Current: | 2024–25 Cupa României |
Region: | Romania |
Number Of Teams: | 202 |
Domestic Cup: | Supercupa României |
Qualifier For: | UEFA Europa League |
Broadcasters: | Digi Sport Orange Sport Prima Sport |
Website: | cuparomaniei.frf.ro |
Organiser: | Romanian Football Federation |
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.
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.
On 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]
The 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]
The competition at this phase is organized by the county football associations. Forty-two teams (one from each county) advance to the next phase.
The 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.
Starting with this round a seeding system is used for the draw, as follows:
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.
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.
See main article: List of Cupa României finals.
Since 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.
The 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 |
---|---|---|
Bucharest | FCSB (24), Dinamo (13), Rapid (13), Progresul (1) | |
Craiova | Universitatea Craiova (6), U Craiova 1948 (2) | |
Cluj | CFR (4), Universitatea Cluj (1) | |
Timișoara | FC Politehnica (2), Ripensia (2) | |
Ploiești | Petrolul (3) | |
Arad | UTA (2) | |
Sfântu Gheorghe | Sepsi Sfântu Gheorghe (2) | |
Oradea | Club Atletic (1) | |
Petroșani | Jiul (1) | |
Bistrița | Gloria (1) | |
Drobeta-Turnu Severin | CFR (1) | |
Reșița | Metalul (1) | |
Turda | Arieșul (1) | |
Râmnicu Vâlcea | Chimia (1) | |
Giurgiu | Astra (1) | |
Voluntari | Voluntari (1) | |
Ovidiu | Viitorul (1) | |
+ Top five goalscorers | |||
Player | Club | Goals | |
---|---|---|---|
1 | Florea Voinea | Steaua București, Prahova Ploiești | 40 |
2 | Gyula Barátky | Rapid București, Crișana Oradea | 37 |
3 | Ionel Dănciulescu | Electroputere Craiova, Dinamo București, Steaua București | 35 |
4 | Ion Alecsandrescu | Steaua București, CA Câmpulung Moldovenesc | 34 |
5 | Ștefan Dobay | Ripensia Timișoara | 33 |