Domestic cup

Sports tournament type

A domestic cup (also known as association cup or national cup) is a type of sports tournament, particularly common in association football. This tournament type is notable for its participation by professional and amateur teams from many levels of a country's league system. The structure of the competition varies but is usually a knockout format and is typically organized by the country's governing body for the sport (football association).[1][2] The oldest domestic cup is England's FA Cup, first played in 1871.[3]

## Format

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The format of domestic cups vary from country to country but they usually share many characteristics. The tournament is typically a knockout format where matchups can be played as a single match or a two-legged tie.[1] Teams may enter the tournament in different rounds depending on their league rank.[4] Lower ranked teams would enter in earlier rounds or in a qualifier for the main tournament. A domestic cup will be played over several months and runs concurrently with the league season. The winner of a domestic cup may qualify to a super cup or a continental competition.[5]

## List of domestic cups in association football in Africa

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Current  Country  | Domestic Cup

|

Algeria | Algerian Cup
Angola | Taça de Angola
Benin | Benin Cup
Botswana | Botswana FA Challenge Cup
Burkina Faso | Coupe du Faso
Burundi | Burundian Cup
Cameroon | Cameroonian Cup
Cape Verde | Taça Nacional de Cabo Verde
Central African Republic | Central African Republic Coupe Nationale
Chad | Chad Cup
Comoros | Comoros Cup
Congo | Coupe du Congo (Republic of Congo)
Djibouti | Djibouti Cup
DR Congo | Coupe du Congo (DR Congo)
Egypt | Egypt Cup
Equatorial Guinea | Equatoguinean Cup
Eritrea | Eritrean Cup
Eswatini | Swazi Cup
Ethiopia | Ethiopian Cup
Gabon | Coupe du Gabon Interclubs
Gambia | Gambian Cup
Ghana | Ghana FA Cup
Guinea | Guinée Coupe Nationale
Guinea-Bissau | Taça Nacional da Guiné Bissau
Ivory Coast | Coupe de Côte d'Ivoire
Kenya | FKF President's Cup
Lesotho | Lesotho Independence Cup
Liberia | Liberian FA Cup
Libya | Libyan Cup
Madagascar | Coupe de Madagascar
Malawi | FDH Bank Knockout Cup
Mali | Malian Cup
Mauritania | Mauritanian President's Cup
Mauritius | Mauritian Cup
Morocco | Moroccan Throne Cup
Mozambique | Taça de Moçambique
Namibia | Namibia FA Cup
Niger | Niger Cup
Nigeria | Nigeria Federation Cup
Réunion | Coupe de la Réunion
Rwanda | Rwandan Cup
São Tomé and Príncipe | Taça Nacional de São Tomé e Príncipe
Senegal | Senegal FA Cup
Seychelles | Seychelles FA Cup
Sierra Leone | Sierra Leonean FA Cup
Somalia | Somalia Cup
South Africa | Nedbank Cup
South Sudan | South Sudan National Cup
Sudan | Sudan Cup
Tanzania | Tanzania FA Cup
Togo | Coupe du Togo
Tunisia | Tunisian Cup
Uganda | Uganda Cup
Zanzibar | Zanzibari Cup
Zimbabwe | Cup of Zimbabwe
Defunct  Country  | Domestic Cup

|

Zambia | Zambian Cup

## List of domestic cups in association football in Asia

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## List of domestic cups in association football in Europe

[edit]

