2026 Copa Venezuela
| Tournament details | |
|---|---|
| Country | Venezuela |
| Dates | 24 June – December 2026 |
| Teams | 28 |
| Tournament statistics | |
| Matches played | 36 |
| Goals scored | 122 (3.39 per match) |
All statistics correct as of 10 September 2026. | |
The 2026 Copa Venezuela is the 53rd edition of the Venezuelan football cup, which is organized by the Venezuelan Football Federation (FVF). The competition began on 24 June 2026, with the participation of 14 Liga FUTVE and 14 Liga FUTVE 2 teams.[1] The winners will qualify for the 2027 Supercopa de Venezuela against the 2026 Liga FUTVE champions.
Universidad Central are the defending champions, having won the tournament in 2025.
The competition was suspended immediately after its first matchday on 24 June due to the 2026 Venezuela earthquakes,[2] resuming on 18 August 2026 with the second matchday of the group stage.[3]
Format
[edit]For this season, the tournament kept the format used in its previous edition, comprising a 20-team group stage and the knockout stages to be contested by 16 teams.
For the group stage, fourteen Liga FUTVE 2 sides and the six Liga FUTVE teams that failed to advance to the final stages of the 2026 Apertura tournament were drawn into five groups of four teams each, in which the teams will play each one of their group rivals twice (once at home and once away), with the five group winners and the three best group runners-up advancing to the knockout stage.
The eight teams advancing out of the group stage will be joined in the round of 16 by the eight Liga FUTVE sides that played the final stages of the 2026 Apertura tournament, which received a bye to this round. All the knockout rounds (round of 16, quarter-finals, semi-finals, and final) were set to be played over two legs,[4] however, due to the temporary suspension of the competition, it was confirmed that the knockout rounds would be played over a single match.[3]
Teams
[edit]Twenty-eight teams entered this edition of the competition: the fourteen Liga FUTVE teams and fourteen from Liga FUTVE 2. Reserve sides competing in the second-tier league were excluded from the tournament.
Marítimo de La Guaira withdrew from the competition after suspending its operations due to the impact of the 2026 Venezuela earthquakes.[5]
- Liga FUTVE
- Liga FUTVE 2
- Aragua
- Atlético Barinas
- Atlético El Vigía
- Ávila
- Barquisimeto
- Bolívar
- Deportivo Lara
- Deportivo Miranda
- Dynamo Puerto
Marítimo de La Guaira- Mineros de Guayana
- Real Frontera
- Ureña
- Yaracuyanos
Group stage
[edit]The group stage began on 24 June and is scheduled to end on 14 October 2026.[3]
Group A
[edit]| Pos | Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Qualification | ANZ | AVI | DMI | MAR | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Anzoátegui (X) | 3 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 7 | 4 | +3 | 7 | Advance to the knockout stage | — | 3–1 | 2–1 | — | |
| 2 | Ávila | 2 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 3 | −1 | 3 | Possible knockout stage | — | 1–0 | — | ||
| 3 | Deportivo Miranda (E) | 3 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 5 | −2 | 1 | 2–2 | — | — | |||
| 4 | Marítimo de La Guaira | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | Withdrew[a] | — | — | — | — |
Legend: Blue = home team win; Yellow = draw; Red = away team win.
Rules for classification: 1) Points; 2) Goal difference; 3) Goals scored; 4) Head-to-head results; 5) Drawing of lots.
(E) Eliminated; (X) Assured of top two finish
Notes:
- ↑ Marítimo de La Guaira withdrew from the competition due to the impact of the 2026 Venezuela earthquakes.[5]
Group B
[edit]| Pos | Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Qualification | ZAM | ATB | VIG | REF | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Zamora | 4 | 3 | 0 | 1 | 14 | 4 | +10 | 9 | Advance to the knockout stage | — | 6–1 | 5–0 | ||
| 2 | Atlético Barinas | 4 | 3 | 0 | 1 | 9 | 5 | +4 | 9 | Possible knockout stage | 3–1 | — | 5–2 | ||
| 3 | Atlético El Vigía | 4 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 9 | 12 | −3 | 6 | 2–0 | — | 4–1 | |||
| 4 | Real Frontera (E) | 4 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 1 | 12 | −11 | 0 | 0–2 | 0–1 | — |
Legend: Blue = home team win; Yellow = draw; Red = away team win.
