This Wednesday, the Gym start their Coupe de France campaign, at Nîmes (kick-off at 17:00 CET). Because of the health situation, the format of the 2020-2021 edition is unprecedented. We take you through it.

One Cup, two paths

In order for the Coupe de France to live, the Coupe de France had to adapt. That's what the Fédération Française de Football decided to do and they made it official at the end of 2020, in order to come up with an unprecedented format for the 104th edition. "Because of the suspension of amateur competitions announced on October 29 2020, the 6th and 7th rounds weren't able to take place on the planned dates," explained the FFF. "The Executive Committee validated, on December 17 2020, a new format for the current season. The principle is a competition organised with two paths up until the Round of 32: one path for the clubs from Ligue 1 (entering the competition at the Round of 64 stage) and Ligue 2 (entering the competition in the 8th round), and a second path for the other clubs."

No extra-time apart from in the final

The Aiglons need to overcome the obstacle of Nîmes in order to reach the stage where the competition will become "classic", where professional and amateur clubs can clash over 90 minutes. That's another thing specific to the 104th edition: the two additional periods of 15 minutes, in case of the scores being level, will only apply in the final. Up until then penalties will separate sides level at the end of normal time.

The Round of 32 at the start of March

The Round of 32 will take place on March 6 and 7, giving time for the amateur clubs to get up to date with their fixtures and so that the two paths can reach the same stage. Note that we already know one qualifier for the round: Club Franciscain. The club from Martinique where Patrick Burner, a former Aiglon played. Nice could meet Burner on Wednesday, as he plays for the Crocodiles of Nîmes.

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