| Organiser(s) | Football Association of Ireland |
|---|---|
| Founded | 1923 |
| Region | Republic of Ireland |
| Current champions | Fairview Rangers A.F.C. |
| Most championships | Fairview Rangers (10 titles)[1] |
| Broadcaster(s) | TG4 Setanta Sports Irish TV eir Sport |
| Website | FAI Junior Cup @ www.fai.ie |
TheFAI Junior Cup is acup competition organized by theFootball Association of Ireland for juniorassociation football clubs from the Republic of Ireland. The inaugural winners wereBrideville.[2][3] The competition's most successful club is Fairview Rangers of theLimerick & District League who have been winners ten times.[1][4] According to the FAI, the FAI Junior Cup is one of the largest national amateur cup competitions inEurope. The 2012–13 competition saw an estimated 600 clubs enter the cup.[5] The competition also serves a qualifier for the seniorFAI Cup with the eight quarter-finalists all invited to take part in the FAI Cup.
The cup's first winners wereBrideville who beatCobh Ramblers in the inaugural 1923–24 final. Brideville and Cobh Ramblers also became the first of several futureLeague of Ireland members to feature in an FAI Junior Cup final.Sligo Rovers,Evergreen United,St Patrick's Athletic,Bray Wanderers,Home Farm,Finn Harps andSt Francis all won the cup before joining the national league.Drogheda United were finalists on four occasions but never winners whileAthlone Town won the cup twice during the 1930s after dropping out of the League of Ireland.[2][3][6]
On 2 June 2013 the FAI Junior Cup final was played at theAviva Stadium for the first time. It was played before a friendly international between theRepublic of Ireland andGeorgia.[5] In 2013Aviva joinedUmbro as sponsors of the FAI Junior Cup and as part of the arrangement all the finals since then have been played at the Aviva Stadium.Sheriff Y.C. became the first club to win the cup following a final at the Aviva.[2][7] The 2014–15 and 2015–16 finals were both played as double headers along with theFAI Intermediate Cup finals.[8][9]
TV coverage debuted onTG4 andSetanta Sports in 2014 from the quarter-finals stage.Irish TV replaced TG4 as free-to-air broadcaster in 2015, and all three channels showed coverage in 2016, again from the quarter-finals stage.
In a major change, the 2016–17 season saw coverage begin with the third round in October, running on the newly renamedeir Sport, IrishTV until its closure in March 2017, and TG4 from the quarter-finals stage.
The semi-finalists of the Junior Cup have traditionally been invited to play the preliminary rounds of theFAI Senior Cup. In 2024, this was changed with the semi-finalists automatically qualifying for the FAI Cup.[10][11]
In August 2025, the FAI announced that the Junior Cup would move to a calendar season, in line with the League of Ireland and the FAI Senior Cup.[12]
| Season | Winners | Result | Runner-Up | Venue |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2024–25 | Fairview Rangers | 4–1 | North End United (Wexford) | Turners Cross[13] |
| 2023–24 | Cockhill Celtic | 1–1[note 1] | Gorey Rangers | Eamonn Deacy Park[14] |
