Coppa Italia - Format

Format

The competition is a knockout tournament with pairings for each round made in advance; the draw for the whole competition is made before a ball is kicked. Each tie is played as a single leg, with the exception of the two-legged semi-finals. If a match is drawn, extra time is played. In the event of a draw after 120 minutes, a penalty shoot-out is contested. As well as being presented with the trophy, the winning team also qualifies for the UEFA Europa League (formerly named the UEFA Cup). If the winners have already qualified for the UEFA Champions League via Serie A, the UEFA Europa League place goes to the Coppa Italia runners-up. If they also have qualified for the UEFA Champions League, or are not entitled to play in UEFA competitions for any reason, the place goes to the next highest placed finisher in the league table.

There are a total of 8 rounds in the competition. The competition begins in August with the first round and is contested only by the lowest-ranked clubs – those outside the top two divisions. Clubs playing in Serie B join in in the second round and the twelve lowest-ranked teams in Serie A based on the previous league season's positions (unless they are to compete in European competition that year) begin the competition in the third round before August is over. The remaining eight Serie A teams join the competition in the fourth round in January, at which point sixteen teams remain. The round of 16, the quarter-finals and the first leg of the semi-finals are then played in quick succession after the Fourth Round and the second leg of the semi-final is played a couple of months later; in April before the May-contest final. The rather unusual two-leg final was eliminated since the 2007-2008 edition and a single-match final is now played at the Stadio Olimpico in Rome.