TheUEFA Super Cup is an annualsuper cupfootball match organised byUEFA and contested by the winners of the two main European club competitions: theUEFA Champions League andUEFA Europa League. The competition's official name was originally theSuper Competition,[1] and later theEuropean Super Cup. It was renamed the UEFA Super Cup in1995, following a policy of rebranding by UEFA.
From 1972 to 1999, the UEFA Super Cup was contested between the winners of the European Cup/UEFA Champions League and the winners of theEuropean/UEFA Cup Winners' Cup. After the discontinuation of the UEFA Cup Winners' Cup, it has been contested by the winners of the UEFA Champions League and the winners of the UEFA Cup, which was renamed the UEFA Europa League in 2009.
The first official Super Cup trophy was won byAjax in January 1974.
The European Super Cup was created in 1971 by Anton Witkamp, a reporter and later sports editor of Dutch newspaperDe Telegraaf. The idea came to him in a time when Dutchtotal football was Europe's finest and Dutch football clubs were enjoying their golden era (especiallyAjax). Witkamp was looking for something new to definitely decide which was the best team in Europe and also to further test Ajax's team, led by their star playerJohan Cruyff.
It was then proposed that the winners of theEuropean Cup would face the winners of theEuropean Cup Winners' Cup. All was set for a new competition to be born. However, when Witkamp tried to get an official endorsement to his competition, the UEFA president turned it down.
The1972 final between Ajax and Scotland'sRangers is considered unofficial by UEFA,[2] as Rangers were banned from European competition due to the behaviour of their fans during the1972 European Cup Winners' Cup final. As a result, UEFA refused to endorse the competition until the following season.[3] It was played in two legs and was financially supported byDe Telegraaf. Ajax defeated Rangers 6–3 on aggregate and won the first (albeit unofficial) European Super Cup.
The1973 final, in which Ajax defeatedAC Milan 6–1 on aggregate, was the first Super Cup officially recognised and supported by UEFA.
Although the two-legged format was kept until1997, the Super Cup was decided in one single match because of schedule issues (1984 and1986) or political problems (1991). In 1974, 1981 and 1985, the Super Cup was not played at all: 1974's competition was abandoned becauseBayern Munich andMagdeburg could not find a mutually convenient date; 1981's was abandoned whenLiverpool could not make space to meetDinamo Tbilisi; while 1985's was abandoned due toa ban on English clubs' participation preventingEverton from playingJuventus.[2][4]
In the 1992–93 season, the European Cup was renamed the UEFA Champions League and the winners of this competition would face the winners of the Cup Winners' Cup in the European Super Cup. In the 1994–1995 season, the European Cup Winners' Cup was renamed the UEFA Cup Winners' Cup. The following season, the Super Cup also renamed the UEFA Super Cup.
In the 2009–10 season, the UEFA Cup was renamed the UEFA Europa League and the winners of this competition would continue to face the winners of the Champions League in the UEFA Super Cup.
In 2013,Chelsea became the first club to contest the Super Cup as holders of all three UEFA club honours, having entered as holders of the Cup Winners' Cup (1998), Champions League (2012), and Europa League (2013). Manchester United shared this honour in2017 after theirEuropa League win, having qualified as Cup Winners' Cup holders in 1991.
After 15 consecutive Super Cups being played atStade Louis II inMonaco between1998 and2012, the Super Cup is now played at various stadiums (similar to the finals of the Champions League and the Europa League). It was started with the2013 edition, which was played atEden Stadium inPrague, Czech Republic.[5]
Starting in 2014, the date of the UEFA Super Cup was moved from Friday in late August, to Tuesday in mid-August, following the removal of the August international friendly date in the new FIFA International Match Calendar.[6]
In 2020, the Super Cup final was originally scheduled to be played at theEstádio do Dragão inPorto, Portugal, on 12 August 2020.[7][8] However, after theCOVID-19 pandemic in Europe caused the postponements of the previous season's club finals, the UEFA Executive Committee chose to award the rescheduledChampions League final to Portugal, and postponed the match for 24 September 2020 and relocated the stadium toPuskás Aréna,Budapest.[9][10]
Following discussions with its 55 member associations on 19 August 2020,[11] the UEFA Executive Committee decided on 25 August 2020 to use the final as a pilot match for which a reduced number of spectators, up to 30% of the capacity of the stadium, can be allowed in, and it became the first official UEFA match to have spectators since their competitions were resumed in August 2020.[12]
Since 1998, the Super Cup was played as a single match at a neutral venue.[13] Between 1998 and 2012, the Super Cup was played at theStade Louis II inMonaco. Since 2013 various stadiums have been used.
The UEFA Super Cup trophy is retained by UEFA at all times. A full-size replica trophy is awarded to the winning club. Forty gold medals are presented to the winning club and forty silver medals to the runners-up.[24]
The Super Cup trophy has undergone several changes in its history. The first trophy was presented to Ajax in 1973. In 1977, the original trophy was replaced by a plaque with a gold UEFA emblem. In 1987, the next trophy was the smallest and lightest of all the European club trophies, weighing 5 kg (11 lb) and measuring 42.5 cm (16.7 in) in height. TheUEFA Champions Leaguetrophy weighs 8 kg (18 lb) and theUEFA Europa League trophy 15 kg (33 lb). It was designed and manufactured at the Bertoni workshop in Milan. The new model, which is a larger version of the previous trophy, was introduced in 2006 and weighs 12.2 kg (27 lb) and measures 58 cm (23 in) in height.[25]
Until 2008, a team which won three times in a row or five in total received an original copy of the trophy and a special mark of recognition. Since then, the original trophy has been kept exclusively by UEFA.AC Milan,Barcelona andReal Madrid have achieved this honour, winning a total of five times each, but the Italian team is the only one which was awarded the official trophy permanently in 2007. Barcelona and Real Madrid won their fifth title in 2015 and 2022, respectively, when the policy was no longer in place.
Prize money
As of 2024, the fixed amount of prize money paid to the clubs is €5 million for the winners and €4 million for the runners-up.[26]
Rules
The UEFA Super Cup is contested as a single match at a neutral venue. The match consists of two periods of 45 minutes each, known as halves. If the scores are level at the end of 90 minutes, the match goes straight to apenalty shoot-out to determine the winners.[27][28][29] Before the 2023 edition, two additional 15-minute periods ofextra time were played before the match went to penalties if still tied.[24]
Each team names twenty-three players, eleven of which start the match. Of the twelve remaining players, a total of five may be substituted throughout the match. Each team may wear its first choicekit. If the kits clash, the Europa League holders must wear analternative kit.[24] If a club refuses to play or is ineligible to play then they are replaced by the runners-up of the competition through which they qualified. If the field is unfit for play due to bad weather, the match must be played the next day.[24]
Sponsorship
The UEFA Super Cup's sponsors are the same as the sponsors for the UEFA Champions League. The tournament's current main sponsors are (as of the2024–25 season):
Adidas is a secondary sponsor and supplies the official match ball, whileMacron supplies the referee kits.[39]
Individual clubs may wear jerseys with advertising, even if such sponsors conflict with those of the Super Cup. Only two sponsorships are permitted per jersey, plus that of the manufacturer, at the chest and the left sleeve.[40] Exceptions are made for non-profit organisations, which can feature on the front of the shirt, incorporated with the main sponsor, or on the back, either below the squad number or between the player name and the collar.
Tickets
60% of the stadium capacity is reserved for the visiting clubs. The remaining seats are sold by UEFA through an online auction. There are an unlimited number of applications for tickets given out. The 5 euro administration fee is deducted from each applicant. There is no limit to the number of applications each individual can make.[41]
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