For the purposes of this piece, a top-tier team losing to any side from a lower division is considered a 'cupset'. Let's take a look at some of the bigger shocks to happen in domestic cups across the continent last season!
Brabrand IF 1-1 FC Nordsjaelland, 10-9 on penalties - Landspokal, fifth round
We start in Denmark, where fourth-tier Brabrand IF pulled off a shocking defeat of FC Nordsjaelland in the fifth round. This came after they ousted Randers in the previous round.
The Superliga club took the lead just seven minutes in, with most at Brabrand Stadion expecting them to run away with the match.
They could not have been any more wrong, though. Mikkel Frandsen levelled the score for the underdogs just past the hour mark to the delight of the home crowd.
Despite Nordsjaelland's 38 shots over two hours, 28 of which were on target, Brabrand keeper Mathias Ornskov kept all but one of them out.
Making things all the more dramatic, the hosts brought on back-up keeper Henrik Lindhard Jensen for the penalty shootout. He came up key, as in the 10th round of spot kicks, he denied Lucas Hey. Tobias Olesen converted his penalty, completing the stunning cupset.
Brabrand, who achieved promotion to the third tier, fell 7-1 on aggregate in the quarter-finals to Silkeborg.
Plymouth 1-0 Liverpool - FA Cup, fourth round
Liverpool fans will remember the 2024/25 campaign fondly, having won the Premier League with four games to spare. Arne Slot's men impressed for much of the season and can be quite satisfied with their achievement.
However, the Reds did not have as much joy in the other competitions, as they lost in the round of 16 of the Champions League to eventual winners PSG. They were also defeated in the EFL Cup final against Newcastle.
However, their biggest shock of the season came in the FA Cup against Plymouth Argyle, who ultimately suffered relegation from the Championship.
It was a Robbie Hardy penalty eight minutes after the break that undid the Merseyside club, who could not find the back of the net despite having 75% possession and 14 attempts. There was just no way past Conor Hazard that day, as Plymouth managed their greatest FA Cup run in almost two decades.
O Elvas 2-1 Vitoria Guimaraes - Taca de Portugal, fifth round
Next is the Portuguese Cup, where Vitoria Guimaraes, who reached the knockout stages of the Conference League, astonishingly fell to fourth-tier O Elvas in the round of 16.
The club from the District of Portalegre managed to produce a second-half comeback to knock off the side who reached the semi-finals a year prior.
It took Vitoria less than two minutes to go in front through Michel Dieu, with many expecting the Liga Portugal team to cruise. Yet, that turned out to be their only goal from 20 attempts in the game.
Lucao tied things up a few moments after the restart, before Desmond Nketia completed the comeback 15 minutes from time.
The fans at the Campo Domingos Carrilho Patalino celebrated at the full-time whistle as they saw their club advance to the quarter-finals. There, they would lose 2-0 to fellow Campeonato de Portugal side Tirsense.
In the end, the 2024/25 campaign will be seen as a huge success for Cavaleiros Azuis e Ouro, who capped it off by achieving promotion to the third tier.
Pontevedra 1-0 Villarreal - Copa del Rey, second round
The biggest story in the Copa del Rey this season was undoubtedly Pontevedra, from Galicia. They managed to reach the round of 16 of the tournament, but not without causing some cupsets along the way.
While they did defeat Mallorca 3-0 en route to making the last 16, the biggest shock came the round before. Facing a Villarreal side who ended up finishing fifth in LaLiga, the odds were heavily stacked against them to score, let alone win.
Yet, the squad from the Segunda Federacion played with freedom and confidence against a team three tiers above them. Three minutes from time, Dalisson de Almeida scored the winner to give his club a famous win.
After following that up with a resounding win against another top-flight team in Mallorca, Pontevedra ultimately fell in the last 16 against Getafe. Still, it was their best run in the cup since 1971/72, where they got to the same round.
As was the case with Brabrand and O Elvas, Os Granates also enjoyed promotion to the third division at season's end.
Spaeri 2-2 Dinamo Tbilisi, 5-4 on pens - Georgian Cup, final
Perhaps the most memorable cupset of the 2024/25 campaign came in the Georgian Cup final. The country's most renowned team, Dinamo Tbilisi, faced off against a midtable second-tier side in Spaeri, who were playing in just their eighth season all-time.
Having won all of their previous rounds by one goal or via a penalty shootout, Spaeri had already knocked off FC Telavi and Gagra en route to the final. Facing the 1980/81 UEFA Cup Winners Cup champions, it was by far their most high-profile clash in their short existence.
Although Dinamo were having a poor season - they finished fifth in the league - they were still the overwhelming favourites.
After taking the lead just before the half, the Liga 2 team conceded twice in four minutes midway through the second 45. Just as it looked like Dinamo would claim their first cup title in nine years, Seba Gegiadze levelled the game in the 88th minute.
With the match ultimately going to a penalty shootout, keeper Bukhuti Putkaradze played the role of hero, stopping two penalties to give Spaeri their first major crown.
In winning the Georgian Cup, Spaeri became the second team to do so while not being in the top flight, after Gagra did the same 14 years prior. They are also poised to enjoy their maiden continental campaign in the summer. Dinamo, meanwhile, will miss out on Europe for the first time since 2017/18.
Honourable mentions
To wrap up this first part, we have two honourable mentions. The first one comes from the 2024 NM Cupen, where fifth-tier Torvastad knocked off Haugesund in a penalty shootout after a 1-1 draw.
Perhaps the most impressive part of this cupset was the fact that Jorgen Kaldheim Gronningen saved all four of Haugesund's spot kicks. The club would go on to narrowly lose 4-3 to Viking in the next round, but enjoyed promotion at season's end.
Also worth a shoutout are Finnish club VJS, who stunned Gnistan 3-0 in the Suomen Cup despite being three tiers below them.
Second-half substitute Patrik Ahonen bagged a brace for the team from the fourth division as they advanced in remarkable fashion. They would get as far as the round of 16 before falling to another Veikkausliiga club in AC Oulu.