.jpg) Arsenal celebrate with the trophy after winning the2015 Emirates Cup. | |
| Founded | 2007; 18 years ago (2007) |
|---|---|
| Teams | 2 |
| Current champions |  Arsenal (9th title) |
| Most championships | Arsenal (9 titles) |
| Website | Official website |
TheEmirates Cup is a pre-seasonassociation football competition hosted by English clubArsenal at their home ground, theEmirates Stadium inHolloway, London. Created in 2007 and named after the club's principal shirt sponsor,Emirates, the tournament consists ofexhibition games with invited clubs held in the summer. It is not sanctioned as a competitive event and carries no official recognition. The competition was not staged in 2012 due to theLondon Olympics, in 2016 and 2018 due to stadium maintenance, and in 2020 and 2021 because of theCOVID-19 pandemic.[1]
The tournament format, though occasionally revised, has always prioritised entertainment and brand exposure for Emirates over competitive football. In its early editions, teams earned three points for a win, one for a draw, and none for a loss, with an extra point awarded for each goal scored. This was dropped in2011[2] but reinstated from2013.[3] If teams finish level on points, total shots on target have been used as a further tiebreaker since2009.[4] Since2019, the event has been shortened to a single-day format.
Arsenal, as the organisers and perennial hosts, have won the most titles, winning the competition nine times. Other one-time winners includeHamburger SV (2008),New York Red Bulls (2011),Galatasaray (2013),Valencia (2014) andLyon (2019). Lyon have appeared more often than any other visiting side, with four invitations. Arsenal are the current holders, having defeatedAthletic Bilbao 3–0 in the 2025 edition.
Arsenal first announced their intention to stage a pre-season competition at their home ground, theEmirates Stadium, in March 2007. Managing directorKeith Edelman revealed plans were at an exploratory stage, and added: "It would be in pre-season, around late July, and tickets would be reasonably priced. We feel it could be a really exciting event."[5] Details of the tournament were formally announced on 1 May 2007, with Italian champions Inter Milan, French side Paris Saint-Germain and German outfit Hamburg confirmed as participants.[6] Hamburg's qualification into theUEFA Intertoto Cup meant they withdrew from the competition; the club was subsequently replaced by Spain's Valencia.[7]
Theinaugural Emirates Cup took place on 28 July and 29 July 2007 and was well attended, with over 110,000 people filling the stadium across the two-day tournament.[8] Each club played two sides; Valencia and Arsenal did not face each other, and Inter did not play against Paris Saint-Germain.[7] Arsenal won the first tournament, having beaten their French opponents 2–1 and defeated Inter by the same scoreline, courtesy of a late strike byRobin van Persie .[9] Thefollowing year Hamburg made an appearance alongsideReal Madrid andJuventus,[10] and won the tournament as they finished two points clear of second-place Real.[11]
In2009, Arsenal welcomedAtlético Madrid,Rangers , and Paris Saint-Germain to the Emirates Cup.[12] The hosts regained the trophy winning both of their matches and scoring five goals; midfielderJack Wilshere was twice namedman of the match for his performances against Atlético Madrid and Rangers.[11] Arsenal retained the Emirates Cup in2010, but failed to top the table in the next three tournaments.[11]New York Red Bulls, who were captained by former Arsenal strikerThierry Henry, won the Emirates Cup in2011, after beating Paris Saint-Germain and drawing with the hosts.[13] The tournament did not take place in 2012 due to the ongoingSummer Olympics in London; it was believed that the capital's infrastructure was not able to cater for the extra 100,000 supporters that usually attend the two-day event.[14] When the Emirates Cup resumed in2013, Turkish sideGalatasaray earned nine points to finish top of the group,[15] and ayear later Valencia became the first Spanish winners of the tournament as the hosts lost their decisive game againstMonaco.[16]
