The 1981–82 Yugoslav Cup was the 34th season of the top football knockout competition in SFR Yugoslavia, the Yugoslav Cup (), also known as the "Marshal Tito Cup" (Kup Maršala Tita), since its establishment in 1946.
The 1980–81 winners Velež failed to retain the trophy as they were knocked out in the first round by minnows Mogren. Dinamo Zagreb and the Belgrade-based Red Star, who finished as winners and runners-up in the 1981–82 Yugoslav First League, reached the tournament final. In the two-legged final Red Star won their 10th cup title after beating Dinamo 6–4 on aggregate. This was their first cup win since the 1970–71 edition.
Surprise of the tournament were second level side Galenika, who managed to reach the semi-finals, knocking out the remaining two of the Yugoslav "Big Four" clubs Partizan and Hajduk Split in the process. Fuelled by their prolific goalscorer Slobodan Santrač, Galenika also had a successful league season as they won the 1981–82 Second League Division East and won promotion to the 1982–83 Yugoslav First League.
Calendar
The Yugoslav Cup was a tournament for which clubs from all tiers of the football pyramid were eligible to enter. In addition, amateur teams put together by individual Yugoslav People's Army garrisons and various factories and industrial plants were also encouraged to enter, which meant that each cup edition could have several thousands of teams in its preliminary stages. These teams would play through a number of qualifying rounds before reaching the first round proper, in which they would be paired with top-flight teams.
The cup final was played over two legs on 16 and 23 May, traditionally scheduled to coincide with Youth Day celebrated on 25 May, a national holiday in Yugoslavia which also doubled as the official commemoration of Josip Broz Tito's birthday.
First round
First round proper was played on 7 October 1981. Ties were decided over a single leg, with penalty shootouts used to determine winners when matches ended in a draw after regular time. Sixteen out of eighteen 1981–82 Yugoslav First League clubs entered the competition at this stage (everyone except Osijek and Teteks, who were only promoted to top level at the end of the 1980–81 season).
Each of the sixteen top level clubs were paired with a lower-tier team who made it to this stage through preliminary qualifiers. In addition, Croatia Zurich, a Zurich-based club ran by Croatian emigrants in Switzerland, also received a spot, but exited the tournament following a 5–0 defeat to Budućnost.
Seven top level clubs were knocked out at this stage: OFK Belgrade, Partizan, Radnički Niš, Vardar, Zagreb and the defending cup winners Velež, who lost their tie to Montenegrin minnows Mogren on penalties.
In the following tables winning teams are marked in bold; teams from outside top level are marked in italic script.
Second round
Second round, or round of 16, was played on 7 November 1981. It featured nine top flight and seven lower level clubs. Galenika and Rad were the only two teams from outside top level who managed to progress, both after winning ties against fellow minnows Maribor and Mogren.
Quarter-finals
Quarter-finals were played on 18 November 1981. Red Star, Dinamo Zagreb and Sloboda progressed to the semi-finals, along with Zemun-based Galenika - who were the only team from outside top flight left in the competition after this stage.
Semi-finals
Semi-finals were played on 21 April 1982. Red Star hosted Galenika at their Red Star Stadium in Belgrade and won 4–1 through goals by Milko Đurovski, Vladimir Petrović, Dušan Savić and Miloš Šestić, with Slobodan Santrač scoring a goal for the visiting team. Dinamo Zagreb played Sloboda at Maksimir Stadium and won 2–0 through goals by Snješko Cerin and Zlatko Kranjčar.
Final
Summary
Dinamo Zagreb and Red Star, two of the so-called Yugoslav "Big Four" clubs, had reached the 1982 final. The two clubs also dominated in the Yugoslav First League that season, with Dinamo crowned champions only two weeks before the first leg of the cup final, and Red Star finishing the season as runners-up. Red Star eventually won the final tie 6–4 on aggregate.
For Red Star this was their 15th appearance in the Yugoslav Cup final and their first cup title since 1971. It was won by a squad featuring major club stars such as Vladimir Petrović, Dušan Savić, Miloš Šestić and Milko Đurovski, led by experienced coach Branko Stanković.