Bulgarian Cup
  | |
| Founded | 1938 |
|---|---|
| Region |
 Bulgaria |
| Number of teams | 38 (2012/2013) |
| Current champions | Ludogorets Razgrad (2nd title) |
| Most successful club(s) | Levski Sofia (25) |
| Television broadcasters |
Nova, Diema Nova Sport, Diema Sport |
 2014–15 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. It is sponsored by the Bulgarian Corporate Commercial Bank.
The tournament's format is single-elimination, with all matches being one-legged. The Bulgarian Cup final is usually held at the Vasil Levski National Stadium in Sofia. Only twice in the last five years the final was played in the province - the 2010 final between Beroe (Stara Zagora) and Chernomorets (Pomorie) (1:0) and the last year final between Lokomotiv (Plovdiv) and Ludogorets Razgrad (1:2). The competition's winner achieves 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 two most successful teams are Levski Sofia (25 championships) and CSKA Sofia (19 championships). The most recent winners of the Bulgarian Cup are Beroe Stara Zagora, who beat Levski Sofia 3-1 on penalties after finishing 3:3 in the 2013 Bulgarian Cup Final.
History
The Bulgarian Cup as a domestic cup knock-out tournament, has its roots in several tournaments held in Bulgaria through the 20th century, simultaneously or successively.
The first one is the tournament for the Tsar's Cup ("King's Cup"). The tournament is officially recognised as the foundation for the modern domestic cup tournament (the Bulgarian Cup) by the Bulgarian Football Union, and holders of the trophy between 1938 and 1942 are officially recognised as domestic cup holders. However the trophy itself had been awarded in the direct knock-out tournament in which the champions of the country's oblasts played in a one-legged single-elimination rounds with the host being determined by lot, since 1924. Form 1924 till 1937 that tournament was considered the state championship to determine the national football champion (winners of the tournament between 1924 and 1937 are recognised as official football champions of the country by the BFU). In 1937 a national league was created in which the teams played on a round-robin basis to determine the football champion of Bulgaria. The tournament for the Tsar's Cup, however, remained a prestige competition in the country. With the change of the political regime in the country in the 1940s, the tournament ceased to exist.
Whilst the Communist period in Bulgaria lasted (between 1945 and 1990), a two-legged knock-out tournament for the Soviet Army Cup (Bulgarian: Купа на Съветската армия) was annually held. The tournament had a national scope but initially included only top tier clubs. 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. As a symbol of national pride, the competition has widely popular and continued to be held annually afterwards. After 1981, the tournament for the Cup of the Soviet Army gradually lost its importance due to the success of the Bulgarian Cup tournament. Nowadays, the Bulgarian Football Union recognises the clubs holders of the Soviet Army Cup as official domestic cup holders for the years between 1945 and 1982, while holders of the Bulgarian Cup are the official domestic cup holders from 1983 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 2011/2012 the cup has new sponsor - the Bulgarian Corporate Commercial Bank.
Winners
Tsar's Cup (1938-1942)
Tsar's Cup (Cup of the King) is the first name of the present tournament Bulgarian Cup. The matches from the tournament were held in the period of 1938-1942.