Arsenal claimed their fourth Emirates Cup in2015;[17] the competition was held on the final weekend of July.[18] The hosts scored seven goals in the tournament – six againstLyon, who later became the first team in the competition's history not to score a goal in either of their matches.[19] Due to the extended schedule ofUEFA Euro 2016 and essential pitch reconstruction works at the Emirates Stadium, the Emirates Cup did not take place in the pre-season period of the2016–17 season.[20] Two years later, stadium building work meant that once again the tournament did not take place; Arsenal instead played pre-season matches in theInternational Champions Cup.[21]
The competition returned in 2019 withArsenal Women featuring for the first time in the pre-season tournament, where they facedBayern Munich. In the men's tournament, Lyon defeated Arsenal 2–1 to win their first title.[22] The 2020 and 2021 editions were cancelled due to theCOVID-19 pandemic.[23]
| Ed. | Year | Winner | Runner-up | Third | Fourth | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 2007 | Arsenal |  Paris Saint-Germain |  Valencia |  Inter Milan | [24] |
| 2 | 2008 |  Hamburger SV | Real Madrid | Arsenal | Juventus | [25] |
| 3 | 2009 | Arsenal(2) |  Rangers | Atlético Madrid | Paris Saint-Germain | [26] |
| 4 | 2010 | Arsenal(3) | Lyon | Celtic | Milan | [27] |
| 5 | 2011 |  New York Red Bulls | Paris Saint-Germain | Arsenal |  Boca Juniors | [28] |
| 6 | 2013 |  Galatasaray |  Porto | Arsenal | Napoli | [29] |
| 7 | 2014 | Valencia | Arsenal | Monaco | Benfica | [30] |
| 8 | 2015 | Arsenal(4) | Villarreal | VfL Wolfsburg | Lyon | [31] |
| 9 | 2017 | Arsenal(5) | Sevilla | RB Leipzig | Benfica | [32] |
| 10 | 2019 | Lyon | Arsenal | — | [33] | |
| 11 | 2022 | Arsenal(6) | Sevilla | — | [34] | |
| 12 | 2023 | Arsenal(7) | Monaco | — | [35] | |
| 13 | 2024 | Arsenal(8) | Lyon | — | [36] | |
| 14 | 2025 | Arsenal(9) | Athletic Bilbao | — | [37] | |
| Ed. | Year | Winner | Score | Runner-up | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 2019 | Bayern Munich | 1–0 | Arsenal | [33] |
| Team | Winner | Runner-up | Third | Fourth | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Arsenal | 9 | 2 | 3 | — | 14 |
| Lyon | 1 | 2 | — | 1 | 4 |
| Valencia | 1 | — | 1 | — | 2 |
| Galatasaray | 1 | — | — | — | 1 |
| Hamburger SV | 1 | — | — | — | 1 |
| New York Red Bulls | 1 | — | — | — | 1 |
| Paris Saint-Germain | — | 2 | — | 1 | 3 |
| Sevilla | — | 2 | — | — | 2 |
| Monaco | — | 1 | 1 | — | 2 |
| Athletic Bilbao | — | 1 | — | — | 1 |
| Porto | — | 1 | — | — | 1 |
| Rangers | — | 1 | — | — | 1 |
| Real Madrid | — | 1 | — | — | 1 |
| Villarreal | — | 1 | — | — | 1 |
| Atlético Madrid | — | — | 1 | — | 1 |
| Celtic | — | — | 1 | — | 1 |
| RB Leipzig | — | — | 1 | — | 1 |
| VfL Wolfsburg | — | — | 1 | — | 1 |
| Benfica | — | — | — | 2 | 2 |
| Boca Juniors | — | — | — | 1 | 1 |
| Internazionale | — | — | — | 1 | 1 |
| Juventus | — | — | — | 1 | 1 |
| Milan | — | — | — | 1 | 1 |
| Napoli | — | — | — | 1 | 1 |
| Team | Winner | Runner-up | Total |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bayern Munich | 1 | — | 1 |
| Arsenal | — | 1 | 1 |
| Teams | |
|---|---|
| History | |
| Home stadiums |
|
| Training grounds |
|
| Players | |
| Rivalries | |
| Songs |
|
| Media |
|
| Supporters | |
| Related clubs | |
| Related articles | |
