The title holders were Braga, who won the competition for the second time after beating Porto in the previous final, but were eliminated in the fifth round by Sporting da Covilhã.

As in the previous season, the competition format is organised in a knockout system consisting of seven rounds before the final match.

A total of 120 teams entered the tournament in the first round, 79 competing in the third-tier Campeonato de Portugal and 41 representatives from the District Football Associations.

Unlike the earlier one-legged rounds, the semi-finals will be played as two-legged ties, with home and away matches.

The final will be played as a one-off match at a neutral venue, traditionally the Estádio Nacional in Oeiras.

Match kick-off times are in WET (UTC+0) from the fourth round to the semi-finals, and in WEST (UTC+1) during the rest of the competition.

A total of 120 teams from the Campeonato de Portugal (CP) and the District Football Associations (D) entered the first round.

The draw took place on Friday, 21 October 2016, at 12:00 WEST,[7] and unlike previous rounds, was free of restrictions.