The Cupa României (English: Romanian Cup) is a football cup competition for Romanian teams which has been held annually since 1933–34, except during World War II. It is the country's main cup competition, being open to all clubs affiliated with the Romanian Football Federation (FRF) and the county football associations regardless of the league they belong to. Currently, the winner of the competition is granted a place in the UEFA Europa League qualifiers and plays the Supercupa României.
 | |
| Organising body | Romanian Football Federation |
|---|---|
| Founded | 1933 |
| Region | Romania |
| Number of teams | 202 |
| Qualifier for | UEFA Europa League |
| Domestic cup(s) | Supercupa României |
| Current champions | Corvinul Hunedoara (1st title) |
| Most successful club(s) | FCSB (23 titles) |
| Television broadcasters | Digi Sport Prima Sport |
| Website | cuparomaniei.frf.ro |
 2024–25 Cupa României | |
Most finals have been held at the Stadionul Național (formerly known as "23 August"), and occasionally at other stadiums in Bucharest. During the construction of the new Stadionul Național, the final was staged each year in a different major city of the country. In 2007, the final was held in Timișoara at the Dan Păltinișanu stadium, this being the second occasion when the last game was played outside Bucharest (the first occurrence took place in 1989, when Brașov hosted the event). Then, the next three finals were staged in Piatra Neamț, Târgu Jiu, Iași and again in Brașov.
The competition has been dominated by Bucharest-based teams, the most successful performers being FCSB with 23 trophies, followed by Rapid București and Dinamo București with thirteen each. The record for the most consecutive Cups won is held by Rapid București, who won the Romanian Cup 6 times in a row, between 1937 and 1942.
Sponsorship
editOn 22 July 2005, FRF and Samsung Electronics signed a one-year sponsorship deal. The name of the competition was changed to Cupa României Samsung.[1]
On 9 October 2006, FRF and Ursus Breweries (part of the SABMiller group) signed a sponsorship agreement for the next three seasons. Ursus Breweries changed the name of the competition to Cupa României Timișoreana, after the Timișoreana beer brand.[2][3]
On 16 May 2016, FRF announced the rebranding of competition and the signing of contracts with new sponsors such as Kaufland, UPC Broadband and Stanleybet.[4][5]
On 20 October 2017, FRF announced that the new main sponsor of the competition is the betting company Casa Pariurilor.[6]
Competition format
editThe competition has undergone minor changes in format over the years. The following format came in use in the 2009–10 season. The main differences between the current system and the last one are the dates at which rounds take place, and the two-legged format of the semifinals.[7]
County phase
editThe competition at this phase is organized by the county football associations. Forty-two teams (one from each county) advance to the next phase.
National phase
editThe competition at this phase is organized by the Romanian Football Federation (FRF). For the first five rounds, teams are paired using geographical criteria in order to avoid long travel distances. The teams from a lower division or with a lower ranking in the last league season host the games.
- First round – 140 teams (42 teams qualified from the county phase and 98 Liga III teams)
- Second round – 80 teams (70 winners from the first round and the remaining 10 Liga III teams)
- Third round – 40 teams (winners from the second round)
- Fourth round – 56 teams (20 winners from the third round and all 36 Liga II teams)
- Fifth round – 28 teams (winners from the fourth round)
- Round of 32 – (14 winners from the fifth round and all 18 Liga I teams)
- Starting with this round a seeding system is used for the draw, as follows:
- Pot A: Teams 1–6 from last season's Liga I final table (6 teams)
- Pot B: The remaining Liga I teams (12 teams)
- Pot C: Teams from the lower divisions (14 teams)
- Teams from pot A are paired with teams from pot C, then the eight remaining pot C teams are paired with pot B teams, with the lower league clubs hosting the games. The four remaining pot B teams will play each other, with the host club determined by means of a draw.
- Round of 16 (winners from the Round of 32)
- Quarterfinals
- Semifinals
- Final
Every year, based on the national and international football calendar, FRF's executive committee may choose a two-leg or one-leg system for the round of 16, quarterfinals and semifinals.[8] Games at these stages are, when played using a one-leg system, hosted by a neutral venue. The final is held at a pre-established venue, normally in Bucharest.
Results of the Finals
editPerformances
editPerformance by club
editSince its establishment, the Cupa României has been won by 23 clubs. Teams shown in italics are no longer in existence. Additionally, if two or more teams are tied with the same number of trophies, the one that achieved the performance first is ranked above the others.
