President's Cup of MFF
The President's Cup of the Moscow Football Federation is a prestigious annual tournament organized by the MFF for top teams from Moscow and nearby regions. It showcases talents from youth prospects and veterans alike, blending big-time football traditions with the intensity of local derbies. Fans flock to matches at venues like the Sports City complex or RPL club stadiums.
History and foundation
Launched in 2012 under MFF President Sergey Anokhin to bolster Moscow football, the inaugural edition saw Spartak-2 triumph over Torpedo in the final. Highlights include Chertanovo's 2015 upset victory and Lokomotiv's thrilling 3-2 final win over Dynamo in 2019. The 2020 pandemic delayed proceedings, but it roared back with Egor Shary's hat-trick for Znamya Truda. Fun fact: A 2022 match was halted by a pigeon invasion on the pitch.
Tournament format
Featuring 16–24 teams in groups of four, top sides advance to knockout stages: round of 16, quarterfinals, semifinals, and final. Group phase spans a month, playoffs two weeks. Full 90-minute matches with extra time and penalties if needed. Participants include RPL reserve sides, FNL and PFL clubs, plus amateurs.
Interesting facts
Average goals per match: 2.8, spiking to 3.5 in playoffs. Top scorers: Artem Arkhipov (Spartak-2) with 12 goals over two editions, Ivan Lomaev (Chertanovo) at 9. Standout players: Chertanovo alumni like Fyodor Chalov and Amora, Torpedo's veteran Sergey Ignashevich, emerging Krasnodar-2 stars. Known for open, attacking football where even defenders score.