Bulgarian Cup
Founded | 1938 (1938) |
---|---|
Region | Bulgaria |
Number of teams | Various |
Qualifier for | UEFA Europa League |
Domestic cup(s) | Bulgarian Supercup |
Current champions | Slavia Sofia (8th title) |
Most successful club(s) | Levski Sofia (25 titles) |
Television broadcasters | Nova Broadcasting Group |
2018–19 Season |
The Bulgarian Cup (Bulgarian: Купа на България) is a Bulgarian annual football competition. It is the country's main cup competition and all officially registered Bulgarian football teams take part in it.
The tournament's format is single-elimination, with all matches being one-legged, except the semi-finals. The competition's winner gets the right to take part in the UEFA Europa League. If the winner has already secured a place through the Bulgarian A Professional Football Group, the team that has come fourth in the championship substitutes it.
The competition has been dominated by Sofia-based teams. The Sofia teams have won together a total number of 61 titles. The three most successful teams are Levski Sofia (25 cups), CSKA Sofia (20 cups) and Slavia Sofia (8 cups). The most recent winner of the Bulgarian Cup is Slavia Sofia, who beat Levski Sofia 4–2 on penalties in the 2018 Bulgarian Cup Final.
Contents
1 History
2 Competition format
2.1 Qualification phase
2.2 Final phase
3 Sponsorship
4 Official winners
4.1 Tsar's Cup (1938–1942)
4.2 Cup of the Soviet Army (1945–1982)
4.3 Bulgarian Cup (1982–present)
5 Non-official winners
5.1 Bulgarian Cup (1981–1982)
6 Performances
6.1 Performance by club
6.2 Performance by city
7 References
8 External links
History
The Bulgarian Cup as a domestic cup knock-out tournament, has its roots in several tournaments held in Bulgaria through the early 20th century, simultaneously or successively starting in the 1910s with regional Sofia competitions.
The first Bulgarian national tournament was the Tsar's Cup ("King's Cup"). The competition is officially recognized as the foundation of the modern domestic cup by the Bulgarian Football Union. From 1924 until 1937 the tournament was the de facto state championship to determine the Bulgarian national football champions and winners of the tournament for those years are recognized as such by the BFU). The trophy was decided over a series of direct knock-out matches in which the champions of the country's oblasts played in one-legged single-elimination rounds.
In 1937 the first national league was created to determine the football champion of Bulgaria. The tournament for the Tsar's Cup, however, remained a prestigious competition in the country. The winners of the trophy between 1938 and 1942 are officially recognized as domestic cup holders by the BFU.
The competition was not held between 1942 and 1945 due to World War II and only returned in 1946. Bulgaria was now under Communist rule, and reformed their football league structure and competitions along the lines of other Soviet states. The new Central Football Committee created the Soviet Army Cup (Bulgarian: Купа на Съветската армия) in time for the 1945-46 season. For the remainder of the communist period in Bulgaria (between 1945 and 1990), an annual two-legged knock-out tournament was held. The tournament had a national scope but initially included only top tier clubs. It served as the primary means of qualification to the UEFA Cup Winners' Cup between 1960 and 1982.
In 1981, in honour of the 1300th anniversary of the country, another national knock-out football tournament took place awarding the winner the Cup of Bulgaria. The tournament for the Cup of the Soviet Army gradually lost its importance due to the success of the Bulgarian Cup and in 1983 it ceded primacy to the new competition.
The Bulgarian Football Union recognises the historic winners of the Soviet Army Cup as official domestic cup holders for the seasons between 1945–46 and 1981–82, while holders of the Bulgarian Cup are the official domestic cup holders from 1982-83 onwards. Levski Sofia, as the club to have won the Soviet Army Cup most times, were awarded the original trophy to keep in their collection.
Competition format
The Bulgarian Cup tournament is divided in two phases - the Qualification phase and the Final phase.
Qualification phase
In this phase are participating teams from the four groups of the amateur division V AFG (3rd level of the Bulgarian football league system) and teams from Bulgarian A Regional Football Group (A RFG) (4th level of the Bulgarian football league system).