Rules for classification: 1) Points; 2) Goal difference; 3) Goals scored; 4) Head-to-head results; 5) Drawing of lots.
(E) Eliminated
Group C
[edit]| Pos | Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Qualification | CAR | YAR | ARA | BAR | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Caracas | 4 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 12 | 4 | +8 | 10 | Advance to the knockout stage | — | 1–1 | 3–1 | ||
| 2 | Yaracuyanos | 4 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 10 | 9 | +1 | 6 | Possible knockout stage | 2–3 | — | 2–5 | ||
| 3 | Aragua | 4 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 7 | 6 | +1 | 4 | 1–2 | — | 0–1 | |||
| 4 | Barquisimeto (Y) | 4 | 1 | 0 | 3 | 2 | 12 | −10 | 3 | 0–5 | 0–4 | — |
Legend: Blue = home team win; Yellow = draw; Red = away team win.
Rules for classification: 1) Points; 2) Goal difference; 3) Goals scored; 4) Head-to-head results; 5) Drawing of lots.
(Y) Cannot win group, but may still advance to the knockout stage
Group D
[edit]| Pos | Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Qualification | RAY | URE | LAR | TRU | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Rayo Zuliano | 4 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 6 | 1 | +5 | 8 | Advance to the knockout stage | — | 3–0 | 0–0 | ||
| 2 | Ureña | 4 | 1 | 2 | 1 | 3 | 5 | −2 | 5 | Possible knockout stage | 0–0 | — | 1–0 | ||
| 3 | Deportivo Lara | 4 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 5 | −2 | 4 | 1–3 | — | 2–1 | |||
| 4 | Trujillanos | 4 | 0 | 3 | 1 | 3 | 4 | −1 | 3 | 2–2 | 0–0 | — |
Legend: Blue = home team win; Yellow = draw; Red = away team win.
Rules for classification: 1) Points; 2) Goal difference; 3) Goals scored; 4) Head-to-head results; 5) Drawing of lots.
Group E
[edit]| Pos | Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Qualification | MON | MIN | DYP | BOL | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Monagas (A) | 4 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 13 | 2 | +11 | 12 | Advance to the knockout stage | — | 1–0 | 5–1 | ||
| 2 | Mineros de Guayana | 4 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 12 | 2 | +10 | 7 | Possible knockout stage | — | 6–0 | 1–1 | ||
| 3 | Dynamo Puerto (Y) | 4 | 1 | 0 | 3 | 2 | 16 | −14 | 3 | 0–4 | 0–5 | — | |||
| 4 | Bolívar (Y) | 4 | 0 | 1 | 3 | 4 | 11 | −7 | 1 | 1–3 | 1–2 | — |
Legend: Blue = home team win; Yellow = draw; Red = away team win.
Rules for classification: 1) Points; 2) Goal difference; 3) Goals scored; 4) Head-to-head results; 5) Drawing of lots.
(A) Advance to a further round; (Y) Cannot win group, but may still advance to the knockout stage
Ranking of group runners-up
[edit]The three best teams among those ranked second in their groups will advance to the knockout stage.
| Pos | Grp | Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Qualification |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | B | Atlético Barinas | 4 | 3 | 0 | 1 | 9 | 5 | +4 | 9 | Advance to the knockout stage |
| 2 | E | Mineros de Guayana | 4 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 12 | 2 | +10 | 7 | |
| 3 | C | Yaracuyanos | 4 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 10 | 9 | +1 | 6 | |
| 4 | D | Ureña | 4 | 1 | 2 | 1 | 3 | 5 | −2 | 5 | |
| 5 | A | Ávila | 2 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 3 | −1 | 3 |
Rules for classification: 1) Points; 2) Goal difference; 3) Goals scored; 4) Drawing of lots.