| Year | Winner | Runner Up | Result | Date | Venue |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1938 | FK-13 Sofia | Levski Ruse | 3:0 | 3 October 1938 | Sofia |
| 1939 | Shipka Sofia | Levski Ruse | 2:0 | 3 October 1939 | Sofia |
| 1940 | FK-13 Sofia | Sportklub Plovdiv | 2:1 | 13 October 1940 | Sofia |
| 1941 | AS-23 Sofia | Napredak Ruse | 4:2 | 3 October 1941 | Dobrich |
| 1942 | Levski Sofia | Sportklub Plovdiv | 3:0 | 3 October 1942 | Sofia |
Cup of the Soviet Army (1946-1982)
| Year | Winner | Runner Up | Result | Date | Venue | Attendance |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1946 | Levski Sofia | Chernolomets Popovo (II) | 4:1 | 6 May 1946 | Sofia | 15,000 |
| 1947 | Levski Sofia | Botev Plovdiv | 1:0 | 1 May 1947 | Sofia | 17,000 |
| 1948 | Lokomotiv Sofia | Slavia-Chengelov Plovdiv | 1:0 | 9 May 1948 | Sofia | 12,000 |
| 1949 | Levski Sofia | CSKA Sofia | 1:1 ET 2:2 2:1 ET | 8 May 1949 16 May 1949 17 May 1949 | Sofia | 35,000 35,000 35,000 |
| 1950 | Levski Sofia | CSKA Sofia | 1:1 ET 1:1 1:0 ET | 16 November 1950 17 November 1950 3 December 1950 | Sofia | 30,000 30,000 30,000 |
| 1951 | CSKA Sofia | Akademik Sofia | 1:0 ET | 7 November 1951 | Sofia | 25,000 |
| 1952 | Slavia Sofia | Spartak Sofia | 3:1 | 9 November 1952 | Sofia | 22,000 |
| 1953 | Lokomotiv Sofia | Levski Sofia | 2:1 | 25 November 1953 | Sofia | 30,000 |
| 1954 | CSKA Sofia | Slavia Sofia | 2:1 | 7 November 1954 | Sofia | 30,000 |
| 1955 | CSKA Sofia | Spartak Plovdiv | 5:2 ET | 11 December 1955 | Sofia | 32,000 |
| 1956 | Levski Sofia | Botev Plovdiv | 5:2 | 18 November 1956 | Sofia | 40,000 |
| 1957 | Levski Sofia | Spartak Pleven | 2:1 | 7 November 1957 | Sofia | 28,000 |
| 1958 | Spartak Plovdiv | Minyor Pernik | 1:0 | 7 November 1958 | Sofia | 20,000 |
| 1959 | Levski Sofia | Spartak Plovdiv | 1:0 | 2 May 1959 | Sofia | 30,000 |
| 1960 | Septemvri Sofia | Lokomotiv Plovdiv (II) | 4:3 ET | 15 June 1960 | Sofia | 15,000 |
| 1961 | CSKA Sofia | Spartak Varna | 3:0 | 28 June 1961 | Sofia | 25,000 |
| 1962 | Botev Plovdiv | Dunav | 3:0 | 12 August 1962 | Sofia | 20,000 |
| 1963 | Slavia Sofia | Botev Plovdiv | 2:0 | 10 September 1963 | Sofia | 22,000 |
| 1964 | Slavia Sofia | Botev Plovdiv | 3:2 | 9 September 1964 | Sofia | 31,000 |
| 1965 | CSKA Sofia | Levski Sofia | 3:2 | 8 September 1965 | Sofia | 30,000 |
| 1966 | Slavia Sofia | CSKA Sofia | 1:0 | 10 September 1966 | Sofia | 25,000 |
| 1967 | Levski Sofia | Spartak Sofia | 3:0 | 16 July 1967 | Sofia | 38,000 |
| 1968 | Spartak Sofia | Beroe Stara Zagora | 3:2 | 6 Juny 1968 | Sofia | 18,000 |
| 1969 | CSKA Sofia | Levski Sofia | 2:1 | 30 April 1969 | Sofia | 40,000 |
| 1970 | Levski Sofia | CSKA Sofia | 2:1 | 25 August 1970 | Sofia | 46,000 |
| 1971 | Levski Sofia | Lokomotiv Plovdiv | 3:0 | 25 August 1971 | Sofia | 30,000 |
| 1972 | CSKA Sofia | Slavia Sofia | 3:0 | 25 August 1972 | Sofia | 25,000 |
| 1973 | CSKA Sofia | Beroe Stara Zagora | 2:1 | 3 July 1973 | Sofia | 18,000 |
| 1974 | CSKA Sofia | Levski Sofia | 2:1 ET | 10 August 1974 | Sofia | 40,000 |
| 1975 | Slavia Sofia | Lokomotiv Sofia | 3:2 | 10 June 1975 | Sofia | 15,000 |
| 1976 | Levski Sofia | CSKA Sofia | 4:3 ET | 2 June 1976 | Sofia | 65,000 |
| 1977 | Levski Sofia | Lokomotiv Sofia | 2:1 | 12 June 1977 | Sofia | 45,000 |
| 1978 | Marek Stanke Dimitrov | CSKA Sofia | 1:0 | 24 May 1978 | Sofia | 40,000 |