Final phase
In this phase are participating the teams that have won their matches in the Qualification phase, with the 20 teams from the two groups of B PFG (10 teams from West B PFG and 10 teams from East B PFG) and 16 teams from A PFG. The team from a lower league division is the home team. In matches between teams from same division the home team is determined by lot.
- Round 1 (Round of 32) - 32 teams participate (the teams that have won their matches in the Qualification phase, with the 20 teams from the two groups of B PFG (10 teams from West B PFG and 10 teams from East B PFG).
- Round 2 (Round of 32) - 32 teams participate (16 teams from Round 1 and 16 teams from A PFG).
- Round 3 (Round of 16) - 16 teams participate (16 teams from Round 2).
- Quarter-finals - 8 teams participate (8 teams from Round 3).
- Semi-finals.
- Final.
Sponsorship
From 1997 to 2011 the Bulgarian Cup is sponsored by the American car manufacturer Ford and its official distributor in Bulgaria Moto-Pfohe.
From season 2011–12 the Bulgarian Cup is sponsored by the Bulgarian Corporate Commercial Bank.
Official winners
The performance of various clubs is shown in the following tables:[1]
Tsar's Cup (1938–1942)
Tsar's Cup (English: Cup of the King) is the first name of the present tournament Bulgarian Cup.
Season | Winner | Result | Runner-up | Date | Venue | Attendance |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1938 | FC 13 Sofia | 3–0 (w/o) | Levski Ruse | 3 October 1938 | Yunak Stadium | 10,000 |
1939 | Shipka Sofia | 2–0 | Levski Ruse | 3 October 1939 | Levski Playground | 4,000 |
1940 | FC 13 Sofia | 2–1 | Sportklub Plovdiv | 13 October 1940 | Levski Playground | 5,000 |
1941 | AS 23 Sofia | 4–2 | Napredak Ruse | 3 October 1941 | City Stadium | 10,000 |
1942 | Levski Sofia | 3–0 (w/o) | Sportklub Plovdiv | 3 October 1942 | Yunak Stadium | 8,000 |
Cup of the Soviet Army (1945–1982)
Season | Winner | Result | Runner-up | Date | Venue | Attendance |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1946 | Levski Sofia | 4–1 | Chernolomets Popovo (II) | 6 May 1946 | Yunak Stadium | 15,000 |
1947 | Levski Sofia | 1–0 | Botev Plovdiv | 1 June 1947 | Yunak Stadium | 17,000 |
1948 | Lokomotiv Sofia | 1–0 | Slavia-Chengelov Plovdiv | 9 May 1948 | Yunak Stadium | 12,000 |
1949 | Levski Sofia | 1–1 (aet) 2–2 (aet) 2–1 (aet) | CSKA Sofia | 8 May 1949 16 May 1949 17 May 1949 | Yunak Stadium Yunak Stadium Yunak Stadium | 35,000 35,000 35,000 |
1950 | Levski Sofia | 1–1 (aet) 1–1 (aet) 1–0 (aet) | CSKA Sofia | 26 November 1950 27 November 1950 3 December 1950 | People's Army Stadium People's Army Stadium People's Army Stadium | 30,000 30,000 30,000 |
1951 | CSKA Sofia | 1–0 (aet) | Akademik Sofia | 7 November 1951 | People's Army Stadium | 25,000 |
1952 | Slavia Sofia | 3–1 | Spartak Sofia | 9 November 1952 | People's Army Stadium | 22,000 |
1953 | Lokomotiv Sofia | 2–1 | Levski Sofia | 25 November 1953 | Vasil Levski National Stadium | 30,000 |
1954 | CSKA Sofia | 2–1 | Slavia Sofia | 7 November 1954 | Vasil Levski National Stadium | 30,000 |