Performance by city
editThe following table sorts cities by the number of Cups won by local teams. Bucharest, hosting the three most decorated sides in the competition and having staged the majority of the Cup finals, is by far the most prolific city.
| City | Cups | Winning clubs |
|---|---|---|
51
|
FCSB (24), Dinamo (13), Rapid (13), Progresul (1) | |
8
|
Universitatea Craiova (6), U Craiova 1948 (2) | |
5
|
CFR (4), Universitatea Cluj (1) | |
4
|
FC Politehnica (2), Ripensia (2) | |
3
|
Petrolul (3) | |
2
|
UTA (2) | |
2
|
Sepsi Sfântu Gheorghe (2) | |
1
|
Club Atletic (1) | |
1
|
Jiul (1) | |
1
|
Gloria (1) | |
1
|
CFR (1) | |
1
|
Metalul (1) | |
1
|
Arieșul (1) | |
1
|
Chimia (1) | |
1
|
Astra (1) | |
1
|
Voluntari (1) | |
1
|
Viitorul (1) |
Records
edit| Player | Club | Goals | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Steaua București, Prahova Ploiești | 40 | |
| 2 | Rapid București, Crișana Oradea | 37 | |
| 3 | Electroputere Craiova, Dinamo București, Steaua București | 35 | |
| 4 | Steaua București, CA Câmpulung Moldovenesc | 34 | |
| 5 | Ripensia Timișoara | 33 | |
Notes
editReferences
edit- ^ "Cupa și Supercupa României – Samsung". Gazeta de Nord-Vest (in Romanian). 2005-07-23. Archived from the original on 2008-05-14. Retrieved 26 October 2015.
- ^ Tudor, Diana (2007-07-04). "Cum au ajuns Bergenbier, Timisoreana si Burger titulari pe terenul de fotbal". Ziarul Financiar (in Romanian). Archived from the original on 2008-05-11. Retrieved 26 October 2015.
- ^ "Parteneriat FRF-Timișoreana" (in Romanian). Romanian Football Federation. 2010-02-23. Archived from the original on 2015-11-22. Retrieved 26 October 2015.
- ^ "FOTO Cupa României s-a rebranduit – Cum arată noul logo și noile medalii ale competiției". GSP.ro. Retrieved 23 August 2017.
- ^ "Federația Română de Fotbal lansează noul brand al Cupei României, cu ocazia finalei numărul 78 a competiției". FRF. Archived from the original on 6 February 2018. Retrieved 23 August 2017.
- ^ "Casa Pariurilor este noul sponsor al Ligii 2 și al Cupei României" [Casa Pariurilor is the new sponsor of Liga II and Romanian Cup] (in Romanian). FRF. 20 October 2017. Archived from the original on 24 December 2017. Retrieved 20 October 2017.
- ^ "Regulament" (in Romanian). Romanian Football Federation. Archived from the original on February 10, 2012. Retrieved 20 March 2008.
- ^ "Regulamentul de desfasurare a activitatii fotbalistice" (in Romanian). Romanian Football Federation. Archived from the original on 2008-05-16. Retrieved 20 March 2008.
- ^ "Romanian Cup: Season 1987-1988". Romanian Soccer History & Statistics. Retrieved 26 October 2015.
The goal of Balint was anulated because of off-side, at signalling of assistant referee George Ionescu. Steaua retired from the field (after the command of Valentin Ceaușescu, the son of president Nicolae Ceaușescu) but Romanian Federation of Football offered the Cup to Steaua București. In 1990, Steaua renounced at this trophy because it was won unjust.
- ^ "Mircea Lucescu despre Steaua - Dinamo: 'Rivalitatea a existat mai mult între mine și Valentin Ceaușescu'". Dolce Sport (in Romanian). Telekom Romania. 1 March 2015. Archived from the original on 12 January 2015. Retrieved 26 October 2015.
- ^ Muresanu, Catalin; Toma, Razvan (22 April 2011). "La trântă cu recordurile și în Cupă!". ProSport (in Romanian). Retrieved 1 August 2022.
- ^ "Dănciulescu, cel mai bun marcator pentru Dinamo în Cupă" [Danciulescu, the best scorer for Dinamo in the Cup] (in Romanian). Adevarul.ro. 22 April 2011. Retrieved 23 August 2022.
- ^ "Dănciulescu, cel mai bun marcator pentru Dinamo în Cupă" [Danciulescu, the best scorer for Dinamo in the Cup] (in Romanian). Click.ro. 22 April 2011. Retrieved 23 August 2022.