Knockout stage
[edit]Bracket
[edit]| Round of 16 | Quarter-finals | Semi-finals | Final | ||||||||||||
| Deportivo La Guaira | |||||||||||||||
| 3rd best group runner-up | |||||||||||||||
| Metropolitanos | |||||||||||||||
| Group A winner | |||||||||||||||
| Carabobo | |||||||||||||||
| 2nd best group runner-up | |||||||||||||||
| Portuguesa | |||||||||||||||
| Group B winner | |||||||||||||||
| Universidad Central | |||||||||||||||
| Best group runner-up | |||||||||||||||
| Estudiantes de Mérida | |||||||||||||||
| Group C winner | |||||||||||||||
| Deportivo Táchira | |||||||||||||||
| Group E winner | |||||||||||||||
| Academia Puerto Cabello | |||||||||||||||
| Group D winner | |||||||||||||||
Round of 16
[edit]The round of 16 matches will be played on 21 October 2026.[3]
| 21 October 2026 | Deportivo La Guaira | v | 3rd best group runner-up | Caracas |
| --:-- UTC−4 | Stadium: Olímpico de la UCV |
| 21 October 2026 | Carabobo | v | 2nd best group runner-up | Valencia |
| --:-- UTC−4 | Stadium: Misael Delgado |
| 21 October 2026 | Universidad Central | v | Best group runner-up | Caracas |
| --:-- UTC−4 | Stadium: Olímpico de la UCV |
| 21 October 2026 | Deportivo Táchira | v | Group E winner | San Cristóbal |
| --:-- UTC−4 | Stadium: Polideportivo de Pueblo Nuevo |
| 21 October 2026 | Academia Puerto Cabello | v | Group D winner | Puerto Cabello |
| --:-- UTC−4 | Stadium: La Bombonerita |
| 21 October 2026 | Estudiantes de Mérida | v | Group C winner | Mérida |
| --:-- UTC−4 | Stadium: Metropolitano |
| 21 October 2026 | Portuguesa | v | Group B winner | Acarigua |
| --:-- UTC−4 | Stadium: General José Antonio Páez |
| 21 October 2026 | Metropolitanos | v | Group A winner | Caracas |
| --:-- UTC−4 | Stadium: Olímpico de la UCV |
See also
[edit]Notes
[edit]References
[edit]- ↑ "Confirmada la Copa Venezuela 2026" [The 2026 Copa Venezuela is confirmed] (in Spanish). La Vinotinto. 17 June 2026. Retrieved 20 August 2026.
- ↑ "FVF suspende la actividad futbolística en el país" [FVF suspends football activity in the country] (in Spanish). Diario Primicia. 25 June 2026. Retrieved 20 August 2026.
- 1 2 3 4 Herrera, José Tadeo (18 August 2026). "Vuelve la Copa Venezuela 2026 con la segunda jornada desde este martes 18 de agosto" [The 2026 Copa Venezuela is back with its second matchday from this Tuesday 18 August] (in Spanish). Balonazos. Retrieved 20 August 2026.
- ↑ "Vuelve la Copa Venezuela: La FVF anuncia el inicio de la edición 2026" [The Copa Venezuela is back: FVF announces the start of the 2026 edition] (in Spanish). Venezuelan Football Federation. 17 June 2026. Retrieved 20 August 2026.
- 1 2 "Parada obligada por la tragedia: La Liga FutVe2 aprueba el retiro del Marítimo de La Guaira por fuerza mayor" [Forced stop due to tragedy: Liga FutVe2 approves the withdrawal of Marítimo de La Guaira due to force majeure] (in Spanish). El Informador. 25 July 2026. Retrieved 20 August 2026.
External links
[edit]- Official website of the Venezuelan Football Federation (in Spanish)