1955 | CSKA Sofia | 5–2 (aet) | Spartak Plovdiv | 11 December 1955 | Vasil Levski National Stadium | 32,000 |
1956 | Levski Sofia | 5–2 | Botev Plovdiv | 18 November 1956 | Vasil Levski National Stadium | 40,000 |
1957 | Levski Sofia | 2–1 | Spartak Pleven | 7 November 1957 | Vasil Levski National Stadium | 28,000 |
1958 | Spartak Plovdiv | 1–0 | Minyor Pernik | 7 November 1958 | Vasil Levski National Stadium | 20,000 |
1958–59 | Levski Sofia | 1–0 | Spartak Plovdiv | 2 May 1959 | Vasil Levski National Stadium | 40,000 |
1959–60 | Septemvri Sofia | 4–3 (aet) | Lokomotiv Plovdiv (II) | 15 June 1960 | Vasil Levski National Stadium | 25,000 |
1960–61 | CSKA Sofia | 3–0 | Spartak Varna | 28 June 1961 | Vasil Levski National Stadium | 25,000 |
1961–62 | Botev Plovdiv | 3–0 | Dunav Ruse | 12 August 1962 | Vasil Levski National Stadium | 20,000 |
1962–63 | Slavia Sofia | 2–0 | Botev Plovdiv | 10 September 1963 | Vasil Levski National Stadium | 40,000 |
1963–64 | Slavia Sofia | 3–2 | Botev Plovdiv | 9 September 1964 | Vasil Levski National Stadium | 31,000 |
1964–65 | CSKA Sofia | 3–2 | Levski Sofia | 8 September 1965 | Ovcha Kupel Stadium | 30,000 |
1965–66 | Slavia Sofia | 1–0 | CSKA Sofia | 10 September 1966 | Vasil Levski National Stadium | 25,000 |
1966–67 | Levski Sofia | 3–0 | Spartak Sofia | 16 July 1967 | Vasil Levski National Stadium | 38,000 |
1967–68 | Spartak Sofia | 3–2 (aet) | Beroe Stara Zagora | 6 June 1968 | Vasil Levski National Stadium | 18,000 |
1968–69 | CSKA Sofia | 2–1 | Levski Sofia | 30 April 1969 | Vasil Levski National Stadium | 40,000 |
1969–70 | Levski Sofia | 2–1 | CSKA Sofia | 25 August 1970 | Vasil Levski National Stadium | 46,000 |
1970–71 | Levski Sofia | 3–0 | Lokomotiv Plovdiv | 25 August 1971 | Bulgarian Army Stadium | 30,000 |
1971–72 | CSKA Sofia | 3–0 | Slavia Sofia | 25 August 1972 | Vasil Levski National Stadium | 25,000 |
1972–73 | CSKA Sofia | 2–1 | Beroe Stara Zagora | 3 June 1973 | Vasil Levski National Stadium | 18,000 |
1973–74 | CSKA Sofia | 2–1 (aet) | Levski Sofia | 10 August 1974 | Vasil Levski National Stadium | 40,000 |
1974–75 | Slavia Sofia | 3–2 | Lokomotiv Sofia | 21 June 1975 | Vasil Levski National Stadium | 15,000 |
1975–76 | Levski Sofia | 4–3 (aet) | CSKA Sofia | 2 June 1976 | Vasil Levski National Stadium | 65,000 |
1976–77 | Levski Sofia | 2–1 | Lokomotiv Sofia | 12 June 1977 | Vasil Levski National Stadium | 45,000 |
1977–78 | Marek Dupnitsa | 1–0 | CSKA Sofia | 24 May 1978 | Vasil Levski National Stadium | 40,000 |
1978–79 | Levski Sofia | 4–1 | Beroe Stara Zagora | 23 May 1979 | Vasil Levski National Stadium | 40,000 |
1979–80 | Slavia Sofia | 3–1 | Beroe Stara Zagora | 13 May 1980 | Vasil Levski National Stadium | 30,000 |
1980–81 | Botev Plovdiv | 1–0 | Pirin Blagoevgrad | 5 May 1981 | Vasil Levski National Stadium | 20,000 |
1981–82 | Lokomotiv Sofia | 2–1 (aet) | Lokomotiv Plovdiv (II) | 12 June 1982 | Pleven Stadium | 8,000 |
Notes:
- In 1981–82 the Winner of Cup of the Soviet Army, Lokomotiv Sofia still qualified for the next edition of 1982–83 European Cup Winners' Cup.
- From 1982–83 onward the Bulgarian Cup was the major Cup tournament.
