group stages have been entirely eliminated, and the tournament has been redesigned to follow a pure elimination format.

New format of the Ziraat Turkey Cup (2026-27)

Tournament Stages and Match Rules

Under the new structure, the cup competition will consist of the following stages in sequence: five elimination rounds, the round of 16, the quarterfinals, the semifinals, and the final. A clear distinction has also been established regarding the number of matches per tie. The semifinals will be played as two-legged ties under the two-leg elimination system, while all other elimination rounds—the round of 16, quarterfinals, and final—will be decided by single matches.

Schedule

It has been decided that all elimination rounds and the final stage under the new format will be completed across ten cup matchweeks within the football season. With the implementation of this new system, the Turkey Cup has now undergone its third structural change in the past two years and has transitioned to its seventh different format in its 21-year history.