The 2015–16 Maltese FA Trophy was the 78th version of the knockout tournament. The competition started on 5 September 2015 and ended on 14 May 2016.
Birkirkara were the defending champions, but were eliminated in the semi-finals by Sliema Wanderers.
Format This version of the Maltese FA Trophy was a single elimination tournament contested by 65 teams. The winner, Sliema Wanderers, earned a spot in the Europa League. Sliema were unable to obtain a UEFA license. As a result, the berth was given to the fourth-placed team of the Premier League. Matches which were level after regulation went to extra time and then penalties to determine a winner.
Schedule Round Date(s) Number of fixtures Clubs Preliminary round 5 September 2015 1 65 → 64 First round 11–13 September 2015 12 64 → 52 Second round 23–25 October 2015 20 52 → 32 Third round 1 December 2015 – 6 January 2016 16 32 → 16 Fourth round 19–20 January 2016 8 16 → 8 Quarter-finals 19–20 April 2016 4 8 → 4 Semi-finals 7–8 May 2016 2 4 → 2 Final 14 May 2016 1 2 → 1
Preliminary round One preliminary match was played on 5 September 2015. The draw for the preliminary, first, and second rounds was held 18 August 2015.
|colspan="3" style="background:#fcc;"|5 September 2015
First round Twelve first round matches were played between 11–13 September 2015. The draw for the preliminary, first, and second rounds was held 18 August 2015.
|colspan="3" style="background:#fcc;"|11 September 2015
|colspan="3" style="background:#fcc;"|12 September 2015
|colspan="3" style="background:#fcc;"|13 September 2015
Second round Twenty second round matches were played between 23–25 October 2015. The draw for the preliminary, first, and second rounds was held 18 August 2015.
|colspan="3" style="background:#fcc;"|23 October 2015
|colspan="3" style="background:#fcc;"|24 October 2015
|colspan="3" style="background:#fcc;"|25 October 2015
Third round Sixteen third round matches were played between 1 December 2015 and 6 January 2016. The draws for the third and fourth round were held on 27 October 2015.
|colspan="3" style="background:#fcc;"|1 December 2015
|colspan="3" style="background:#fcc;"|2 December 2015
|colspan="3" style="background:#fcc;"|9 December 2015
|colspan="3" style="background:#fcc;"|15 December 2015
|colspan="3" style="background:#fcc;"|16 December 2015
|colspan="3" style="background:#fcc;"|6 January 2016
Fourth round Eight fourth round matches were played between 19–20 January 2016. The draws for the third and fourth round were held on 27 October 2015.
|colspan="3" style="background:#fcc;"|19 January 2016
|colspan="3" style="background:#fcc;"|20 January 2016
Quarter-finals Four quarter-final matches were played 19–20 April 2016. The draw for the quarter-final was held on 3 February 2016.
|colspan="3" style="background:#fcc;"|19 April 2016
|colspan="3" style="background:#fcc;"|20 April 2016
Semi-finals Two semi-final matches were played 7–8 May 2016. The draw for the semi-final was held on 27 April 2016.
Final The final was played on 14 May 2016.
Balzan and Sliema Wanderers never meet in the final. For Balzan this was their first-ever Maltese FA Trophy final in history, while for Sliema Wanderers this was the fortieth final, and they won it twenty times.
The last time Balzan and Sliema Wanderers met together in Maltese FA Trophy was during the 2013-14 Fourth round when Sliema Wanderers beat Balzan 8–7 on penalties when the match ends 1–1 draw.
See also 2015–16 Maltese Premier League
External links maltafootball.com soccerway.com uefa.com
References