| 1979 | Levski Sofia | Beroe Stara Zagora | 4:1 | 23 May 1979 | Sofia | 40,000 |
| 1980 | Slavia Sofia | Beroe Stara Zagora | 3:1 | 13 May 1980 | Sofia | 30,000 |
| 1981 | Botev Plovdiv | Pirin Blagoevgrad | 1:0 | 5 May 1981 | Sofia | 20,000 |
| 1982 | Lokomotiv Sofia | Lokomotiv Plovdiv (II) | 2:1 ET | 12 June 1982 | Pleven | 8,000 |
Bulgarian Cup (1983-present)
Non-official winners
Cup of the Soviet Army (1983-1990)
| Year | Winner | Runner Up | Result | Date | Venue | Attendance |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1983 | Lokomotiv Plovdiv (II) | FK Chirpan (II) | 3:1 | 1 June 1983 | Sofia | 25,000 |
| 1984 | Levski Sofia | Dorostol Silistra (II) | 4:0 | 9 May 1984 | Sofia | 25,000 |
| 1985 | CSKA Sofia | Cherno More Varna | 4:0 | 9 May 1985 | Sofia | 15,000 |
| 1986 | CSKA Sofia | Lokomotiv Sofia | 2:0 | 21 May 1986 | Sofia | 12,000 |
| 1987 | Levski Sofia | Spartak Pleven | 3:2 | 9 May 1987 | Sofia | 15,000 |
| 1988 | Levski Sofia | Cherno More Varna (II) | 2:0 | 1 June 1988 | Sofia | 20,000 |
| 1989 | CSKA Sofia | Maritsa-Iztok Radnevo (III) | 6:1 | 7 June 1989 | Sofia | 6,000 |
| 1990 | CSKA Sofia | Botev Plovdiv | 2:1 | 1 June 1990 | Sofia | 25,000 |
Bulgarian Cup (1981-1982)
| Year | Winner | Runner Up | Result | Date | Venue | Attendance |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1980-81 | CSKA Sofia | Slavia Sofia | 1:0 | 6 June 1981 | Sofia | 25,000 |
| 1981-82 | Levski Sofia | CSKA Sofia | 4:0 | 16 June 1982 | Sofia | 30,000 |
Performance by club
| Club | Winners | Runners-up | Winning Years |
|---|---|---|---|
| Levski Sofia | 25 | 10 | 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 | 19 | 12 | 1951, 1954, 1955, 1961, 1965, 1969, 1972, 1973, 1974, 1983, 1985, 1987, 1988, 1989, 1993, 1997, 1999, 2006, 2011 |
| Slavia Sofia | 7 | 3 | 1952, 1963, 1964, 1966, 1975, 1980, 1996 |
| Litex | 4 | 3 | 2001, 2004, 2008, 2009 |
| Lokomotiv Sofia | 4 | 2 | 1948, 1953, 1982, 1995 |
| Botev Plovdiv | 2 | 9 | 1962, 1981 |
| Beroe Stara Zagora | 2 | 4 | 2010, 2013 |
| Ludogorets Razgrad | 2 | - | 2012, 2014 |
| FK-13 Sofia | 2 | - | 1938, 1940 |
| 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 |
| Lokomotiv Plovdiv | - | 4 | - |
| Pirin Blagoevgrad | - | 3 | - |
| Sportklub Plovdiv | - | 3 | - |
| Cherno More Varna | - | 2 | - |
| Spartak Varna | - | 2 | |
| Levski Ruse | - | 2 | - |
| Chernomorets Pomorie | - | 1 | - |
| Velbazhd Kyustendil | - | 1 | - |
| Neftochimic Burgas | - | 1 | - |
| Chernomorets Burgas | - | 1 | |
| Dunav | - | 1 | - |
| Minyor Pernik | - | 1 | - |
| Spartak Pleven | - | 1 | - |
| Akademik Sofia | - | 1 | - |
| Chernolomets Popovo | - | 1 | - |
| Napredak Ruse | - | 1 | - |
| PFC Pirin Blagoevgrad | - | 1 | - |
Titles by city
| City | Titles | Winning Clubs |
|---|---|---|
 Sofia |
|
Levski Sofia (25), CSKA Sofia (19), Slavia (7), Lokomotiv Sofia (4), FK-13 (2), Spartak Sofia (1), Shipka Sofia (1), AS 23 Sofia (1), Septemvri Sofia (1) |
 Lovech |
|
Litex Lovech (4) |
 Plovdiv |
|
Botev Plovdiv (2), Spartak Plovdiv (1) |
 Razgrad |
|
Ludogorets Razgrad (2) |
 Stara Zagora |
|
Beroe Stara Zagora (2) |
 Dupnitsa |
|
Marek Dupnitsa (1) |
 Sliven |
|
Sliven (1) |
External links
- Bulgarian Cup news from Topsport (Bulgarian)
- Bulgaria Cups Overview, RSSSF.com
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