Emmanuel Macron and Noël Le Graët during the last final of the Coupe de France.

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FRANCK FIFE / AFP

The French Football Federation on Thursday changed the format of the Coupe de France 2020/21 to maintain it despite the pandemic, introducing separate tournaments for amateur and professional teams before the round of 16.

Breakage to be expected for the L1

Seventeen teams from the amateur world will qualify after several knockout rounds.

They will find the fifteen professional clubs which will have emerged winners of the 32nd final, which will bring together on the pro side the twenty Ligue 1 clubs and ten Ligue 2 clubs previously qualified.

The FFF has adopted a similar format for the women's edition but has canceled the Gambardella Cup, which pits youth teams against each year.

The cessation of competitions linked to the health crisis led to the interruption of the “Old Lady”, the nickname given to the Coupe de France, after the fifth round.

Faced with a very dense schedule, the FFF could hardly maintain the traditional format, played round after round in knockout matches.

Faced with a health situation which disrupts the progress of the Men's French Cup and the Women's French Cup, the @FFF Executive Committee chaired by Noël Le Graët has adopted new formats for these 2 competitions 👇 pic.twitter.com/ DMMUiwuI5B

- Coupe de France (@coupedefrance) December 17, 2020

The Gambardella Cup canceled

The executive committee, meeting Thursday morning, validated a plan providing for a first tournament reserved for amateur teams who will compete in several successive rounds until there are only 17. A second tournament will see the twenty teams of Ligue 2 oppose on a round.

The ten qualified will play the 32nd finals with the twenty Ligue 1 clubs, which will keep only 15 professional teams.

The 32 teams qualified through these two parallel tournaments will meet at the stage of the round of 16, expected in late February or early March.

The calendar for the men's and women's editions of the Coupe de France will be specified later.

"These measures reflect the will of the FFF to allow these two French Cups to come to an end and to allow all clubs to participate", she said in a statement.

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