| 2022–23 | Newmarket Celtic | 1–1[note 2] | St. Michael's | Jackman Park[15] |
| 2021–22 | Villa FC | 1–0 | Pike Rovers | Turners Cross[16] |
| 2020–21 | Competition not held due toCoronavirus pandemic | |||
| 2019–20 | Fairview Rangers | 1–0 | Usher Celtic | Eamonn Deacy Park[17] |
| 2018–19 | St. Michael's | 1–0 | Sheriff Y.C. | Eamonn Deacy Park[18] |
| 2017–18 | North End United (Wexford) | 1–1[note 3] | Pike Rovers | Aviva Stadium[19] |
| 2016–17 | Sheriff Y.C. | 2–0 | Evergreen (Kilkenny) | Aviva Stadium[20] |
| 2015–16 | Sheriff Y.C. | 1–0 | Pike Rovers | Aviva Stadium[21] |
| 2014–15 | Liffey Wanderers | 2–1 (a.e.t.) | Sheriff Y.C. | Aviva Stadium[8] |
| 2013–14 | St. Michael's | 4–0 | Ballynanty Rovers (Limerick) | Aviva Stadium[22] |
| 2012–13 | Sheriff Y.C. | 0–0[note 4] | Kilbarrack United | Aviva Stadium[23] |
| 2011–12 | Sheriff Y.C. | 3–1 | Kilbarrack United | Tolka Park[24] |
| 2010–11 | Pike Rovers | 2–1 | St. Michael's | Turners Cross[25] |
| 2009–10 | Fairview Rangers | 0–0[note 5] | St. Michael's | Turners Cross[26] |
| 2008–09 | Ballymun United | 2–0 | St. Peter's (Athlone) | Tolka Park[27] |
| 2007–08 | Carrick United (Tipperary)[note 6][28][29] | 2–1 | Killester United | Waterford RSC[30] |
| 2006–07 | Killester United | 3–0 | St John Bosco(Drimnagh) | Dalymount Park |
| 2005–06 | Waterford Crystal | 1–0 | Athenry | Terryland Park |
| 2004–05 | Westport United | 2–0 | Waterford Crystal | Buckley Park[31][32] |
| 2003–04 | Fairview Rangers | Carrick United | ||
| 2002–03 | Fairview Rangers | Portmarnock FC | ||
| 2001–02 | Fairview Rangers | 3–0 | St Michael's FC | |
| 2000–01 | Ballymun United | St. Kevin's Boys F.C. | Tolka Park | |
| 1999–2000 | Portmarnock | 2-0 | St Michael's FC | Tolka Park |
| 1998–99 | Fairview Rangers | Ballymun United | ||
| 1997–98 | Fairview Rangers | Waterford Crystal | ||
| 1996–97 | Fairview Rangers | Portmarnock FC | ||
| 1995–96 | Bohemians (Waterford) | Mungret Regional | ||
| 1994–95 | Cherry Orchard | 1.1(pens) | Kilmore United | |
| 1993–94 | Clonmel Town[33] | 5–1 | New Ross Celtic | |
| 1992–93 | Kinvara Boys | St. Kevin's Boys F.C. | ||
| 1991–92 | Neilstown Rangers | Rosemount | ||
| 1990–91 | Cherry Orchard | 1.0 | Donaghmede Celtic | |
| 1989–90 | Cherry Orchard | 2.0 | Avenue United (Clare) | |
| 1988–89 | Tolka Rovers | Waterford Bohemians | ||
| 1987–88 | Usher Celtic | Beggsboro | ||
| 1986–87 | Cherry Orchard | 1.0 | Temple United (Cork) | |
| 1985–86 | Cherry Orchard | 2.0 | Usher Celtic | |
| 1984–85 | Cherry Orchard | 2.1 | St. Kevin's Boys F.C. | |
| 1983–84 | Beggsboro | Evergreen (Kilkenny) | ||
| 1982–83 | St Francis | 3–1[note 7][34] | Ballynanty Rovers (Limerick) | Jackman Park[35] |
| 1981–82 | Cherry Orchard 2.0 | Diamond Celtic | ||
| 1980–81 | St Teresa's | Belgrave | ||
| 1979–80 | East Wall United | Arbour United | ||
| 1978–79 | St. Patrick's C.Y.M.S. | East Wall United | ||
| 1977–78 | Inchicore[note 8] | 3.0 | Cherry Orchard | |
| 1976–77 | Dunleary Celtic | Dingle United | ||
| 1975–76 | Whitehall Rangers | 2–0 | Ballynanty Rovers (Limerick) | [35] |
| 1974–75 | Dunleary Celtic | Arbour United | ||
| 1973–74 | St. Michael's | Tolka Rovers | ||