Bulgarian Cup (1982–present)
Season | Winner | Result | Runner-up | Date | Venue | Attendance |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1982–83 | CSKA Sofia | 4–0 | Spartak Varna | 3 April 1983 | 9th September Stadium | 15,000 |
1983–84 | Levski Sofia | 1–0 | Botev Plovdiv | 2 May 1984 | Druzhba Stadium | 30,000 |
1984–85 | CSKA Sofia | 2–1 | Levski Sofia | 19 June 1985 | Vasil Levski National Stadium | 35,000 |
1985–86 | Vitosha Sofia | 2–1 | Sredets Sofia | 27 April 1986 | Vasil Levski National Stadium | 28,000 |
1986–87 | Sredets Sofia | 2–1 | Vitosha Sofia | 13 May 1987 | Vasil Levski National Stadium | 40,000 |
1987–88 | Sredets Sofia | 4–1 | Vitosha Sofia | 11 May 1988 | Vasil Levski National Stadium | 50,000 |
1988–89 | Sredets Sofia | 3–0 | Chernomorets Burgas (II) | 24 May 1989 | Pleven Stadium | 15,000 |
1989–90 | Sliven | 2–0 | CSKA Sofia | 30 May 1990 | Hristo Botev Stadium | 15,000 |
1990–91 | Levski Sofia | 2–1 | Botev Plovdiv | 29 May 1991 | Ivaylo Stadium | 10,000 |
1991–92 | Levski Sofia | 5–0 | Pirin Blagoevgrad | 27 May 1992 | Georgi Benkovski Stadium | 10,000 |
1992–93 | CSKA Sofia | 1–0 | Botev Plovdiv | 2 June 1993 | Hristo Botev Stadium | 18,000 |
1993–94 | Levski Sofia | 1–0 | Pirin Blagoevgrad | 4 May 1994 | Vasil Levski National Stadium | 18,000 |
1994–95 | Lokomotiv Sofia | 4–2 | Botev Plovdiv | 27 May 1995 | Vasil Levski National Stadium | 20,000 |
1995–96 | Slavia Sofia | 4–0 (w/o) | Levski Sofia | 1 May 1996 | Vasil Levski National Stadium | 22,000 |
1996–97 | CSKA Sofia | 3–1 | Levski Sofia | 27 May 1997 | Vasil Levski National Stadium | 18,500 |
1997–98 | Levski Sofia | 5–0 | CSKA Sofia | 13 May 1998 | Vasil Levski National Stadium | 50,000 |
1998–99 | CSKA Sofia | 1–0 | Litex Lovech | 25 May 1999 | Balgarska Armia Stadium | 20,000 |
1999–00 | Levski Sofia | 2–0 | Neftohimik Burgas | 31 May 2000 | Hristo Botev Stadium | 18,000 |
2000–01 | Litex Lovech | 1–0 (aet) | Velbazhd Kyustendil | 24 May 2001 | Lokomotiv Stadium | 8,000 |
2001–02 | Levski Sofia | 3–1 | CSKA Sofia | 15 May 2002 | Ovcha Kupel Stadium | 17,500 |
2002–03 | Levski Sofia | 2–1 | Litex Lovech | 21 May 2003 | Vasil Levski National Stadium | 10,453 |
2003–04 | Litex Lovech | 2–2 (4–3 pen.) | CSKA Sofia | 12 May 2004 | Vasil Levski National Stadium | 11,461 |
2004–05 | Levski Sofia | 2–1 | CSKA Sofia | 25 May 2005 | Vasil Levski National Stadium | 10,848 |
2005–06 | CSKA Sofia | 3–1 | Cherno More Varna | 24 May 2006 | Vasil Levski National Stadium | 7,216 |
2006–07 | Levski Sofia | 1–0 (aet) | Litex Lovech | 24 May 2007 | Beroe Stadium | 11,000 |
2007–08 | Litex Lovech | 1–0 | Cherno More Varna | 14 May 2008 | Vasil Levski National Stadium | 2,040 |
2008–09 | Litex Lovech | 3–0 | OFC Pirin Blagoevgrad | 26 May 2009 | Georgi Asparuhov Stadium | 9,500 |
2009–10 | Beroe Stara Zagora | 1–0 | Chernomorets Pomorie (II) | 5 May 2010 | Lovech Stadium | 5,250 |
2010–11 | CSKA Sofia | 1–0 | Slavia Sofia | 25 May 2011 | Vasil Levski National Stadium | 17,500 |
