The competition is held in a knock-out tournament format, with each round consisting of a single match.

Home field advantage is determined by the draw, clubs share the revenue from the match.

Beginning with the 1943 edition it was re-introduced as the "Gaupokal Berlin-Brandenburg", its winner qualifying for the national cup competition.

But today's Bundesliga side Hertha BSC Berlin were able to capture the trophy five times as well.

All non-professional sides that participated in the regular league competitions held by the Berlin FA.

After German reunification in 1990 football competition in East and West Berlin were unified in the 1991–92 season.

Other teams from former East Berlin has been finalists, such as Köpenicker SC in 2007 and SV Lichtenberg 47 in 2013 and 2016.

But in 1992–93 the reserve of Hertha BSC attracted national interest when they reached the DFB-Pokal final after winning the Berlin Cup.

In 2001 two teams formed by immigrants faced each other for the first time in a German Regional Cup final.

After a court decision this name could no longer be used and so the cup was held under the name "BFV-Pokal – unter der Schirmherrschaft von Lotto Berlin" (BFV-Cup – under the patronage of Lotto Berlin) or short "BFV-Pokal" (BFC-Cup), before it was renamed "Berliner-Pilsner-Pokal" (after a brand of beer) in 2007.