Rennes were the defending champions, but they were eliminated by Saint-Étienne in the semi-finals.
Due to the COVID-19 pandemic in France, on 28 April 2020, Prime Minister Edouard Philippe announced all sporting events in France, including those behind closed doors, would be banned until September.[2] The FFF were considering whether the final of the Coupe de France could be rescheduled for when events are allowed to restart.[3] On 26 June, the FFF announced that the final was rescheduled to 24 July.[4]
Dates for the first two qualifying round were set by the individual Regional leagues. The remaining qualifying rounds, the seventh and eight round, and the round of 64 took place at weekends. The later rounds up to, but not including, the final, took place on midweek evenings. The final took place on Friday 24 July 2020.[6]
Round
Draw Date
Matches Played
Third
various
15 September 2019
Fourth
various
29 September 2019
Fifth
various
13 October 2019
Sixth
various
27 October 2019
Seventh
29 and 30 October 2019
16 and 17 November 2019
Eighth
19 November 2019
7 and 8 December 2019
Round of 64
9 December 2019
4, 5 and 6 January 2020
Round of 32
6 January 2020
16, 17, 18 and 19 January 2020
Round of 16
19 or 20 January 2020
28, 29 and 30 January 2020
Quarter-finals
29 January 2020
11, 12 and 13 February 2020
Semi-finals
12 February 2020
4 and 5 March 2020
Final
n/a
24 July 2020
Notable rule changes
For this season, there were changes in the rules of participation for Overseas Territories teams in both the seventh and eighth rounds. For Guadeloupe, French Guiana and Martinique, the seventh round match was defined as being between the two teams who qualified from the sixth round, rather than being a draw against a side from mainland France as previously.[7]
Following the established rule regarding alternation of venue between overseas and mainland, the eighth-round games involving the teams from French Guiana and Martinique were played on mainland France regardless of the order the teams were drawn. However, if the overseas team was drawn first, the match took place at a neutral venue within 100 km of Paris.[8] The eighth-round game involving the team from Guadeloupe took place in Guadeloupe.
The first six rounds, and any preliminaries required, were organised by the Regional Leagues and the Overseas Territories, who allowed teams from within their league structure to enter at any point up to the third round. Teams from Championnat National 3 entered at the third round, those from Championnat National 2 entered at the fourth round and those from Championnat National entered at the fifth round.[9]
The number of teams entering at each qualifying round was as follows:
The draw for the seventh round took place in two parts, with three sets of ties drawn:
Playoff ties between teams from the same overseas leagues (Guadeloupe, Martinique, French Guiana) were drawn on 29 October 2019, and took place between 6 and 8 November 2019.[10]
Ties pitching teams from mainland France against overseas teams (Réunion, New Caledonia, Tahiti) were also drawn on 29 October 2019, and took place on 16 and 17 November 2019.[10]
Ties involving just teams from mainland France were drawn on 30 October 2019, and took place on 15, 16 and 17 November 2019.[11]
Overseas playoff ties
Ties were played between 6 and 8 November 2019.[12]
Stadium: Stade Municipal Attendance: 523 Referee: Floris Aubis
Mainland ties
The mainland ties were drawn in ten groups, with two Ligue 2 teams in each group. The rest of the teams in each group were selected to give an even distribution of teams from different tiers, and the best possible geographical fit.[14]
The lowest ranked team remaining in the competition at this stage was Verton FC from tier 9 (District division 1).
Ties were played on 15, 16 and 17 November 2019, with postponements rearranged for 19, 23 and 24 November 2019.[12]
The main draw ties were drawn in six groups, with the teams in each group selected to give an even distribution of teams from different tiers, and the best possible geographical fit.[35]
The lowest ranked team remaining in the competition at this stage was SSEP Hombourg-Haut from tier 8 (Regional division 3).
Stadium: Stade Henri Seigneur Attendance: 604 Referee: Pierre Retail
Round of 64
The draw for the ninth round (known as the round of 64) took place on 9 December 2019. The 20 Ligue 1 teams joined the draw at this stage. The draw was split into four groups to ensure equal distribution of teams from each tier, with geographical proximity a secondary factor.[39]
The lowest ranked team remaining in the competition at this stage was SSEP Hombourg-Haut from tier 8 (Regional League 3).
Games were played on 3, 4, 5 and 6 January 2020.[40]
