| Tournament details | |
|---|---|
| Country | .svg.png.webp){kind=small} Belgium |
| Dates | 2 August 2020 – 25 April 2021 |
| Final positions | |
| Champions | Genk |
| Runner-up | Standard Liège |
The 2020–21 Belgian Cup, called the Croky Cup for sponsorship reasons, was the 66th season of Belgium's annual football cup competition. The competition began on 2 August 2020 and ended with the final on 25 April 2021. The winners of the competition qualified for the 2021–22 UEFA Europa League play-off round.
Competition format
The competition consisted of one preliminary round, followed by ten proper rounds. All rounds were single-match elimination rounds, including the semi-finals which were traditionally held over two legs but not this season due to an extremely tight schedule. When tied after 90 minutes in the first three rounds, penalties were taken immediately. From round four, when tied after 90 minutes first an extra time period of 30 minutes was played, then penalties were taken if still necessary.
Teams entered the competition in different rounds, based upon their 2020–21 league affiliation. Teams from the fifth-level Belgian Division 3 or lower began in round 1, with the exception of four teams from the Luxembourg Belgian Provincial League which started in the preliminary round. Belgian Division 2 teams entered in round 2, Belgian National Division 1 teams entered in round 3, Belgian First Division B teams in round 5 and finally the Belgian First Division A teams entered in round 6.
| Round | Clubs remaining | Clubs involved | Winners from previous round | New entries this round | Leagues entering at this round | Exceptions entering at this round |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Preliminary Round | 312 | 4 | none | 4 | 4 Luxembourg Belgian Provincial League teams | |
| Round 1 | 310 | 221 | 2 | 219 | Belgian Division 3 (63 teams) and Belgian Provincial Leagues (156 teams) | Wetteren [D] |
| Round 2 | 200 | 160 | 110 + 1 bye | 49 | Belgian Division 2 | Mandel United [D] |
| Round 3 | 120 | 96 | 80 | 16 | Belgian National Division 1 | Lierse Kempenzonen [D] |
| Round 4 | 72 | 48 | 48 | none | none | |
| Round 5 | 48 | 32 | 24 | 8 | Belgian First Division B (except Club NXT) | Waasland-Beveren & OH Leuven [E] |
| Round 6 | 32 | 32 | 16 | 16 | Belgian First Division A | |
| Round 7 | 16 | 16 | 16 | none | none | |
| Quarter-Finals | 8 | 8 | 8 | none | none | |
| Semi-Finals | 4 | 4 | 4 | none | none | |
| Final | 2 | 2 | 2 | none | none |
Round and draw dates
| Round | Draw date | Match date |
|---|---|---|
| Preliminary Round | 14 July 2020 | 23 August 2020 |
| First Round | 29 & 30 August 2020 | |
| Second Round | 5 & 6 September 2020 | |
| Third Round | 11 - 15 September 2020 | |
| Fourth Round | 20 September 2020 | |
| Fifth Round | 21 September 2020 | 11 October 2020 |
| Sixth Round | 12 October 2020 | 2 & 3 February 2021 |
| Seventh Round | 8 January 2021 | 9 - 11 February 2021 |
| Quarter-finals | 11 February 2021 | 2 - 4 March 2021 |
| Semi-finals | 4 March 2021 | 13 & 14 March 2021 |
| Final | 25 April 2021 |
Preliminary round
This round of matches was played on 23 August 2020[1] and included four teams playing in the Luxembourg Belgian Provincial League.
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First round
This round of matches was played on 29 and 30 August 2020[1] and includes teams playing in the Belgian Division 3 and Belgian Provincial Leagues. Teams were divided into eight geographical groups and teams from the Belgian Division 3 were seeded and could not play each other. Note: Wetteren was promoted into the Belgian Division 2 after the draw was made to fill up a vacant spot but no redraw was made.
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Second round
This round of matches was played on 5 and 6 September 2020[1] and includes the 111 winners from the First Round together with 49 teams playing in the Belgian Division 2. Teams from the Belgian Division 2 were seeded and could not play each other. Note: Mandel United was promoted into the Belgian National Division 1 after the draw was made to fill up a vacant spot but no redraw was made.
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Third round
This round of matches was played from 11 till 15 September 2020[1] and included the 80 winners from the Second Round together with 16 teams playing in the Belgian National Division 1. Teams from the Belgian National Division 1 were seeded and could not play each other. The lowest team in the competition came from the third provincial division (8th level): FC Tilleur. Note: Lierse Kempenzonen was promoted into the Belgian First Division B after the draw was made to fill up a vacant spot but no redraw was made.
