 | |
| Founded | 1877; 148 years ago (1877) |
|---|---|
| Region |  Wales |
| Teams | 253 |
| Qualifier for | UEFA Conference League |
| Current champions | The New Saints (10th title) |
| Most championships | Wrexham (23 titles) |
 2025–26 Welsh Cup | |
TheFAW Welsh Cup (Welsh:Cwpan Cymdeithas Pêl-droed Cymru), currently known as theJD Welsh Cup for sponsorship reasons, is a knock-outfootball competition contested annually by teams in theWelsh football league system. It is considered the most prestigious of the cup competitions in domestic Welshassociation football.
TheFootball Association of Wales (FAW) is the organising body of this competition, which has been run (except during the two World Wars and the COVID-19 pandemic) every year since its inception in 1877–78.[1]
In the early years of organised football in Wales, football was very much the sport of north Wales rather than therugby union playing south – the FAW was founded in Wrexham in 1876, and Wrexham remained the site of the FAW's head office until 1986; it was not until 1912 that a southern team, Cardiff City, won the Welsh Cup for the first time.
The winning team qualifies to play in the following season'sUEFA Conference League (previously teams qualified for theUEFA Cup Winners' Cup, which was discontinued in 1999, and until 2021, qualified for theUEFA Europa League).
Until 1995, Welsh clubs playing in the Welsh or English leagues were invited to play in the Welsh Cup. On occasion some English clubs, mostly teams from border areas (for example,Chester City,Crewe Alexandra,Tranmere Rovers,Hereford United andShrewsbury Town), were also invited to participate. However, in the event of an English club winning the Welsh Cup, they were not allowed to progress to theEuropean Cup Winners' Cup. Instead, the best placed Welsh club in the Welsh Cup competition would take the European place.
From 1996 to 2011, only clubs playing in theWelsh football league system were allowed to enter the Welsh Cup. This rule excluded the six Welsh clubs who played in theEnglish football league system:Swansea City,Colwyn Bay,Merthyr Tydfil (replaced byMerthyr Town),Newport County,Cardiff City andWrexham. On 20 April 2011, the Football Association of Wales invited these six clubs to rejoin the Welsh Cup for the2011–12 season, but only Merthyr Town, Newport County and Wrexham accepted.[2]
In March 2012, UEFA stated that Welsh clubs playing in theEnglish football league system could not qualify for European competitions via the Welsh Cup but they could qualify via the English league and cup competitions,[3] hence they were subsequently again excluded from the Welsh Cup.[4] Colwyn Bay joined the Welsh league system in 2019, thus becoming eligible to compete in the Welsh Cup again.[5]
On 13 January 2025, theFootball Association of Wales announced plans to relaunch the competition to include Cardiff City, Swansea City, Newport County and Wrexham competing with an expanded 16 teamCymru Premier.[6] The following week, theEnglish Football Association rejected the proposal citing competition integrity and that the proposal would allow Wales' fourEnglish Football League clubs to qualify for Europe via a Welsh domestic cup as well as seeking to qualify for European competition via the English system should they be promoted to thePremier League.[7]
Between the 1961–62 and 1984–85 seasons, the final was played as a two-leg match, originally on a points basis rather than aggregate score. In the 1985–86 season, it reverted back to a one game format (though a replay was required in the first two seasons), then changed to have a single game decided by extra time and penalties as necessary.[1]
With six wins,Shrewsbury Town hold the record for the most times an English team has won the Cup, a record that will remain unbroken because English teams have not been allowed to compete in the cup since 1995. The last English winner of the Welsh Cup wasHereford United in 1990.
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