The 64th edition of the KNVB Cup started on 5 September 1981. The two legs of the final were played on 12 and 18 May 1982 with AZ from Alkmaar (at the time called AZ'67) beating FC Utrecht 5–2 on aggregate and won the cup for the third time. From the quarter finals onwards, two-legged matches were held.
The matches of the first round were played on September 5 and 6, 1981.
1 Eerste Divisie; A Amateur teams
The matches of the second round were played on October 31 and November 1, 1981. The Eredivisie clubs entered the tournament this round.
E Eredivisie
The matches of the round of 16 were played on January 16 and 17, 1982.
The quarter finals were played on February 17 and March 17, 1982.
The semi-finals were played on March 31 and April 28, 1982.
AZ would participate in the Cup Winners' Cup.