The 2024 Copa Uruguay (officially known as Copa AUF Uruguay 2024), was the third edition of the Copa Uruguay, the country's national football cup tournament. The tournament began on 10 August 2024 with 58 teams participating and ended on 6 December 2024.
The defending champions Defensor Sporting won their third Copa Uruguay title in this edition of the competition, defeating Nacional on penalty kicks following a 2–2 draw in the final.
Format changes Starting from this season, the competition was trimmed down to 32 participating teams due to financial and scheduling concerns, considering that the previous year's competition had to be extended to April 2024. The competition was divided into a preliminary stage and five rounds in the competition proper, with ties in all stages played over a single match. 35 clubs from the Organización del Fútbol del Interior (OFI) entered a two-round preliminary stage in which they were drawn into four zones. The two winners from each zone as well as the winner of an additional interzonal match qualified for the competition proper.
The Copa Uruguay proper would be played by 32 teams: the 9 winners from the preliminary phase would be joined in the round of 32 by 10 teams from the Uruguayan Primera División, 6 from Segunda División, 4 from Primera División Amateur, 2 from Divisional D and 18 de Julio from Río Negro, the 2023 OFI Serie B champions, in a straight knockout competition. The amateur clubs from the Uruguayan Football Association (AUF) and OFI played their round of 32 match at home. From this point onwards, the winners played against each other in single-legged knockout phases, with the semi-finals and the final played on neutral ground.
Schedule The schedule of the competition was as follows:
Round Draw date Dates Preliminary stage 2 August 2024 10–18 August 2024 Round of 32 21 August 2024 11 September – 10 October 2024 Round of 16 8–25 October 2024 Quarter-finals 29–31 October 2024 Semi-finals 22 November 2024 Finals 6 December 2024
Qualified teams Although 32 clubs would take part in the proper Copa Uruguay competition for this season, a total of 58 clubs were slated to enter the competition: 10 from Primera División, 6 from Segunda División, 4 from Primera División Amateur, and 2 from Divisional D, which were chosen based on their performance at halfway point in their respective seasons. The remaining 36 clubs were the ones participating in the Copa Nacional de Clubes organized by the Organización del Fútbol del Interior (OFI), which were trimmed down to 10 after a preliminary stage.
On 4 September 2024, 11 of the 16 Primera División clubs voted to request to the Uruguayan Football Association (AUF) the immediate suspension of the competition, in protest of the format changes implemented for this season. Five days later, seven clubs (Cerro, Cerro Largo, Danubio, Defensor Sporting, Montevideo Wanderers, Peñarol, and Progreso) sent a letter announcing their unwillingness to play the competition, with the AUF confirming the elimination of Peñarol, Danubio, and Cerro the following day. Although Defensor Sporting was among the clubs that signed the letter, they later backtracked and confirmed that they would take part in the competition.
Primera DivisiónThe top 10 teams of the 2024 season's aggregate table after the Torneo Intermedio Segunda DivisiónThe top 6 teams of the 2024 season at halfway point Primera División AmateurThe top 4 teams of the 2024 season's aggregate table after the Torneo Intermedio Divisional DThe runner-up and third-placed team of the 2023 season OFI36 Serie A teams of the 2024 season Boston River Cerro Cerro Largo Danubio Defensor Sporting Montevideo Wanderers Nacional Peñarol Progreso Racing Albion Juventud Montevideo City Torque Oriental Plaza Colonia Uruguay Montevideo Deportivo Colonia Durazno Frontera Rivera Villa Española Paso de la Arena Rincón 18 de Julio Arsenal Atlético Bella Vista Atlético Florida Barrio Olímpico Berlín Boca (Melo) Boquita Bristol Campana Central Darling Estudiantes Estudiantil Ferro Carril Ferrocarrilero Huracán (Minas) Huracán (Paysandú) Ituzaingó Juanicó Juventud Unida Laureles Lavalleja (Minas) Lavalleja (Rocha) Libertad Litoral Melo Wanderers Peñarol (Rivera) Pirata Juniors Piriápolis Porongos Río Negro San Carlos Santa Emilia Sportivo Barracas Universitario
Preliminary stage In the preliminary stage, the 35 participating clubs were split in four geographical zones (North, South, East, and Litoral), with one team from the South and East zones playing an interzonal match in the second round.
First round North Zone
Litoral Zone
South Zone
East Zone
Second round North Zone
Litoral Zone
South Zone
East Zone
South – East Interzonal
Bracket
Round of 32
Round of 16
Quarter-finals
Semi-finals
Final
See also 2024 Uruguayan Primera División season 2024 Uruguayan Segunda División season
References