A national cup (also known as association cup) is a type of domestic cup, particularly common in association football. This cup 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). The oldest national cup is England's FA Cup, first played in 1871.
Format The format of national 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. Teams may enter the tournament in different rounds depending on their league rank. Lower ranked teams would enter in earlier rounds or in a qualifier for the main tournament. A national cup will be played over several months and runs concurrently with the league season. The winner of a national cup may qualify to a super cup or a continental competition.
List of men's national cups in association football in Africa + CurrentCountryNational CupAlgerian CupTaça de AngolaBenin CupBotswana FA Challenge CupCoupe du FasoBurundian CupCameroonian CupTaça Nacional de Cabo VerdeCentral African Republic Coupe NationaleChad CupComoros CupCoupe du Congo (Republic of Congo)Djibouti CupCoupe du Congo (DR Congo)Egypt CupEquatoguinean CupEritrean CupSwazi CupEthiopian CupCoupe du Gabon InterclubsGambian CupGhana FA CupGuinée Coupe NationaleTaça Nacional da Guiné BissauCoupe de Côte d'IvoireFKF President's CupLesotho Independence CupLiberian FA CupLibyan CupCoupe de MadagascarFDH Bank Knockout CupMalian CupMauritanian President's CupMauritian CupMoroccan Throne CupTaça de MoçambiqueNamibia FA CupNiger CupNigeria Federation CupCoupe de la RéunionRwandan CupTaça Nacional de São Tomé e PríncipeSenegal FA CupSeychelles FA CupSierra Leonean FA CupSomalia CupNedbank CupSouth Sudan National CupSudan CupTanzania FA CupCoupe du TogoTunisian CupUganda CupZanzibari CupCup of Zimbabwe
+ DefunctCountryNational CupZambian Cup
List of men's national cups in association football in the Americas + CurrentCountryNational CupCopa ArgentinaCopa BoliviaCopa do BrasilCopa ChileCopa ColombiaCopa EcuadorCopa ParaguayCopa de la LigaCopa UruguayCopa Venezuela List of men's national cups in association football in Asia + ASEAN Football Federation (AFF) Association / Country Main National Knockout Cup Australia Cup Brunei FA Cup Hun Sen Cup Taça 12 de Novembro Piala Indonesia Lao FF Cup Malaysia FA Cup Myanmar National League Cup Copa Paulino Alcantara Singapore Cup Thai FA Cup Vietnamese Cup
+ Central Asian Football Association (CAFA) Association / Country Main National Knockout Cup None currently active Hazfi Cup Kyrgyzstan Cup Tajikistan Cup Turkmenistan Cup Uzbekistan Cup
+ East Asian Football Federation (EAFF) Association / Country Main National Knockout Cup Chinese FA Cup CTFA Cup GFA Cup Hong Kong FA Cup Emperor's Cup Macau FA Cup Mongolia Cup Hwaebul Cup NMIFA Cup Korea Cup
+ South Asian Football Federation (SAFF) Association / Country Main National Knockout Cup Federation Cup Bhutan National Cup Super Cup Maldives FA Cup No single current national cup is clearly established National Challenge Cup Sri Lanka FA Cup
+ West Asian Football Federation (WAFF) Association / Country Main National Knockout Cup King's Cup Iraq FA Cup Jordan FA Cup Emir Cup Lebanese FA Cup Sultan Qaboos Cup Palestine Cup Amir Cup King's Cup Syrian Cup President's Cup Republic Cup
List of men's national cups in association football in Europe + CurrentCountryNational CupAlbanian CupCopa ConstitucióArmenian CupAustrian CupAzerbaijan CupBelarusian CupBelgian CupBosnia and Herzegovina Football CupBulgarian CupCroatian Football CupCypriot CupCzech CupDanish CupFA CupEstonian CupFaroe Islands CupFinnish CupCoupe de FranceGeorgian CupDFB-PokalRock CupGreek Football CupMagyar KupaIcelandic Men's Football CupIsrael State CupCoppa ItaliaKazakhstan CupKosovar CupLatvian Football CupLiechtenstein Football CupLithuanian Football CupLuxembourg CupMaltese FA TrophyCupa MoldoveiMontenegrin CupKNVB CupMacedonian Football CupIrish CupNorwegian Football CupPolish CupTaça de PortugalFAI CupCupa RomânieiRussian Cup (football)Coppa TitanoScottish CupSerbian CupSlovak CupSlovenian Football CupCopa del ReySvenska CupenSwiss CupTurkish CupUkrainian CupWelsh Cup
+ DefunctCountryNational CupCzechoslovak CupFDGB-PokalSerbia and Montenegro CupSoviet CupYugoslav Cup
