Copa Venezuela to Begin June 24, Final Round in October

The Venezuelan Football Federation (FVF) announced on June 17 that the Copa Venezuela will kick off its new edition on June 24, with the final scheduled for October. This tournament marks the third consecutive year since its return after a four-year absence from 2020 to 2023.

Monagas SC was the champion in 2019, the last edition before the break. Deportivo La Guaira won the title in 2024 upon the tournament's revival, followed by UCV FC in 2025. This year's edition will feature a total of 90 matches.

The initial phase will divide 20 teams into five groups of four. These teams include the fourteen clubs from the Liga Futve and the six teams from Venezuela's First Division that did not qualify for the final quadrangular rounds of the 2026 Apertura Tournament. The group stage will consist of six rounds of home-and-away matches. The top team from each group and the three best second-place finishers will advance to the next round, creating a total of eight qualifying teams.

The final stage will involve 16 teams, with the eight qualifiers joining the eight clubs that reached the quadrangular stage of the Liga Futve. These 16 teams will compete in direct elimination, double-leg matches up to the quarterfinals. The FVF highlighted that the Copa Venezuela provides a platform to showcase the performance of clubs from both the first and second tiers of Venezuelan professional football.