The 1/8 finals of the Vbet Cup of Ukraine for the 2025-2026 season have taken place. As a reminder, this tournament features 68 teams, including 21 amateur sides.

Such cup draws in Ukrainian football history have never been seen before. Who could have predicted that the current holder of the prestigious trophy, "Shakhtar," would withdraw prematurely even at the 1/8 final stage? Or that only three elite teams would remain among the contenders for a place in the semifinals, while amateurs from "Agrotech," representing Kirovohrad Oblast, would advance past first-division "Phoenix-Mariupol" on penalty kicks?

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

However, when Donetskians finally went ahead 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 opponent's mood and stepped up their game. Vladimir Brajchko skillfully handled defensive duties after coming on as a substitute, allowing Oleksandr Pichalonok to add creativity to the organization of attacking plays. In the end, Kyivans were rewarded for their activity with goals from veteran Andriy Yarmolenko and foreigner Herrera, securing passage to the quarterfinals.

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 led by Vitaliy Ponomaryov—the former head coach of the yellow-and-blacks who brought over an entire group of players from his previous team. In the decisive duel, home field advantage yielded a minimal victory for the hosts.

Leader of the first league, «Bukovyna,» aims to at least repeat its best result in the cup tournament—a semifinal appearance (as a reminder, in the previous season, the Chernivtsi club advanced to 1/2-finals where it was defeated by «Dynamo»). After defeating Ternopil's «Niva,» one step remains for repeating this record.

"Chernihiv" and "Locomotive" are writing history as they make their first appearance in the quarterfinals. The second-division "Railwaymen," who have already knocked out elite teams «Veres» and «Kolos,» confirmed their fighting spirit again yesterday when they settled matters with Vinnytsia's «Niva.» Despite being down at the end of regulation time, this did not prevent them from securing a comeback victory in extra time.

Finally, credit must be given to amateurs from "Agrotech," who advanced past first-division "Phoenix-Mariupol" on penalty kicks.

Among the quarterfinalists—three representatives of the UPL. However, the 1/8 finals once again demonstrated that in competitions held under this 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 laws and often surprises.

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