| Founded | 2014 |
|---|---|
| Abolished | 2017 |
| Region | Romania |
| Teams | 14 |
| Last champions | Dinamo București (1st title) |
| Most championships | FCSB (2 times) |
| Broadcaster(s) | Look TV Look Plus Digi Sport Dolce Sport |
| Website | Cupa Ligii at lpf.ro |
TheCupa Ligii (English:League Cup) wasRomania's secondary clubfootball tournament. Like theCupa României, it was played on a knockout (single elimination) basis.
It is unclear when the competition was first created, as there are no official recordings. It started in 1994, but there may already have been an edition as early as 1978. Cupa Ligii was meant to shorten the break between the end of the league season and the start of a major international competition.
The competition under the name ofSamsung Cup wasGheorghe Copos' idea and was held at the end of the 1993-94 season with the 18 teams of the Romanian first division andRapid Bucharest being the winner and received a financial reward of $100,000.[1]
In April 2014, it was decided to re-establish the competition, this time with official character, starting with the2014–15 edition.[2] Managed by theLiga Profesionistă de Fotbal (LPF), only teams from theRomanian top division were allowed to take part.FCSB (twice) andDinamo București were winners of the cup before being abolished again in 2017.[3]
| Season | Winner | Score | Runner-up | Venue |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1994 | FC Rapid București | 5–1 | UTA Arad | ? |
| 1998 | FCM Bacău | 3–2(a.e.t.) | Universitatea Cluj | ANEFS Stadium,Bucharest |
| 2000 | Gloria Bistrița | 2–2(a.e.t.)3–1 (pen.) | FCM Bacău | Cotroceni Stadium,Bucharest |
There were three previous, cups held in 1994, 1998 and 2000. Those were won byRapid București,FCM Bacău andGloria Bistrița.[4][5][6][7]
| Season | Winner | Score | Runner-up | Venue |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2014–15 | Steaua București | 3–0 | Pandurii Târgu Jiu | Arena Națională,Bucharest |
| 2015–16 | Steaua București | 2–1(a.e.t.) | Concordia Chiajna | |
| 2016–17 | Dinamo București | 2–0 | ACS Poli Timișoara |
From the 2014–15 season to the 2018–19 season, sister channelsLook TV and Look Plus were meant to broadcast Cupa Ligii.[8] The matches could have also been viewed onDigi Sport andDolce Sport.