The 1/8 finals of the Vbet Cup of Ukraine for the 2025-2026 season have taken place. We remind you that in this tournament, 68 teams are participating, including 21 amateur teams.

Such cup schedules have never been seen in Ukrainian football history. Who could have predicted that the current holder of the prestigious trophy, "Shakhtar," would withdraw prematurely even before reaching the quarter-finals stage? Or that only three elite teams would remain among the contenders for a place in the semi-finals, while amateurs from "Agrotekh" representing Kirovohrad region would advance past first-division "Phenix-Maripol" on penalty kicks?

Of course, the match that generated the most interest was the one in Kyiv, where a blind draw pitted two giants of domestic football against each other—«Dynamo» and «Shakhtar.» There were two different halves. Up until halftime, the miners dominated and could have settled the question of who would win, but failed to capitalize on half a dozen goal-scoring opportunities.

But when Donetskians finally took the lead at the start of the second half, they unexpectedly fell back into defense. And they paid for it, as the hosts sensed the change in their opponents' mood and stepped up their game. Vladimir Bratchko came on as a substitute and was effective in clearing the ball from danger, allowing Oleksandr Pykhalonok to add creativity to the organization of attacking plays. Eventually, Kyivans were rewarded for their efforts with goals from veteran Andriy Yarmolenko and foreigner Guerrero, securing their passage to the quarter-finals.

Representatives of the elite settled matters not only in Kyiv but also in Cherkasy, where LNZ hosted «Ruh.» Interest in this confrontation was heightened by the fact that the club from Cherkasy is headed by Vitaliy Ponomaryov—the former manager of the yellow and black—who brought over an entire group of players from his previous team. In the decisive match, the home side emerged victorious with a narrow win.

The leader of the first league, «Bukovyna,» aims to at least repeat their best result in the cup tournament—a semi-final appearance (as we recall, last season's Chernivtsi club reached the 1/2 stage before losing to «Dynamo»). After defeating Ternopil «Niva,» they are just one step away from repeating their record.

"Chernihiv" and "Locomotive" are writing history as they make their first appearance in the quarter-finals. The second-division team, "Railwaymen," had already knocked out elite teams «Veres» and «Kolos» at earlier stages. Kyivans confirmed their fighting spirit again when they settled matters with Vinnytsia's «Niva» the day before yesterday. Despite being down in numbers late in the match, this did not prevent them from securing a comeback victory.

Finally, credit must be given to amateurs from "Agrotekh," who advanced past first-division «Phenix-Maripol» on penalty kicks.

Among the quarter-finalists are three representatives of the UPL. However, the 1/8 finals once again demonstrated that in competitions held under a new format, there are no easy matches or walkovers. This is why it's premature to give an edge to «Dynamo,» LNZ, or «Metalist 1925»—the Cup has its own rules and often surprises.

All the details of the matches Vbet Cup of Ukraine—on a special new website kubok.uaf.ua.