Overview Before the proper rounds take place, two qualifying rounds are played in March and April. As of the 2025 edition, all non-reserve clubs from tiers 1 (
Eliteserien), 2 (
OBOS-ligaen), and 3 (
PostNord-ligaen) enter in the First Round, in sharp contrast to some other countries' main cups such as the
FA Cup and
Coupe de France where teams enter much more gradually. The top 4 teams in each of the 6 areas of the
Norwegian Third Division also enter in the First Round, as do an additional few teams placed 5th and possibly below in order to replace ineligible reserve teams to reach a total of 84 eligible teams. 176 clubs from tier 4, 5, and 6 enter the first qualifying round and 44 of these advance to the first round where they are joined by the above-mentioned First Round-entering teams. The first round of the cup are played in April, around the same time as the
Eliteserien season starts. The first two rounds are set up by the
Norwegian Football Association, where the top teams are under normal circumstance drawn automatically away against fairly weak amateur teams, often from the same counties or areas as the top teams. Early upsets, where an amateur team knocks a professional team out of the tournament do happen occasionally. For example, in 2012 the Eliteserien teams
Sandnes Ulf and
Sogndal were knocked out in the first round by the
Norwegian Third Division (fourth tier) teams
Staal Jørpeland IL and
Florø SK respectively. Even if the amateur team loses, squaring off against a professional team may well be the highlight of their season. From the third round to the semi-final, matchups and hostings are drawn at random, all matchups are single matches, and the winner goes on to the next round. The final match is played at
Ullevaal Stadium (national stadium) in November or December, and takes place near the end of the Norwegian football season, as no significant domestic competitions take place in January or February. The cup is very popular in Norway, and tickets for the final match are hard to get hold of, as the game usually sells out quickly. The supporters of the two teams playing in the final match are seated at the two short-ends of the pitch, while the more neutral supporters are seated by the long-ends. The match is also televised on national television.
Schedule The months in which rounds are played are traditional, with exact dates subject to each year's calendar.
Tiebreaking In all rounds, if a fixture result in a draw after normal time, the winner is settled by a period of
extra time, and if still necessary, a
penalty shootout. Earlier, fixtures resulting in a draw (after normal time) would go to a
replay, played at the venue of the away team. The first Cup Final to go to a replay was the 1945 final, between
Lyn and
Fredrikstad. The initial tie finished 1–1 and the first replay also finished 1–1. Lyn won the second replay 4–0. The only other time the final has taken three matches to settle was the 1965 final between Oslo rivals
Skeid and
Frigg (2–2, 1–1, 2–1). The last replayed final was the
1995 final, when Rosenborg and Brann fought a 1–1 draw. The replay saw Rosenborg win the Cup, with the score 3–1. The first final to be decided by a penalty shootout was the
2009 final between
Molde and
Aalesund. The score ended 1–1 after normal time and 2–2 after extra time. Aalesund won the final 5–4 on penalties. ==Qualification for subsequent competitions==