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| Founded | 1934; 91 years ago (1934) |
|---|---|
| Region | Cyprus |
| Teams | 28 |
| Domestic cup | Cypriot Super Cup |
| Current champions | AEK Larnaca (3rd title) |
| Most championships | APOEL (21 titles) |
| Broadcaster(s) | CytaVision PrimeTel |
| Website | cfacup.com.cy |
TheCypriot Cup, formally known as theCypriot Coca-Cola Cup of First and Second Division (Greek:Κύπελλο Κύπρου Coca-Cola A' B' Κατηγορίας) for sponsorship purposes, is a Cypriot knockout football club competition, hosted annually by theCyprus Football Association.[1][2]
First held in 1934, it is the second most important competition in Cypriot football, after theCypriot First Division. Since 2008, it is contested by teams from the first andsecond division, while teams from thethird andfourth division compete in theCypriot Cup for lower divisions.
The winners of the Cypriot Cup qualify for one ofUEFA's European competitions, and a place in theCypriot Super Cup.APOEL are the most successful team in the competition with 21 titles.AEK Larnaca FC are the current champions, having defeated the previous championsPafos FC in the2024–25 Final.
The Cypriot Cup was first held in the 1934–35 season, the same year theCyprus Football Association was founded. The1934–35 Cypriot Cup was the first competition ever held by CFA, since it took part before the1934–35 Cypriot First Division.[3] The Cyprus Cup has been held every season since then, with the following exceptions:
Since 1962, the sponsor of the competition isCoca-Cola Cyprus (Lanitis Bros Ltd). In 1998, the competition was officially named theCypriot Coca-Cola Cup.[1][4][9]
At first, only the teams of theCypriot First Division could take part in the competition. TheCypriot Second Division was considered non-league at the time, since it majorly consisted of reserve teams of the First Division clubs.
From1952–53 until2007–08, the teams of theCypriot Second Division also took part in the Cypriot Cup, with the exception of the1963–64 season. In certain seasons in the 1960s and 1970s, only the top teams of the league would participate. From1975–76 onwards, every team of the Second Division would take part in the Cypriot Cup. No Second Division team has ever reached the final, but they managed to qualify to the semi-finals four times (Nea Salamis Famagusta in1953–54,Orfeas Nicosia in1983–84,PAEEK in1984–85 andAEP Paphos in2005–06).
From1971–72 until2007–08, the teams of theCypriot Third Division would take part in Cypriot Cup. Since2008–09, the Third Division teams are no longer allowed to participate, but if they so wish, they can take part in theCypriot Cup for lower divisions. No Third Division team ever reached the final or the semi-finals, but they managed to qualify to the quarter-finals once (Chalkanoras Idaliou in1987–88).
The teams of theCypriot Fourth Division would take part in the Cypriot Cup from1986–87 until2007–08. Since2008–09, the Cypriot Fourth Division teams do not participate in the Cypriot Cup, but they are allowed to take part in theCypriot Cup for lower divisions.
The structure of the cup has changed throughout the years:
Since1962–63, the winner of the Cypriot Cup qualifies to one of theUEFA competitions. Initially, this would be theCup Winners' Cup.[10][11] After the Cup Winners' Cup was abolished in 1999, the Cypriot Cup winner would qualify for theUEFA Cup (known as theEuropa League since 2009).[12] Since the 2022–23 season, the Cup winner enters the qualifying rounds of the UEFA Europa League.
Previously, if the cup winner was also the winner of theCypriot First Division (meaning they had already qualified for a European competition), their place would be given to the runners-up of the Cup. Since 2015, after UEFA's decision, if the cup winner is also the winner of theCypriot First Division, then the place of the Cypriot Cup winner is given to the second team of the domestic championship, and the fourth team also qualifies to the same European competition.[13][14]
The Cypriot Cup final has taken place in six differentstadiums. From1934–35 until1974–75, the final was held inNicosia, at theold GSP Stadium, regardless of whether the stadium was the home ground of one of the two finalists. The only exception was the1970–71 Cypriot Cup, where a replay final was needed afterOmonia andAnorthosis had drawn at the GSP Stadium (Omonia's home ground). The replay was played at theGSE Stadium, Anorthosis' home ground in Famagusta. The GSP Stadium was chosen as the ground of the final as it was the stadium with the biggest capacity in Cyprus, at the time.[15]
In 1975, theTsirion Stadium was built in Limassol, and it hosted the final of the1975–76 Cypriot Cup. The next two finals were played at the GSP Stadium. The final of the1977–78 Cypriot Cup was the last one to take place at the old GSP Stadium. The final of the1978–79 Cypriot Cup was played at the newly builtMakario Stadium at Nicosia.[15]
After 1981, the ground of the final was chosen with neutrality in mind: If the two teams were based in different cities, then the final would take place in a third city. In the event that this was not an option (there were only appropriate stadiums in Nicosia and Limassol until 1989), the ground of the final was determined by a draw.[15]
In 1999, thenew GSP Stadium was built, and hosted the1999–2000 Cypriot Cup final between Omonia and APOEL. Since then, due to its large capacity, the GSP stadium is always considered to be the first choice option for the cup final, although it is often not a neutral ground, as APOEL and Omonia frequently appear in the final.[15]
The following table shows the stadiums that held the Cypriot Cup finals from 1934–35 until 2022–23, the number of finals that each stadium held and the seasons where each stadium held the final. Although there are 81 editions of the Cypriot Cup, 85 finals have been played, as a replay was needed in five cases, while the 2019–20 Cypriot Cup was abandoned.
The table below lists the teams that participated in the final of the cup each season.[16][17][18]
The following table shows the participations per club in the cup from its foundation up to the2016–17 season, and the statistics of each team regarding the wins, the times were finalists, their appearances in the semi-finals and the quarter-finals, and the number of qualifications and eliminations that each team has achieved or suffered respectively.[19]
The teams are classified based on the number of entries in the competition. So far, a total of 158 teams participated in the Cypriot Cup. No team has participated in all the cup editions (74 in total, including the 2016–17 season). APOEL and AEL were absent only from a single cup season, the season they were participating in theGreek league.
Legend:
Notes:
1The team has 4 participations as PAEK, 3 participations as PAEK/AEK and 40 participations as PAEEK.
2The team has 8 participations as APEP Limassol and 25 participations as APEP Pitsilias.
3The team has some participations as Enosis-Keravnos.
4The team has 11 participations as Lefkoşa Türk Spor Kulübü and 6 participations as Çetinkaya Türk.
5The team has 3 participations as AEM Mesogis and 3 participations as AEM Mesogis/Giolou.
6The team has 2 participations as AOL Lakatamias and 4 participations as AOL – Omonia Lakatamias.