| 1972–73 | Tolka Rovers | St. Patrick's C.Y.M.S. | ||
| 1971–72 | Talbot United | St. Mary's (Cork) | ||
| 1970–71 | Hoganville (Dublin) | Caledonians (Limerick) | ||
| 1969–70 | Caledonians (Limerick)[34] | Tolka Rovers | ||
| 1968–69 | St Francis | Talbot United | ||
| 1967–68 | Finn Harps | Telephones United (Dublin) | ||
| 1966–67 | Swilly Rovers (Donegal) | Orchard United (Dublin) | ||
| 1965–66 | East Wall United | Everton (Cork) | ||
| 1964–65 | Fairview Rangers (Limerick) | 1 – 1 / 3 – 0 (R) | Douglas (Cork) | Turners Cross /Markets Field (R)[36] |
| 1963–64 | East Wall United | Swilly Rovers (Donegal) | ||
| 1962–63 | T.E.K. United | 3–1 | Blackrock (Cork | Dalymount Park |
| 1961–62 | Swilly Rovers (Donegal) | 3–1 | Castleview (Cork) | Dalymount Park[37] |
| 1960–61 | Valley United | Hibernians (Waterford) | ||
| 1959–60 | Pearse Rangers | Hibernians (Waterford) | ||
| 1958–59 | St Saviours | Glenmore Celtic | ||
| 1957–58 | Virginians | Swilly Rovers (Donegal) | ||
| 1956–57 | Belgrove | Virginians | ||
| 1955–56 | Grange United | Bohemians (Waterford) | ||
| 1954–55 | Home Farm | Belgrove | ||
| 1953–54 | Bray Wanderers[38] | 1–0 | Ierne | Dalymount Park |
| 1952–53 | Evergreen (Waterford) | 3-2 | Swilly Rovers (Donegal) | Dalymount Park |
| 1951–52 | Rathfarnham | Bohemians (Waterford) | ||
| 1950–51 | Bray Wanderers[38] | 2–1 | Drogheda United | Dalymount Park |
| 1949–50 | Griffith Rangers | Irish Raleigh | ||
| 1948–49 | Rathfarnham | Caledonians (Limerick) | ||
| 1947–48 | St Paul's (Cork) | Pike Rovers | ||
| 1946–47 | Hibernians (Waterford) | Iona C.Y.M.S. (Dublin) | ||
| 1945–46 | St. Patrick's C.Y.M.S. | Rathfarnham | ||
| 1944–45 | Rockville (Cork) | Wembley Rovers (Limerick) | ||
| 1943–44 | Coastal Defence (Cork) | Drogheda United | ||
| 1942–43 | No competition | |||
| 1941–42 | Distillery B (Dublin) | Drogheda United | ||
| 1940–41 | St Patrick's Athletic | Galway Bohemians | ||
| 1939–40 | Drumcondra Juniors | Drogheda United | ||
| 1938–39 | Drumcondra Juniors | 4-0 | Killybegs (Donegal) | Dalymount Park |
| 1937–38 | Athlone Town[6] | 2–0 | Bendigo United (Dublin) | Tolka Park |
| 1936–37 | Amiens Celtic | St. Patrick's (Dundalk) | ||
| 1935–36 | Evergreen United | 2-1[39] | Shelbourne | Dalymount Park |
| 1934–35 | Athlone Town[6][40] | 3–0 | Evergreen United | Dalymount Park |
| 1933–34 | B&I[41] | 2–1 | Cobh Wanderers | Dalymount Park |
| 1932–33 | Queen's Park[42] | 1–0 | Amiens Celtic | Rutland Avenue |
| 1931–32 | Clontarf Corinthians[43] | 2–1 | Southern Rovers | Dalymount Park |
| 1930–31 | Distillery (Dublin)[44] | 1–0 | Southern Rovers | Harold's Cross |
| 1929–30 | Rossville[45] | 2–0 | Bohemians "C" | Dalymount Park |
| 1928–29 | Sligo Rovers | 3–0 | Grangegorman | The Showgrounds (Sligo) |
| 1927–28 | Richmond United[46] | 3–0 | Cahir Unknowns | Tolka Park |
| 1926–27 | Richmond United[47] | 4–1 | Bohemians "C" | Dalymount Park |
| 1925–26 | Brunswick[48] | 1–0 | St. Vincents (Cork) | Victoria Cross, Cork |
| 1924–25 | St. Mary's United[49] | 3–2 | Sligo Celtic | St James' Park |
| 1923–24 | Brideville[50] | 1–0 | Cobh Ramblers | Victoria Cross, Cork |