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Fourth round
This round of matches was played on 20 September 2020[1] and includes the 48 winners from the Third Round. Lowest ranked teams still available were Blankenberge, Wielsbeke, Bilzerse Waltwilder and Vorselaar, all playing at the sixth level (First Provincial Division).
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Fifth round
This round of matches was played on 10 and 11 October 2020 and includes the 24 winners from the Fourth Round together with the teams from the Belgian First Division B (with the exception of U23 team Club NXT which was ineligible, and Lierse Kempenzonen which already entered in the Third Round) and two teams from the Belgian First Division A, Oud-Heverlee Leuven and Waasland-Beveren. The lowest-ranked team still available was Blankenberge, all playing at the sixth level (First Provincial Division).
| 10 October 2020 Match 266 | Tessenderlo (3) | 3–1 (a.e.t.) | Deinze (2) | Tessenderlo |
| 19:30 CEST | Battista  31'Stefani 103'Vaesen 112' |
De Schutter 90' |
Stadium: Gemeentelijk Sportpark Referee: Tom Stevens |
| 11 October 2020 Match 267 | Lommel (2) | 3–2 | Zelzate (4) | Lommel |
| 16:00 CEST | Moreno 25' Hendrickx 68' (pen.)Brebels 75' |
Vandenhende 40' Broeckaert 62' |
Stadium: Soevereinstadion Referee: Pieter Vandevenne |
| 10 October 2020 Match 268 | Rochefort (5) | 1–8 | RWDM47 (2) | Rochefort |
| 17:00 CEST | Monmart 55' |
Walbrecq 26', 74' Rocha 37', 39', 45'Senakuku 70'Lavie 82', 87' |
Stadium: Parc Roches Referee: Arnaud Soors |
| 11 October 2020 Match 269 | Union SG (2) | 4–0 | Heist (3) | Forest, Brussels |
| 16:00 CEST | Sigurðarson 21' Undav 82'Vanzeir 84' (pen.)Lapoussin 90' |
Stadium: Stade Joseph Marien Referee: Anthony Letellier |
| 11 October 2020 Match 270 | Westerlo (2) | 5–1 | Hades (4) | Westerlo |
| 16:00 CEST | Van Eenoo 3' Gboho 10'Çiçek 32', 65', 89' |
Vanratingen 64' (pen.) |
Stadium: Het Kuipje Referee: Thomas Vanboven |
| 11 October 2020 Match 271 | Olsa Brakel (4) | 2–0 | Dender EH (3) | Brakel |
| 16:00 CEST | Nelis 55' Cordie 90+1' (pen.) |
Stadium: Stephan Van den Berghe Stadion Referee: Niels Bossuyt |
| 11 October 2020 Match 272 | Warnant (4) | 0–1 | RFC Liège (3) | Warnant-Dreye |
| 16:00 CEST | Lallemand 10' |
Stadium: Complexe Sportif Referee: Farid Louai |
| 11 October 2020 Match 273 | RAAL La Louvière (4) | 2–0 | Jette (4) | La Louvière |
| 16:00 CEST | Azevedo-Janelas 35' Gálvez López 90' |
Stadium: Stade Communal du Tivoli Referee: Guillaume Chaspierre |
| 10 October 2020 Match 274 | Jong Lede (5) | 0–2 | Lokeren-Temse (4) | Lede |
| 20:00 CEST | Oliveira 34' (pen.) Cabumi 64' |
Stadium: Sportcomplex Ommegang Referee: Michiel Allaerts |
| 10 October 2020 Match 275 | City Pirates (4) | 1–2 | Rupel Boom (3) | Merksem |
| 20:00 CEST | Ernst 31' |
Nzinga 39' Mrani 65' |
Stadium: Jef Mermansstadion Referee: Hannes De Couvreur |
| 10 October 2020 Match 276 | Waasland-Beveren (1) | 3–0 | Petegem (4) | Beveren |
| 19:00 CEST | Heymans 30' Frey 52', 84' |
Stadium: Freethiel Stadion Referee: Florian Stove |
| 11 October 2020 Match 277 | Knokke (3) | 0–2 | OH Leuven (1) | Knokke-Heist |
| 16:00 CEST | Mercier 34' Duplus 89' |
Stadium: Stadion Olivier Referee: Simon Bourdeaud'hui |
| 11 October 2020 Match 278 | Visé (3) | 1–2 (a.e.t.) | Dessel (3) | Visé |
| 16:00 CEST | Mputu 26' |
Cerigioni 10' Boulaouali 102' |
Stadium: Stade de la Cité de l'Oie Referee: Quentin Malhaise |
| 11 October 2020 Match 279 | Seraing (2) | 6–1 | Blankenberge (6) | Seraing |
