2023–24 Maltese FA Trophy explained

Maltese FA Trophy
Year:2023–24
Country:Malta
Dates:12 December 2023 - 12 May 2024
Num Teams:42
Defending Champions:Birkirkara
Second:Floriana
Matches:41
Goals:146
Scoring Leader:Andre Carlos Penha Da Costa (4 Goals)
Prev Season:2022–23
Next Season:2024–25
Updated:12 May 2024

The 2023–24 Maltese FA Trophy, officially named IZIBET FA Trophy due to sponsorship reasons, was the 86th edition of the football cup competition, the FA Trophy. The winners earned a place in the second qualifying round of the 2024–25 UEFA Conference League.

Birkirkara were the defending champions. But were eliminated in the Semi-Finals by Sliema Wanderers

Sliema Wanderers won the cup (their twenty-second Maltese FA Trophy win) on 12 May 2024, defeating Floriana 4–2 on penalties after a 0–0 draw.

Preliminary round

Ten preliminary round matches were played on 12 and 13 December 2023, featuring twelve teams from the 2023–24 Maltese Challenge League, six teams from the 2023–24 Gozo First Division, and two teams from the 2023–24 Maltese National Amateur League.

The draw was held on 7 November 2023.[1] The four remaining Maltese Challenge League teams (Attard, Luqa St. Andrew's, Żabbar St. Patrick, and Żurrieq), the two remaining teams from the Gozo First Division (Għajnsielem and Xewkija Tigers), and two teams from the Maltese National Amateur League (Marsaskala and Mġarr United) received byes.

Round of 32

Sixteen matches played between 11–15 January, featuring the ten preliminary round winners, the 14 teams from the 2023–24 Maltese Premier League, and the eight teams given preliminary round byes.

The draw for the Round of 32 and Round of 16 was held on 22 December 2023. The draws were held by Malta FA Director of Football Operations Stephen Azzopardi together with former Malta national team player Justin Haber and Franco Degabriele Chief Commercial Officer of IZIBET.

Round of 16

Eight matches were played on 6–8 February, featuring the 16 Round of 32 winners.

The draw for the Round of 32 and Round of 16 was held on 22 December 2023. The draws were held by Malta FA Director of Football Operations Stephen Azzopardi together with former Malta national team player Justin Haber and Franco Degabriele Chief Commercial Officer of IZIBET. The round includes one team from the third tier, the lowest-ranked team remaining in the competition: Mġarr United.

Quarter-finals

The draw for the quarter-finals was held on 5 March 2024. The draws were held on Tuesday by Malta FA Director Football Operations Stephen Azzopardi assisted by former Malta national football team players Roderick Briffa and IZIBET Brand Ambassador Andrew Hogg. Four matches were played on 30 March 2024, featuring the eight Round of 16 winners. The round included one team from the third tier, the lowest-ranked team remaining in the competition: Mġarr United.

Semi-finals

The draw for the semi-finals was held on 28 April 2024. The draws were held live on TVMSports by Malta FA Director of Football Operations Stephen Azzopardi together with Franco Degabriele Chief Commercial Officer of IZIBET. Two matches were played on 7 and 8 May, featuring the four quarter-final winners (four teams from the 2023–24 Maltese Premier League).

Final

The final was played on 12 May. Floriana and Sliema Wanderers met in the Maltese FA Trophy final sixteen times back in 1935, 1936, 1938, 1945, 1949, 1953, 1955, 1956, 1958, 1965, 1972, 1974, 1979, 1993, 2017, and 2023. Between them in the finals, Floriana won nine times and Sliema Wanderers won six times. The last time Floriana and Sliema Wanderers met together in Maltese FA Trophy was during the 2016–17 season in the final when Floriana beat Sliema Wanderers by 2–0.

Top scorers

RankPlayerClubGoals
1 Kemar ReidFloriana4
Andre Carlos Penha Da CostaMelita
3 Matías GarcíaFloriana3
Gianluca ZammitGudja United
Uroš ĐuranovićĦamrun Spartans
Sunday AkinbuleMarsaxlokk
Saint Ebisindor ChristianMgarr United
Victor Ifeanyi MbataMsida Saint-Joseph
Igor NedeljkovicQala Saints
Federico FalconeValletta

Television rights

The following matches were broadcast live on TVMSports+:

RoundTVMSports+
Round of 32Mosta vs Pietà Hotspurs, Hibernians vs Qala Saints
Round of 16Gżira United vs Hibernians, Sliema Wanderers vs Balzan
Quarter-finalsBirkirkara vs Ħamrun Spartans
Semi-finalsFloriana vs Gzira United, Birkirkara vs Sliema Wanderers
FinalFloriana vs Sliema Wanderers

Notes and References

  1. Web site: IZIBET FA Trophy preliminary round draw . Busuttil. Antoine. 2023-11-07. 2023-11-07. MaltaFootball.