Croatian Football Cup
| Founded | 1992 |
|---|---|
| Region | Croatia |
| Number of teams | 48 |
| Current champions |
Rijeka (3rd title) |
| Most successful club(s) |
Dinamo Zagreb (12 titles) |
 2014–15 Croatian Cup | |
The Croatian Football Cup (Croatian: Hrvatski nogometni kup), or simply Croatian Cup is an annually held football tournament for Croatian football clubs and is the second most important competition in Croatian football after the Prva HNL league championship. It is governed by the Croatian Football Federation (CFF) and usually runs from late August to May. Cup winners automatically qualify for next year's UEFA Europa League, except when cup winners are also league champions, in which case cup finalists take their place.[1]
The cup was established in 1992, after Croatian clubs had abandoned the Yugoslav First League and Yugoslav Cup competitions following the breakup of Yugoslavia. As of the 2012–13 season a total of 22 cup seasons were held. The competition has historically been dominated by Eternal Derby sides - the most successful club is Dinamo Zagreb (formerly known as HAŠK Građanski and Croatia Zagreb) who appeared in 17 finals and won 12 titles, followed by Hajduk Split who won 6 titles out of 10 finals they appeared in.[2]
In addition, at least one of the two powerhouses appeared in all but two finals (1999 and 2006). Only three other clubs have managed to win the cup (Rijeka three time and Inter Zaprešić and Osijek once each),[2] while Istra 1961 (formerly known as Uljanik Pula) is the only team to date who reached cup final from outside top level, in 2003.
Format
The competition is open to 48 clubs, based on various criteria:[1]
- Top 16 best-ranked teams according to coefficients calculated by the CFF (which take into account their cup results over the last five seasons)
- 21 regional cup winners organised at the county level
- 11 regional cup finalists (from the top 11 counties with the greatest number of registered football clubs)
Clubs which qualify through regional cups always enter in the preliminary round, which consists of 16 single-legged fixtures.[1] In case of a draw at the end of normal time, thirty minutes of extra time is played (two 15-minute halves), and if scores are still level there is a penalty shootout to determine the winner of the competition.[1] Top level teams usually enter in the first round proper (round of 32).
From the quarter-finals onwards, the competition employs a two-legged tie format, with winners progressing through on aggregate score. In case the score is still level at the end of the second leg's normal time, a penalty shootout follows to determine tie winners (i.e. extra time is not played in two-legged ties).[1] As of May 2011, only the 2009 final has been determined by a penalty shootout (in which Dinamo Zagreb beat Hajduk Split after both legs were won 3–0 by home teams).
The format had gone through several changes over the years, including the single-legged final, which was briefly introduced and played on two occasions in 1997 and 1999, and will be played again in 2015.[3]
List of winners
Key
| † | Match decided by a penalty shootout |
| Bold | Winning team won The Double |
| Italics | Team from outside the Prva HNL |
List of winners
Results by team
| Club | Winners | Last final won | Runners-up | Last final lost |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Dinamo Zagreb[A] | 12 | 2012 | 5 | 2014 |
| Hajduk Split | 6 | 2013 | 4 | 2009 |
| Rijeka | 3 | 2014 | 1 | 1994 |
| Osijek | 1 | 1999 | 1 | 2012 |
| Inter Zaprešić[B] | 1 | 1992 | 0 | & —
|
| Varaždin[C] | 0 | & —
| 6 | 2011 |
| NK Zagreb | 0 | & —
| 1 | 1997 |
| Cibalia | 0 | & —
| 1 | 1999 |
| Istra 1961[D] | 0 | & —
| 1 | 2003 |
| Slaven Belupo[E] | 0 | & —
| 1 | 2007 |
| Šibenik | 0 | & —
| 1 | 2010 |
| Lokomotiva | 0 | & —
| 1 | 2013 |
Footnotes
- A. ^ Originally called Dinamo Zagreb, the club was renamed "HAŠK Građanski" in 1992, and then again "Croatia Zagreb" in the winter break of the 1992–93 season. The club reverted back to its original name in February 2000.
- B. ^ Inter Zaprešić was known as "Inker Zaprešić" (sometimes spelled "INKER") from 1991 to 2003.
- C. ^ Varaždin were known as "Varteks" from 1958 to 2010.
- D. ^ Istra 1961 was formerly known as "Uljanik Pula" (before 2003), "Pula 1856" (2003–05), "Pula Staro Češko" (2005–06), and "NK Pula" (2006–07) before adopting their current name in 2007. They are not to be confused with their cross-city rivals NK Istra.
- E. ^ Slaven Belupo based in Koprivnica were formerly known as "Slaven" until 1992. From 1992 to 1994 they were called "Slaven Bilokalnik" before adopting their current name for sponsorship reasons. Since UEFA does not approve sponsored club names, the club is listed as "Slaven Koprivnica" in European competitions and on UEFA's website.
References
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 1.4 "Propozicije završnog dijela natjecanja za hrvatski nogometni kup" (PDF). Glasnik HNS-a (in Croatian). Croatian Football Federation. 5 August 2009. Retrieved 26 August 2010.
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 Stokkermans, Karel (7 May 2010). "Croatia - Cup Finals". Rec.Sport.Soccer Statistics Foundation. Retrieved 26 August 2010.
- ↑ Puric, Bojan (7 February 2000). "Croatian Cup 1992–1999 - All Finals". Rec.Sport.Soccer Statistics Foundation. Retrieved 26 August 2010.
External links
- Croatian Football Cup results at Sportnet.hr (Croatian)
- Cup at UEFA
- League321.com - National cup results.
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