| 16:00 CEST | Cascio 5', 39' Al Badaoui 8', 16' (pen.)unknown 77' (o.g.)N'Diaye 83' |
Longueville 66' |
Stadium: Stade du Pairay Referee: Théophile Diskeuve |
| 11 October 2020 Match 280 | Heur-Tongeren (4) | 3–0 | SG-Tertre-Hautrage (5) | Tongeren |
| 16:00 CEST | Camara 35', 75' Dango 77' |
Stadium: Eburons Dome Sportoase Referee: Arne De Beuckelaer |
| 11 October 2020 Match 281 | Olympic Charleroi CF (3) | 2–1 (a.e.t.) | Aalst (4) | Montignies-sur-Sambre |
| 15:00 CEST | Gadi 1' Jatta 103' |
Cobos Copado 42' |
Stadium: Stade de la Neuville Referee: Charles-Henri Boeur |
Sixth round
The draw for the sixth round was made on 12 October and included the teams from the Belgian First Division A, with the exception of Waasland-Beveren and OH Leuven which had entered in the prior round. The 16 teams entering at this stage were seeded and could not meet each other. Lowest teams still in the competition are RAAL La Louvière, Heur-Tongeren, Lokeren-Temse and Olsa Brakel, all from the Belgian Division 2 (tier 4).
As part of containment measures taken to limit to spread of the COVID-19 disease in the second half of October, amateur clubs were not allowed to organize group training sessions until mid-December, making it very difficult for these teams to prepare for the cup matches. Therefore, in November 2020 the matches were postponed from their initial dates (15, 16, and 17 December 2020) to 9 and 10 January 2021. Additionally, amateur clubs hosting matches without field-heating installations might lose their home advantage if weather conditions prove too challenging.[2] With the containment measures in Belgium prolonged and amateur teams not allowed to play matches prior to 15 January unless adhering to the (expensive) professional sports protocols, an agreement was found in December with the amateur teams still in the cup to postpone all matches further, now from 9 and 10 January 2021 to the midweek of 2 to 4 February 2021.[3] With no further postponements possible, in case further containment measures prevent the amateur teams from restarting on 15 January, these teams will be excluded from the competition, receiving some financial compensation in return. On 17 January, K.F.C. Dessel Sport forfeited their match, after the mayor of Dessel had not allowed Dessel Sport to follow the protocol of the professional football clubs, making it impossible for them to prepare for their cup tie with Beerschot. Beerschot immediately progressed to the next round.[4] On January 19, for the same reasons, both Rupel Boom and Tessenderlo also forfeited their matches, respectively against Eupen and Genk. Eupen and Genk progressed automatically to the seventh round.[5]
| 2 February 2021 | Antwerp (1) | 2–1 | RAAL La Louvière (4) | Antwerp |
| 18:00 CET | Mbenza 20' De Laet 73' |
report | Lazitch 58' |
Stadium: Bosuilstadion Attendance: 0 |
| 2 February 2021 | Union SG (2) | 2–1 | Excel Mouscron (1) | Forest, Brussels |
| 18:00 CET | Vanzeir 79' Nielsen 90+2' |
report | Bakić 30' |
Stadium: Stade Joseph Marien Attendance: 0 |
| 2 February 2021 | Dessel (3) | 0–5 FF [4] | Beerschot (1) | Dessel |
| 18:00 CET | Stadium: Armand Melisstadion Attendance: 0 |
| 2 February 2021 | Rupel Boom (3) | 0–5 FF [5] | Eupen (1) | Boom |
| 18:00 CET | Stadium: Gemeentelijk Parkstadion Attendance: 0 |
| 2 February 2021 | Tessenderlo (3) | 0–5 FF [5] | Genk (1) | Tessenderlo |
| 18:00 CET | Stadium: Gemeentelijk Sportpark Attendance: 0 |
| 2 February 2021 | Lommel (2) | 1–3 | Kortrijk (1) | Lommel |