2011–12 | Ludogorets Razgrad | 2–1 | Lokomotiv Plovdiv | 19 May 2012 | Lazur Stadium | 13,103 |
2012–13 | Beroe Stara Zagora | 3–3 (3–1 pen.) | Levski Sofia | 15 May 2013 | Lovech Stadium | 7,500 |
2013–14 | Ludogorets Razgrad | 1–0 | Botev Plovdiv | 15 May 2014 | Lazur Stadium | 13,250 |
2014–15 | Cherno More Varna | 2–1 (aet) | Levski Sofia | 30 May 2015 | Lazur Stadium | 13,910 |
2015–16 | CSKA Sofia (III) | 1−0 | Montana | 24 May 2016 | Vasil Levski National Stadium | 33,345 |
2016–17 | Botev Plovdiv | 2−1 | Ludogorets Razgrad | 24 May 2017 | Vasil Levski National Stadium | 9,800 |
2017–18 | Slavia Sofia | 0−0 (4–2 pen.) | Levski Sofia | 9 May 2018 | Vasil Levski National Stadium | 32,000 |
Notes:
- From 1981 until 1990 there were two Cup tournaments.
- In 1981 the Cup of Bulgaria was not a serious tournament because only 4 teams took part: CSKA Sofia, Slavia Sofia, Levski Sofia and Botev Plovdiv. It was part of the commemorations for 1300 years of Bulgaria.[2]
UEFA doesn't recognize as official the 1981 and 1982 tournaments of the Bulgarian Cup and also doesn't recognize as official the Cup of the Soviet Army (1983–1990). This fact has been acknowledged by the article of Lyubomir Serafimov, a football statistician. Its significant that the participants in the 1981–82 European Cup Winners' Cup and 1982–83 European Cup Winners' Cup are teams who won the last two Official Cups of the Soviet Army - Botev Plovdiv and Lokomotiv Sofia.
(II) - Clubs representing Bulgarian B Professional Football Group at the moment of the final.
(III) - Clubs representing Bulgarian V AFG at the moment of the final.
Non-official winners
Bulgarian Cup (1981–1982)
Season | Winner | Result | Runner-up | Date | Venue | Attendance |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1981 | CSKA Sofia | 1–0 | Slavia Sofia | 6 June 1981 | Vasil Levski National Stadium, Sofia | 25,000 |
1982 | Levski Sofia | 4–0 | CSKA Sofia | 16 June 1982 | Vasil Levski National Stadium, Sofia | 30,000 |
Performances
The totals below include the Tsar's Cup (1938–1942), Cup of the Soviet Army (1945–1982) and Bulgarian Cup (1982–present).
Performance by club
Club | Winners | Runners-up | Winning Years |
---|---|---|---|
Levski Sofia | 25 | 12 | 1942, 1946, 1947, 1949, 1950, 1956, 1957, 1959, 1967, 1970, 1971, 1976, 1977, 1979, 1984, 1986, 1991, 1992, 1994, 1998, 2000, 2002, 2003, 2005, 2007 |
CSKA Sofia | 20 | 12 | 1951, 1954, 1955, 1961, 1965, 1969, 1972, 1973, 1974, 1983, 1985, 1987, 1988, 1989, 1993, 1997, 1999, 2006, 2011, 2016 |
Slavia Sofia | 8 | 3 | 1952, 1963, 1964, 1966, 1975, 1980, 1996, 2018 |
Litex Lovech | 4 | 3 | 2001, 2004, 2008, 2009 |
Lokomotiv Sofia | 4 | 2 | 1948, 1953, 1982, 1995 |
Botev Plovdiv | 3 | 9 | 1962, 1981, 2017 |
Beroe Stara Zagora | 2 | 4 | 2010, 2013 |
Ludogorets Razgrad | 2 | 1 | 2012, 2014 |
FC 13 Sofia | 2 | – | 1938, 1940 |
Cherno More Varna | 1 | 2 | 2015 |
Spartak Sofia | 1 | 2 | 1968 |
Spartak Plovdiv | 1 | 2 | 1958 |
Sliven | 1 | – | 1990 |
Marek Dupnitsa | 1 | – | 1978 |
Septemvri Sofia | 1 | – | 1960 |