Current  Country  | Domestic Cup

|

Albania | Albanian Cup
Andorra | Copa Constitució
Armenia | Armenian Cup
Austria | Austrian Cup
Azerbaijan | Azerbaijan Cup
Belarus | Belarusian Cup
Belgium | Belgian Cup
Bosnia and Herzegovina | Bosnia and Herzegovina Football Cup
Bulgaria | Bulgarian Cup
Croatia | Croatian Football Cup
Cyprus | Cypriot Cup
Czech Republic | Czech Cup
Denmark | Danish Cup
England | FA Cup
Estonia | Estonian Cup
Faroe Islands | Faroe Islands Cup
Finland | Finnish Cup
France | Coupe de France
Georgia | Georgian Cup
Germany | DFB-Pokal
Gibraltar | Rock Cup
Greece | Greek Football Cup
Hungary | Magyar Kupa
Iceland | Icelandic Men's Football Cup
Israel | Israel State Cup
Italy | Coppa Italia
Kazakhstan | Kazakhstan Cup
Kosovo | Kosovar Cup
Latvia | Latvian Football Cup
Liechtenstein | Liechtenstein Football Cup
Lithuania | Lithuanian Football Cup
Luxembourg | Luxembourg Cup
Malta | Maltese FA Trophy
Moldova | Cupa Moldovei
Montenegro | Montenegrin Cup
Netherlands | KNVB Cup
North Macedonia | Macedonian Football Cup
Northern Ireland | Irish Cup
Norway | Norwegian Football Cup
Poland | Polish Cup
Portugal | Taça de Portugal
Republic of Ireland | FAI Cup
Romania | Cupa României
Russia | Russian Cup (football)
San Marino | Coppa Titano
Scotland | Scottish Cup
Serbia | Serbian Cup
Slovakia | Slovak Cup
Slovenia | Slovenian Football Cup
Spain | Copa del Rey
Sweden | Svenska Cupen
Switzerland | Swiss Cup
Turkey | Turkish Cup
Ukraine | Ukrainian Cup
Wales | Welsh Cup
Defunct  Country  | Domestic Cup

|

Czechoslovakia | Czechoslovak Cup
East Germany | FDGB-Pokal
Serbia and Montenegro | Serbia and Montenegro Cup
Soviet Union | Soviet Cup
Yugoslavia | Yugoslav Cup
Non-UEFA  Country  | Domestic Cup

|

Monaco | Challenge Prince Rainier III
Vatican City | Coppa Sergio Valci

## Giant-killing

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A giant-killing, also known as an upset, is when lower-league sides slay the 'giant' of a team objectively viewed as the odds-on favorite to win the tie, or the whole tournament.[6]

Whereas Points-based competitions such as the Premier League rely on teams maintaining consistent form for the duration of the campaign, the stakes are much higher in domestic cup matches, which follow a knockout format, as everything is on the line during the course of a single match.

Some examples of giant-killings include :

* Hereford United 2-1 Newcastle United, which was an FA Cup Third round replay after the first match had resulted in a 2–2 draw. The result, a 2–1 extra time victory for Hereford, is notable for being one of the greatest shocks of all time in the history of the FA Cup, as Hereford were the lowest-ranked non-league side to beat a top-flight opposition in English footballing history. The home team, Hereford United, were playing in the Southern Football League, the fifth tier of the English football league system. The away team, Newcastle United, played in the English First Division, the first tier. [7]
* A major upset in Spanish football was the Alcorconazo, when in the first leg of a 2009–10 Copa del Rey AD Alcorcón won over Real Madrid 4–0.[8] Real Madrid is one of the largest clubs in Spanish football and the world while Alcorcón team played in the third-tier Segunda División B. Because Real Madrid won the second leg only 1–0, Alcorcón advanced victorious to the next round. The half-time substitution of Guti when the score was 3–0 and when he was booked before was another topic in the Spanish press because of words exchanged between the player and his coach, Manuel Pellegrini.[9]
* 1\. FC Saarbrücken (as a 3\. Liga side), managed to string together a run of giant-killings. They upset Bundesliga giants FC Bayern Munich with a historic 2–1 win to advance to the round of 16 in the 2023–24 DFB-Pokal. At this stage they met Eintracht Frankfurt, another of the most well-established teams in the Bundesliga. An eventful second-half left the home side 2–0 victors and moving through to the quarterfinals. They went on to beat another Bundesliga side Borussia Mönchengladbach 2–1 to advance to the semi-finals for the 5th time in club history. They met the 2\. Bundesliga side 1\. FC Kaiserslautern in the semi-finals of the DFB-Pokal, losing at home 0–2.[10]
* Calais RUFC entered the international spotlight during their run to the final of the 2000 Coupe de France, under Spanish coach Ladislas Lozano. Made up of teachers, dock workers and office clerks, Calais' ten-round cup run saw the team defeat regional heavyweights Lille and first division teams Racing Strasbourg and Bordeaux;[11] they played no games at their own ground, drawn as the away team in most rounds and the later 'home' ties played at the Stade Félix-Bollaert in Lens due to issues with facilities and capacity. They eventually lost 2–1 to Nantes in the final at the Stade de France in Paris on 7 May 2000, despite leading 1–0 at half-time.[12][13]

## See also

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* League cup

## References

[edit]

