From 50,000 teams at the start, after weeks of intense matchups, we’ve reached the final act: tonight, the championship game of the first-ever Dunkest Cup will be played.

Competing for the title are Fabio Ravera with his “V-Nere,” currently second in the overall standings, and Filiberto Mancuso with “Filo95,” who sits in 22nd place.

Fabio Ravera: a well-defined strategy

Fabio Ravera has experienced the Dunkest Cup as a fresh and stimulating challenge:

As for the Dunkest Cup, I see it as a very welcome addition from many points of view. First of all, it gives those who no longer have major goals in the overall standings a chance to compete for a prize, reigniting motivation that might otherwise fade.

Fabio Ravera

At this stage of the competition, head-to-head matchups have required specific strategic choices:

The other exciting aspect is the head-to-head format: it allows for different strategies compared to managing your lineup for the overall standings. In this round, I sacrificed some points in the general ranking to ‘shadow’ my opponent and put everything on the line in the head-to-head matchup.

Fabio Ravera

Fabio is already looking ahead, thinking about future editions of the Dunkest Cup:

Overall, I believe this is a competition that should definitely be brought back next season. In fact, why not consider adding another cup format toward the end of the year? It could keep all Dunkest users engaged until the final day.

Fabio Ravera

Filiberto Mancuso: the tension of the knockout stage

Filiberto Mancuso approached the Dunkest Cup with great determination, making the most of the pressure that comes with knockout basketball.

The Cup mode on Dunkest is the one I’m most passionate about. From the very beginning, you feel a different kind of tension: first you have to qualify for the group stage, then fight to finish in the top two of your group. And once you make it, everything changes.

Filiberto Mancuso

Every decision in the knockout stage carries extra weight, and Filiberto knows it well:

The knockout phase is the most thrilling: one mistake and you’re out. That’s what makes it so engaging, because every decision counts double and every gameweek can be decisive. With a bit of luck and a lot of attention in my choices, I managed to reach the final.

Filiberto Mancuso

Now only the final step remains – the one that separates winning from losing the Cup:

Now there’s just the last step left: winning the Cup. And doing it by beating my great friend Fabio Ravera would make it even more special.

Filiberto Mancuso

The finale of a historic tournament

The Dunkest Cup tipped off on Gameweek 10 with 50,000 teams, moved through an intense group stage and into a knockout round that featured 16,384 teams, all the way down to the two finalists. The champion will take home a €1,000 Amazon voucher, while the runner-up will receive a €500 prize.

Who will come out on top? The story of the Dunkest Cup will be written in just a few hours: between strategy, emotion and a touch of luck, only one will lift the trophy and carve his name into the first chapter of this thrilling new competition.