| 18:00 CET | Kis 71' (pen.) |
report | Guèye 14' Chevalier 61'Selemani 90+3' |
Stadium: Soevereinstadion Attendance: 0 |
| 3 February 2021 | KV Mechelen (1) | 2–0 | RWDM (2) | Mechelen |
| 16:00 CET | Druijf 28' Shved 65' |
report | Stadium: Achter de Kazerne Attendance: 0 |
| 3 February 2021 | Charleroi (1) | 1–0 | Westerlo (2) | Charleroi |
| 18:00 CET | Teodorczyk 87' |
report | Stadium: Stade du Pays de Charleroi Attendance: 0 |
| 3 February 2021 | Gent (1) | 5–0 | Heur-Tongeren (4) | Ghent |
| 18:00 CET | Tissoudali 26' Bezus 35'Samoise 54'Niangbo 79'Mbayo 90+2' (pen.) |
report | Stadium: Ghelamco Arena Attendance: 0 |
| 3 February 2021 | OH Leuven (1) | 2–3 | Cercle Brugge (1) | Heverlee, Leuven |
| 18:00 CET | Maertens 3' Hubert 90+3' |
report | Hotić 1' (pen.) Marcelin 39'Taravel 73' (pen.) |
Stadium: Den Dreef Attendance: 0 |
| 3 February 2021 | Seraing (2) | 1–4 | Standard Liège (1) | Seraing |
| 19:00 CET | Mouhli 85' (pen.) |
report | Bokadi 3' Jans 36'Klauss 67'Muleka 90+1' |
Stadium: Stade du Pairay Attendance: 0 |
| 3 February 2021 | Club Brugge (1) | 6–1 [A] | Olsa Brakel (4) | Bruges |
| 19:30 CET | Vanaken 2' Badji 21', 60', 74'Nelis 51' (o.g.)Chong 69' |
Report | Haezebroeck 9' |
Stadium: Jan Breydel Stadium Attendance: 0 |
| 3 February 2021 | Lokeren-Temse (4) | 0–2 | Sint-Truiden (1) | Lokeren |
| 20:00 CET | Report | Nazon 8' Ito 62' |
Stadium: Daknamstadion Attendance: 0 |
| 3 February 2021 | Waasland-Beveren (1) | 2–3 | Oostende (1) | Beveren |
| 20:00 CET | Frey 24' Faucher 54' |
Report | Gueye 40', 72' Hjulsager 76' |
Stadium: Freethiel Stadion Attendance: 0 |
| 3 February 2021 | Olympic Charleroi CF (3) | 1–0 | Zulte Waregem (1) | Montignies-sur-Sambre |
| 20:00 CET | Delbergue 78' |
Report | Stadium: Stade de la Neuville Attendance: 0 |
Seventh round
With the seventh round scheduled just one week after the sixth round, the draw was already made on 8 January 2021, before the previous round was even played. The lowest team still in the competition was Olympic Charleroi CF, the only non-professional team to make it this far.
| 9 February 2021 | Cercle Brugge (1) | 3–1 | Oostende (1) | Bruges |
| 18:00 CET | Deman 32' Denkey 64'Ugbo 90' |
Report | Bätzner 29' |
Stadium: Jan Breydel Stadium Attendance: 0 Referee: Bert Put |
| 9 February 2021 | Kortrijk (1) | 1–1 (a.e.t.) (5–6 p) | Standard Liège (1) | Kortrijk |
| 20:00 CET | Selemani 90+2' |
Report | Laifis 36' |
Stadium: Guldensporen Stadion Attendance: 0 Referee: Lothar D'hondt |
| Penalties | ||||
| 10 February 2021 | Eupen (1) | 5–1 [B] | Olympic Charleroi CF (3) | Eupen |
| 17:00 CET | Koné 8' Baby 50'Magnée 61'Koch 65'Bushiri 90+3' |
Report | Delbergue 14' (pen.) |
Stadium: Kehrwegstadion Attendance: 0 Referee: Christof Dierick |
| 10 February 2021 | Genk (1) | 1–0 | Sint-Truiden (1) | Genk |
| 18:00 CET | Onuachu 87' |
Report | Stadium: Luminus Arena Attendance: 0 Referee: Alexandre Boucaut |
| 10 February 2021 | Club Brugge (1) | 3–1 | Antwerp (1) | Bruges |
| 20:45 CET | Vanaken 49' Dost 81'Vormer 85' |
Report | Lamkel Zé 83' |
Stadium: Jan Breydel Stadium Attendance: 0 Referee: Erik Lambrechts |
| 11 February 2021 | Beerschot (1) | 0–1 | KV Mechelen (1) | Antwerp |
| 18:00 CET | Report | Schoofs 49' |
Stadium: Olympic Stadium Attendance: 0 Referee: Kevin Van Damme |
Quarter-finals
The draw for the quarter-finals was made on 11 February 2021, right after the conclusion of the last match of the previous round, Union SG vs Anderlecht. Only teams from the top division were still present in the tournament.
