The defending champions were Dinamo Zagreb since they won the previous year's cup by defeating Hajduk Split on penalties after the result was tied 3–3 on aggregate.
The cup kicked off with the single-legged preliminary round which was played on 25 and 26 August 2009. Top flight clubs entered the competition in the following round, played on 22 and 23 September 2009. The two-legged final was played on 21 April and 5 May 2010, and was contested by Šibenik and Hajduk Split.
This was the first cup final for Šibenik, and a first time that they had passed through beyond the second round in the Croatian Cup. Hajduk Split won their fifth cup in nine finals. It was their first cup triumph in seven years since 2003 and their first silverware overall in five years since their 2004–05 Croatian championship title.[1]
This was the first time that two Dalmatian clubs had reached the Croatian Cup final.
The draw for the preliminary round was held on 12 August, and matches were held on 25 and 26 August 2009. This round consisted of 16 single-legged fixtures.