+ Non-UEFACountryNational CupChallenge Prince Rainier IIICoppa Sergio Valci
List of men's national cups in association football in Oceania + CurrentCountryNational CupFFAS President's CupKate Sheppard CupCook Islands CupFiji FA Cup TournamentCoupe de CalédoniePapua New Guinea FA CupSamoa CupSolomon CupTahiti CupTonga CupPort Vila FA Cup
List of women's national cups in association football in Africa + CurrentCountryNational CupAlgerian Women's CupBurkinabé Women's CupCoupe du Burundi FéminineCoupe du Cameroun FéminineComorian Women's CupCoupe du Congo FéminineCôte d'Ivoire Women's CupCoupe de Djibouti FémininEgyptian Women's CupCopa de la Primera Dama de la NaciónWomen's Ingwenyama CupGFF Women's FF CupGhana Women's FA CupFKF Women's CupLiberian FA Women's CupCoupe du Mali FéminineNational Women's MFA CupCoupe du Trône FéminineNFA Cup (Women)Nigeria Women's Federation CupRwanda Women's Peace CupCoupe du Sénégal FéminineWomen's South Sudan CupTunisia Women's CupFUFA Women's CupZFA Women's CupWomen's Munhumutapa Challenge Cup
List of women's national cups in association football in the Americas + CurrentCountryNational CupWomen's Federal CupWomen's Knockout CupCopa do Brasil FemininaWomen's Prime Minister's CupBVIFA President's Cup (Women)W Canadian ChampionshipCIFA Women's FA CupTorneo de Copa Femenina de Costa RicaGFF Women's CupCopa Paraguay FEMCopa de Puerto Rico FemeninaWomen's Federal CupCopa Venezuela FemeninaUSVISF Federation W Cup
List of women's national cups in association football in Asia + CurrentCountryNational CupBahrain Women's CupChinese Women's FA CupHong Kong Women's FA CupPiala PertiwiEmpress's CupWomen's Jordan CupW Korea CupWomen's Kyrgyzstan CupLebanon Women's CupANFA Women's ChampionshipNational Women's Football ChampionshipPFF Women's CupSaudi Women's CupFAS Women's Challenge CupUAE Women's Super CupUzbekistan Women's CupVietnamese Women's National Cup
List of women's national cups in association football in Europe + CurrentCountryNational CupAlbanian Women's CupÖFB Frauen CupBelarusian Women's CupWomen's Belgian CupBosnia and Herzegovina Women's Football CupBulgarian Women's CupCroatian Women's Football CupCypriot Women's CupCzech Women's CupDanish Women's CupWomen's FA CupEstonian Women's CupFaroese Women's CupFinnish Women's CupCoupe de France FéminineGeorgian Women's CupDFB-Pokal FrauenWomen's Rock CupGreek Women's CupHungarian Women's CupIcelandic Women's Football CupIsraeli Women's CupCoppa Italia FemminileKazakhstani Women's CupKosovo Women's CupLatvian Women's CupLithuanian Women's CupLuxembourg Women's CupMaltese Women's CupMoldovan Women's CupMontenegrin Cup For WomenKNVB Women's CupMacedonian Women's Football CupIFA Women's Challenge CupNorwegian Women's CupPolish Women's CupTaça de Portugal FemininaFAI Women's CupCupa României FemininRussian Women's CupScottish Women's CupSerbian Women's CupSlovak Women's CupSlovenian Women's CupCopa de la ReinaSvenska CupenSwiss Women's CupUkrainian Women's CupFAW Women's Cup
List of women's national cups in association football in Oceania + CurrentCountryNational CupFFAS Women's National CupKate Sheppard CupCIFA Women's Knockout CupWomen's Inter-District ChampionshipCoupe Fédérale FémininePNGFA Cup (Women)Coupe de Polynésie FéminineHeilala Women's Football Cup
Giant-killing 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.
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 national 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. 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.Alcorconazo , El País.com , October 27, 2009 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.Pellegrini y Guti discutieron en el descanso y el jugador mandó al técnico a tomar por el c*** MARCA.com , October 28, 2009 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. 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;"A Baseball Cup" , Mravic, Mark, Sports Illustrated May 16, 2000 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.Calais Racing Union: The amateur team that went to Coupe de France final, Phil Dawkes, BBC Sport, 7 May 2020
See also League cup
References