| 3 March 2021 | Eupen (1) | 1–0 | Gent (1) | Eupen |
| 18:00 CET | Heris 49' |
Report | Stadium: Kehrwegstadion Attendance: 0 Referee: Jan Boterberg |
| 3 March 2021 | Anderlecht (1) | 1–0 | Cercle Brugge (1) | Anderlecht |
| 20:45 CET | Nmecha 13' |
Report | Stadium: Constant Vanden Stock Stadium Attendance: 0 Referee: Bram Van Driessche |
| 4 March 2021 | Genk (1) | 4–1 | KV Mechelen (1) | Genk |
| 18:00 CET | Thorstvedt 2', 64' Muñoz 10'Bongonda 85' |
Report | Mrabti 82' |
Stadium: Luminus Arena Attendance: 0 Referee: Nicolas Laforge |
| 4 March 2021 | Standard Liège (1) | 1–0 | Club Brugge (1) | Liège |
| 20:45 CET | Muleka 49' |
Report | Stadium: Stade Maurice Dufrasne Attendance: 0 Referee: Nathan Verboomen |
Semi-finals
The draw for the semi-finals was made on 4 March 2021, right after the conclusion of the last match of the previous round, Standard Liège vs Club Brugge.
| 13 March 2021 | Eupen (1) | 0–1 | Standard Liège (1) | Eupen |
| 20:45 CET | Report | Amallah 67' |
Stadium: Kehrwegstadion |
| 14 March 2021 | Anderlecht (1) | 1–2 | Genk (1) | Anderlecht |
| 20:45 CET | Trebel 75' |
Report | Onuachu 18' Miazga 60' (o.g.) |
Stadium: Constant Vanden Stock Stadium Attendance: 0 Referee: Jonathan Lardot |
Final
| Standard Liège | 1–2 | Genk |
|---|---|---|
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Report |
Notes
- ↑ The final was played behind closed doors due to the COVID-19 pandemic in Belgium.
- ^ Tie reversed after the original draw.
- ^ Tie reversed after the original draw as home team stadium has no field heating installed or another possibility to cover the field, with possibly severe weather in the days before the match.
- ^ The match between Bambrugge and Tertre-Hautrage was stopped during the penalty shootout at a score of 4–4 due to racist comments from supporters towards a Tertre-Hautrage player. After extra-time, the match had finished 0–0. Eventually, Bambrugge was penalized with a 0–5 loss by forfeit.
- ^ To fill open spots, several teams were promoted after the draw was made. In theory, these teams would thus have started one or two rounds later.
- ^ With the Belgian First Division A expanded from 16 to 18 teams, two teams had to start a round earlier.
References
- 1 2 3 4 5 "Rounds_P_to_4" (PDF). Royal Belgian Football Association. July 2020.
- ↑ "Speeldata inhaalmatchen JPL bekend, 1/16e finales Croky Cup 1 maand uitgesteld" [New dates for postponed league matches decided, 16th-finals Croky Cup postponed with 1 month]. sporza.be. 9 November 2020.
- ↑ "Akkoord met amateurclubs over beker: 1/16e finales uitgesteld naar begin februari" [Agreement with amateur clubs on cup: 1/16th finals postponed to beginning of February]. sporza.be. 9 December 2020.
- 1 2 "Dessel Sport laat bekermatch tegen Beerschot schieten" [Dessel Sport forfeits cup tie with Beerschot]. sporza.be. 17 January 2021.
- 1 2 3 "Ook geen bekerwedstrijden voor amateurclubs Rupel Boom en Thes" [No cup matches for amateur clubs Rupel Boom and Thes as well]. sporza.be. 19 January 2021.