 | |
| Organising body | Norges Fotballforbund |
|---|---|
| Founded | 2009 2009–2010(as Superfinalen) 2017–2018(as Mesterfinalen) |
| First season | 2009 |
| Folded | 2019 |
| Country | Norway |
| Number of clubs | 2 |
| Last champions | Rosenborg (3rd title) |
| Most championships | Rosenborg (3 titles) |
| Broadcaster(s) | Discovery Networks Norway |
Mesterfinalen (English:Champions Final), also known asUNICEF Mesterfinalen due to its cooperation withUNICEF, is aNorwegianassociation football competition contested between the champions of the previousEliteserien season and the holders of theNorwegian Football Cup. If the same team is both reigning League and Cup champions, the silver medalist from the league provides the opposition.[1] The competition was founded in 2009, then known asSuperfinalen (English:Super Final). Superfinalen was not arranged between 2011 and 2016 before it was rebranded and again arranged in 2017. The fixture is a recognised competitive footballsuper cup.
There have previously been attempts at a Supercup, and before that, pre-season friendlies between the reigning league and cup champions. For instance, the 2002 pre-season match between Rosenborg andViking was played between the reigning league and cup champions, although it had no official status. The Superfinalen was introduced in2009 as the first attempt to make an official tournament, but the tournament folded in2010 after two finals. Ahead of the 2011 season,Norges Fotballforbund andNorsk Toppfotball stated that Superfinalen would be discontinued, stating that the championship was interesting neither from sports nor from a commercial aspect. However, the two would-be qualified teams, league winner Rosenborg and cup winnerStrømsgodset, were free to play a pre-season friendly, although it would not be regarded as an official match.[2]
In 2016, afterDiscovery Communications andTVNorge acquired the rights for theEliteserien a new attempt was made to arrange a Supercup starting in 2017 under the name UNICEF Mesterfinalen.[3] The first final was played between reigningLeague andCup championsRosenborg and the league runners-upBrann atBrann Stadion.[4]
The first edition was contested between Stabæk and Vålerenga atTelenor Arena inBærum on 8 March 2009.[5] It was the first official match to take place at Stabæk's new home ground. Stabæk qualified as winners of the2008 Tippeligaen, where they finished six points ahead ofFredrikstad.[6] Vålerenga qualified as winners of the2008 Norwegian Football Cup, where they had wonthe final 4–1 against Stabæk. As such, Superfinalen became a replay of the previous year's cup final.[7] Stabæk won the match 3–1 after goals byDaniel Nannskog,Daigo Kobayashi andPálmi Rafn Pálmason.Mohammed Abdellaoue scored for the losing side.Martin Andresen, playing coach for Vålerenga, received two yellow cards.[5]
The 2010 edition was contested between Rosenborg BK and Aalesund FK atColor Line Stadion inÅlesund on 7 March 2010. Rosenborg qualified as winners of the2009 Tippeligaen, where they finished 13 points ahead ofMolde.[8] Aalesund qualified as winners of the2009 Norwegian Football Cup, where they beat Molde in a penalty shootout inthe final.[9] Rosenborg won the match 3–1 after leading 2–0 at halftime.Kris Stadsgaard andRade Prica scored the goals in the first half, andTrond Olsen increased Rosenborg's lead to 3–0 before Aalesund pulled one back, courtesy ofPeter Orry Larsen.[10]
The 2017 edition was contested between SK Brann and Rosenborg BK atBrann Stadion inBergen on 29 March 2017.[12] Rosenborg qualified as winners of the2016 Tippeligaen, where they finished 15 points ahead ofBrann.[13] Brann qualified as runners-up in the Tippeligaen, this because Rosenborg won the2016 Norwegian Football Cup. Rosenborg won the match 2–0 after leading 1–0 at halftime.Milan Jevtovic scored the goal in the first half, andTore Reginiussen increased Rosenborg's lead to 2–0 in the 90th minute.
| Brann | 0–2 | Rosenborg |
|---|---|---|
| Report | Jevtović 32'Reginiussen 90+4' |
The 2018 edition was contested between Lillestrøm SK and Rosenborg BK atÅråsen Stadion inLillestrøm on 25 April 2018. Initially the game was scheduled for 5 March 2018, but the game was cancelled due to the winterly conditions at Åråsen Stadion.[14] Rosenborg qualified as winners of the2017 Eliteserien, where they finished 7 points ahead ofMolde.[15] Lillestrøm qualified as winners of the2017 Norwegian Football Cup where they defeatedSarpsborg 08 3–2 in the final. Rosenborg won the 2018 Mesterfinalen with the score 0–1.[16] After a goalless first half,Nicklas Bendtner scored the winning goal in the 52nd minute.
The 2019 edition was to be contested between Rosenborg BK andMolde FK atUllevaal Stadion inOslo. Rosenborg qualified as winners of the2018 Eliteserien, where they finished 5 points ahead of Molde.[17] Molde qualified as runners-up in Eliteserien as Rosenborg also won the2018 Norwegian Football Cup, but due toextreme weather conditions the games was cancelled 2 days prior to the scheduled matchday.[18]
| Ground | Hosts | Years |
|---|---|---|
| Telenor Arena, Bærum | 1 | 2009 |
| Color Line Stadion, Ålesund | 1 | 2010 |
| Brann Stadion, Bergen | 1 | 2017 |
| Åråsen Stadion, Lillestrøm | 1 | 2018 |
The fixture is usually played at the home ground of one of the teams competing. The first exception would have been the 2019 final, when defending league champions Rosenborg decided that the final should be held at Ullevaal Stadion. In total there have been five host grounds. The first ground to host the fixture wasTelenor Arena in 2009. The 2009 final is the only game hosted by the league champions.
| Club | Winners | Runners-up | Cup-winning years | Years as runners-up |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Rosenborg | 3 | – | 2010,2017,2018 | – |
| Stabæk | 1 | – | 2009 | – |
| Aalesund | – | 1 | – | 2010 |
| Vålerenga | – | 1 | – | 2009 |
| Brann | – | 1 | – | 2017 |
| Lillestrøm | – | 1 | – | 2018 |
| City | Won | Clubs |
|---|---|---|
| Trondheim | 3 | Rosenborg (3) |
| Bærum | 1 | Stabæk (1) |
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