According to tournament regulations, if the reigning RPL champions also win the Russian Cup, their opponents will be the top flight runners up. This occurred in 2006 and 2007 when CSKA won the domestic double the previous seasons, taking on Spartak Moscow in both subsequent Super Cups. In 2011 the Armymen took part as the RPL runners up after Zenit St. Petersburg had claimed their own league and cup double in 2010.

Since the Russian Cup is open to all professional clubs, qualification for the Super Cup is not the preserve of RPL teams. For example, Terek Grozny (as Akhmat Grozny were then known) took on Lokomotiv Moscow in the 2005 Super Cup having won the 2004 Russian Cup as a second-tier side. This case shouldn’t be considered an absolute precedent though, as FC Terek were also promoted from the First Division, so at the time of the Super Cup match they were officially an RPL club.

Although RPL teams are obliged to take part in the Super Cup, lower league clubs are technically granted the right to refuse participation in the Super Cup up until 1 September of the previous year. In this case, their place is taken by the RPL runners up.

The Super Cup match is held according to the following rules:

• if in regulation time (two equal halves of 45 minutes) the match ends in a draw, then extra time is assigned (two additional halves of 15 minutes each)

• if at the end of extra time the draw remains, the winner of the match is determined by a penalty shootout in accordance with the Laws of the Game approved by the International Board (IFAB)

As if to show how tightly-fought the Super Cup is, only three of the last five editions have been decided within regulation time. 

The Super Cup trophy is handed over to the winners after the match to keep until 1 February. Players, managers and specialists of participating teams are also awarded with medals and certificates. Upon returning the trophy, they receive a replica for permanent storage. The right to choose strips, dressing rooms and substitute benches belong to the participant which is the valid Champion of Russia of the previous season.

If a club wins the Super Cup three times in a row or five times in total, they keep it permanently. In 2011 CSKA had a chance to do this after winning four times (2004, 2006, 2007 & 2009), but lost to Zenit in Krasnodar. Two years later they took the trophy home for good by beating RPL runners up Zenit, and have since gone on to win two more Super Cups to be the most successful entrants with seven wins.

The city, stadium, date and time of the match are determined jointly by the Russian Football Union and the RPL. The first eight Super Cups were all held in Moscow, with Lokomotiv’s RZD Arena hosting the first three after which the following five were held at the Luzhniki. In 2011 Kuban Stadium in Krasnodar held the first Super Cup outside Moscow, with only two subsequent editions taking place in the capital. The attendance record was set in 2008 when Zenit beat Lokomotiv 2-1.