The competition involved the 34 clubs playing in the top two tiers of the Portuguese football league system – 18 from Primeira Liga and 16 from Liga Portugal 2 – during the 2021–22 season. Reserve sides of Primeira Liga teams that played in the 2020–21 Liga Portugal 2 were excluded from the competition. The competition format suffered changes for a to accommodate a reduction in the number of participating teams, particularly from the Liga Portugal 2.
Benfica and Sporting CP faced off for the second time in a rematch of the 2009 final.[1][2] In the final, Sporting defeated Benfica 2–1 to earn its fourth title in their sixth fina, with Benfica losing their first final. Sporting became the second team (after Benfica) in the competition's history to win the competition four times.[3]
The competition format suffered changes this season featuring the return of the final four format with both the semi-finals and the final being played over a space of a few days in the same venue. The Estádio Dr. Magalhães Pessoa hosted all matches. The two teams had played in the second final in 2009 with Benfica winning on penalty kicks.[4]
