It has been announced that three media teams will participate in the Russian Cup competition in the new season. This was reported by Euro-football.ru.
The teams include “Amkal”, 2Drots, and Broke Boys. The publication “Euro-Football.ru” is analyzing whether this situation will have a positive or negative impact on Russian football. For the first time, media clubs participated in the tournament during the 2022/23 season.
At that time, “Amkal” reached the third round, while 2Drots made it through the second round. The following year, 2Drots reached the 1/32 finals but missed an opportunity in a tough match against the “Khimki” team.
“Amkal”, on the other hand, missed an opportunity against “Alania” in the same round last year. In both matches, the score was 0:1, and the media teams performed well. There are also opinions in the football community against media clubs playing in tournaments under the supervision of the Russian Football Union (RFS).
Some talk about the seriousness of the Media League and the disputes within it. However, there are also positive aspects to this process.
Media teams have a large and active audience. Initially, it was hard to imagine that the 1/132 final match of the Russian Cup would be broadcast on federal television and attract many viewers, but this is exactly what happened with the emergence of media teams. These clubs do not have any privileges.
They must pass all necessary checks, players must undergo medical examinations, and the requirements for home stadiums are serious. The teams take on great responsibility, and so far, there have been no serious problems or conflicts. In other words, the RFS does not suffer any harm from the participation of media clubs in the Russian Cup.
This season, 15 amateur teams will participate, three of which are media teams. It is hard to say that the participation of any team in the tournament will lead to negative outcomes if it complies with all rules and requirements.
For example, in the England Cup in 2024/2025, 745 teams participated, while in the Russian Cup in 2025/2026, 104 teams will play. Additionally, media teams are considered economically beneficial for the Russian Cup. They have strong sponsors, which helps find additional funding for the Russian football system.
Moreover, any team playing against them will have a large audience, especially if the game is hosted at the home stadium of the media teams. This has been proven several times.
Media clubs are not tied to a specific city; they are followed by viewers across the entire country. Thus, the involvement of media clubs in the Russian Cup does not harm the sporting aspect of the tournament; rather, it increases its popularity in the early stages. If viewers were not interested in such teams, the RFS would have quickly stopped such an experiment, but so far, interest remains, and media clubs continue to participate in the tournament and strive to make it even more attractive. Sergey Rumyantsev What do you think about the participation of media teams in the Russian Cup? Positive – it revitalizes the tournament Neutral – they should play according to the rules Negative – this is not a professional-level tournament Interesting – I only watch them.