1. ^ a b Boillat, Camille; Poli, Raffaele (2014). "Governance models across football associations and leagues" (PDF). International Centre for Sports Studies. p. 62. Retrieved 30 January 2022.
2. ^ "Who's won the treble? Bayern double up". UEFA. 4 September 2020. Retrieved 30 January 2022.
3. ^ Rostance, Tom (28 May 2015). "Step back to the first FA Cup final". BBC Sport. Retrieved 8 April 2023.
4. ^ "The Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup explained". 90min.com. 11 May 2022. Retrieved 8 April 2023.
5. ^ "How is European soccer structured with leagues and cup competitions?". Bundesliga. Retrieved 8 April 2023.
6. ^ "Remarkable Records in Cup Finals".
7. ^ "Caught in time Hereford United, giantkillers in the FA Cup,1972". The Times. 11 November 2007. Archived from the original on 2 December 2008. Retrieved 11 January 2011.
8. ^ Alcorconazo Archived 29 October 2009 at the Wayback Machine, El País.com (in Spanish), October 27, 2009
9. ^ Pellegrini y Guti discutieron en el descanso y el jugador mandó al técnico a tomar por el c*** Archived 11 June 2021 at the Wayback Machine MARCA.com (in Spanish), October 28, 2009
10. ^ "Men's DFB-Pokal :: DFB-Pokal :: DFB - Deutscher Fußball-Bund e.V."
11. ^ "A Baseball Cup" Archived 2012-10-20 at the Wayback Machine, Mravic, Mark, Sports Illustrated May 16, 2000
12. ^ "France Cup 1999/2000".
13. ^ Calais Racing Union: The amateur team that went to Coupe de France final, Phil Dawkes, BBC Sport, 7 May 2020

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AFC members national football cups

* Australia
* Bahrain
* Bangladesh
* Brunei
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† Currently not played

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CAF members national football cups

Current|

* Algeria
* Angola
* Ascension Island
* Benin
* Botswana
* Burkina Faso
* Burundi
* Cameroon
* Cape Verde
* Central African Republic
* Chad
* Comoros
* Congo
* DR Congo
* Côte d'Ivoire
* Djibouti
* Egypt
* Equatorial Guinea
* Eritrea
* Ethiopia
* Gabon
* Gambia
* Ghana
* Guinea
* Guinea-Bissau
* Kenya
* Lesotho
* Liberia
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* Madagascar
* Malawi
* Mali
* Mauritania
* Mauritius
* Morocco
* Mozambique
* Namibia
* Niger
* Nigeria
* Réunion
* Rwanda
* São Tomé and Príncipe
* Senegal
* Seychelles
* Sierra Leone
* Somalia
* South Africa
* South Sudan
* Sudan
* Swaziland/Eswatini
* Tanzania
* Togo
* Tunisia
* Uganda
* Zanzibar
* Zimbabwe

Defunct|

* Zambia

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CONCACAF members national football cups

North America|

* Canada
* Mexico
* United States

Central America|

* Costa Rica
* El Salvador
* Guatemala
* Honduras
* Nicaragua
* Panama

Caribbean|

* Antigua and Barbuda
* Aruba
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* Barbados
* Bermuda
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* Saint Kitts and Nevis
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* Trinidad and Tobago

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CONMEBOL members national football cups

Current|

* Argentina
* Bolivia
* Brazil
* Chile
* Colombia
* Ecuador
* Paraguay
* Peru
* Uruguay
* Venezuela

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OFC members national football cups

* American Samoa
* Cook Islands
* Fiji
* New Caledonia
* New Zealand
* Papua New Guinea
* Samoa
* Solomon Islands
* Tahiti
* Tonga
* Vanuatu

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UEFA members national football cups

Current|

* Albania
* Andorra
* Armenia
* Austria
* Azerbaijan
* Belarus
* Belgium
* Bosnia and Herzegovina
* Bulgaria
* Croatia
* Cyprus
* Czech Republic
* Denmark
* England
* Estonia
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* Netherlands
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* Northern Ireland
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* Republic of Ireland
* Romania
* Russia
* San Marino
* Scotland
* Serbia
* Slovakia
* Slovenia
* Spain
* Sweden
* Switzerland
* Turkey
* Ukraine
* Wales

Defunct|

* Czechoslovakia
* East Germany
* Serbia and Montenegro
* USSR
* Yugoslavia

Non-UEFA|

* Monaco
* Vatican City

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National football cups (NF-Board/Non-FIFA)

* Mayotte
* Northern Cyprus
* Western Sahara

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