AS 23 Sofia | 1 | – | 1941 |
Shipka Sofia | 1 | – | 1939 |
OFC Pirin Blagoevgrad | – | 4 | – |
Lokomotiv Plovdiv | – | 4 | – |
Sportklub Plovdiv | – | 3 | – |
Spartak Varna | – | 2 | – |
Levski Ruse | – | 2 | – |
Montana | – | 1 | – |
Chernomorets Pomorie | – | 1 | – |
Velbazhd Kyustendil | – | 1 | – |
Neftochimic Burgas | – | 1 | – |
Chernomorets Burgas | – | 1 | – |
Dunav Ruse | – | 1 | – |
Minyor Pernik | – | 1 | – |
Spartak Pleven | – | 1 | – |
Akademik Sofia | – | 1 | – |
Chernolomets Popovo | – | 1 | – |
Napredak Ruse | – | 1 | – |
Notes:
Accomplishments in tournaments before 1949 are not officially recognised by the BFU as accomplishments by Lokomotiv Plovdiv.[citation needed]
Performance by city
City | Cups | Winning Clubs |
---|---|---|
Sofia | 63 | Levski Sofia (25), CSKA Sofia (20), Slavia (8), Lokomotiv Sofia (4), FC 13 Sofia (2), Spartak Sofia (1), Shipka Sofia (1), AS 23 Sofia (1), Septemvri Sofia (1) |
Lovech | 4 | Litex Lovech (4) |
Plovdiv | 4 | Botev Plovdiv (3), Spartak Plovdiv (1) |
Razgrad | 2 | Ludogorets Razgrad (2) |
Stara Zagora | 2 | Beroe Stara Zagora (2) |
Varna | 1 | Cherno More (1) |
Dupnitsa | 1 | Marek Dupnitsa (1) |
Sliven | 1 | Sliven (1) |
References
^ "Archive - Cup - Bulgaria - Results, fixtures, tables and news - Soccerway". int.soccerway.com. Retrieved 4 April 2018..mw-parser-output cite.citation{font-style:inherit}.mw-parser-output q{quotes:"""""""'""'"}.mw-parser-output code.cs1-code{color:inherit;background:inherit;border:inherit;padding:inherit}.mw-parser-output .cs1-lock-free a{background:url("//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/6/65/Lock-green.svg/9px-Lock-green.svg.png")no-repeat;background-position:right .1em center}.mw-parser-output .cs1-lock-limited a,.mw-parser-output .cs1-lock-registration a{background:url("//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/d/d6/Lock-gray-alt-2.svg/9px-Lock-gray-alt-2.svg.png")no-repeat;background-position:right .1em center}.mw-parser-output .cs1-lock-subscription a{background:url("//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/a/aa/Lock-red-alt-2.svg/9px-Lock-red-alt-2.svg.png")no-repeat;background-position:right .1em center}.mw-parser-output .cs1-subscription,.mw-parser-output .cs1-registration{color:#555}.mw-parser-output .cs1-subscription span,.mw-parser-output .cs1-registration span{border-bottom:1px dotted;cursor:help}.mw-parser-output .cs1-hidden-error{display:none;font-size:100%}.mw-parser-output .cs1-visible-error{font-size:100%}.mw-parser-output .cs1-subscription,.mw-parser-output .cs1-registration,.mw-parser-output .cs1-format{font-size:95%}.mw-parser-output .cs1-kern-left,.mw-parser-output .cs1-kern-wl-left{padding-left:0.2em}.mw-parser-output .cs1-kern-right,.mw-parser-output .cs1-kern-wl-right{padding-right:0.2em}
^ "Archived copy". Archived from the original on 2015-09-25. Retrieved 2015-09-08.CS1 maint: Archived copy as title (link)
External links
Bulgarian Cup news from Topsport (in Bulgarian)
Bulgaria Cups Overview, RSSSF.com