Trophy holders Benfica defeated previous runners-up Marítimo in the final to extend their record in the competition to seven wins.
Thirty-seven teams competing in the two professional tiers of Portuguese football for the 2015–16 season were eligible to participate in this competition.
For Primeira Liga teams, the final league position in the previous season determined in which round they enter the competition.
Source: LPFP[4] The 19 non-reserve teams competing in the 2015–16 LigaPro entered the competition in this round.
In the third round, the 12 second-round winners joined the four top-ranked teams from the 2014–15 Primeira Liga: Benfica (1st), Porto (2nd), Sporting CP (3rd) and Braga (4th).
[5] In the knockout phase, the four teams advancing from the third round contested one-legged semi-final matches for a place in the competition final.