The 2016–17 Maltese FA Trophy was the 79th version of the tournament, beginning on 3 September 2016 and ending on 20 May 2017. It was the first time since 1933 that a new Malta Football Association Trophy was unveiled. The new trophy, partly financed by the English Football Association, was presented for the first time to the winners.
With their quarterfinal victory over Pembroke Athleta, the Victoria Wanderers became the first club from Gozo to advance to the semifinals.
The Sliema Wanderers were the defending champions, but they lost in the final to Floriana.
Format The Maltese FA Trophy was a single elimination tournament between 65 teams. The winner of the tournament, Floriana, earned a place in the Europa League. Matches which were tied after regulation went to extra time and if still tied after that, to penalties to determine a winner.
Schedule Round Date(s) Number of fixtures Clubs Preliminary round 3 September 2016 1 65 → 64 First round 9–11 September 2016 12 64 → 52 Second round 21–23 October 2016 20 52 → 32 Third round 29 November – 14 December 2016 16 32 → 16 Fourth round 17–18 January 2017 8 16 → 8 Quarterfinals 18–19 February 2017 4 8 → 4 Semifinals 13 May 2017 2 4 → 2 Final 20 May 2017 1 2 → 1
Preliminary round The draw for the preliminary, first, and second rounds was held 17 August 2016.
First round Twelve first round matches were played 9–11 September 2016.
|colspan="3" style="background:#fcc;"|9 September 2016
|colspan="3" style="background:#fcc;"|10 September 2016
|colspan="3" style="background:#fcc;"|11 September 2016
Second round Twenty second round matches were played 21–23 October 2016. All teams from Maltese First Division and Maltese Second Division entered the second round.
|colspan="3" style="background:#fcc;"|21 October 2016
|colspan="3" style="background:#fcc;"|22 October 2016
|colspan="3" style="background:#fcc;"|23 October 2016
Third round Sixteen third round matches were played between 29 November – 14 December 2016. The draw for the third and fourth rounds was held 25 October 2016. All teams from Maltese Premier League entered the third round.
|colspan="3" style="background:#fcc;"|29 November 2016
|colspan="3" style="background:#fcc;"|30 November 2016
|colspan="3" style="background:#fcc;"|7 December 2016
|colspan="3" style="background:#fcc;"|13 December 2016
|colspan="3" style="background:#fcc;"|14 December 2016
Fourth round Eight fourth round matches were played 17–18 January 2017.
Quarterfinals Four quarterfinal matches were played 18–19 February 2017. The draw for the quarterfinals was held 20 January 2017.
Semifinals Two semifinal matches were played 13 May 2017. The draw for the semifinals was held on 8 May 2017.
Victoria Wanderers become the first football club in Gozo to reach the semifinals of Maltese FA Trophy.
Final The final was played 20 May 2017.
Floriana and Sliema Wanderers met in the final for the fifteenth time, having previously met in 1935, 1936, 1938, 1945, 1949, 1953, 1955, 1956, 1958, 1965, 1972, 1974, 1979 and 1993. Floriana had won eight times and Sliema Wanderers six times.
The last time Floriana and Sliema Wanderers met together in Maltese FA Trophy was during the 2014-15 Third round when Floriana beat Sliema Wanderers 5–4 on penalties when the match ends 0–0 draw.
See also 2016–17 Maltese Premier League
External links maltafootball.com uefa.com soccerway.com MFA
References