| National Soccer League Cup | |
| Organiser: | Football Federation Australia |
| Abolished: | 1997 |
| Region: | Australia |
| Most Successful Club: | Adelaide City (3 titles)[1] |
The National Soccer League Cup (known most commonly as the NSL Cup) was an annual knockout football competition in men's domestic Australian soccer organised by the Australian Soccer Federation between 1977 and 1997.
The NSL Cup was organised to run in conjunction with the teams participating in the National Soccer League (NSL) between 1977 and 1997. It was the second nationwide club tournament held in Australia, the first being the Australia Cup during the 1960s.[2] It was held initially in 1977 immediately after the end of the NSL's regular home and away season, as there was no final series. The 1978 edition expanded to include teams from various state leagues in Australia, including Annerley (Queensland), West Woden Juventus (ACT), Essendon Croatia (Victoria), Sydney Croatia (NSW) and Ascot (WA).[3]
For the 1993–94 season the Cup was played in the preseason, before being played as a mid-season break for the 1995–96 season and then returning to the preseason for the 1996–97 season.[4] The 1996-97 Cup was the final cup to be playing during the NSL years and saw a brand new club, Collingwood Warriors, defeat Marconi in the final.[5] A replacement national knock-out cup was not instigated until the FFA Cup in 2014.
State League side Sydney Croatia upset NSL club Marconi in the first round of the 1978 Cup. Other upsets over the years where state league teams defeated NSL teams, including Parramatta Melita Eagles defeating Marconi in 1979, Mt Gravatt defeating Brisbane City in 1980, and Croydon City defeating South Melbourne in 1986.
See main article: List of NSL champions.
| Wins | First final won | Last final won | Runners-up | Last final lost | Total final appearances | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Adelaide City | 3 | 1979 | 1992 | 1 | 1978 | 4 | |
| Parramatta Eagles | 2 | 1991 | 1994 | 1 | 1993 | 3 | |
| Brisbane City | 2 | 1977 | 1978 | 0 | — | 2 | |
| Sydney Olympic | 2 | 1983 | 1985 | 2 | — | 4 | |
| APIA Leichhardt Tigers | 2 | 1982 | 1988 | 0 | — | 2 | |
| South Melbourne | 2 | 1990 | 1996 | 1 | — | 3 | |
| Heidelberg United | 1 | 1993 | 1993 | 4 | 1995 | 5 | |
| Marconi-Fairfield | 1 | 1980 | 1980 | 3 | 1997 | 4 | |
| Sydney United | 1 | 1987 | 1987 | 1 | 1994 | 2 | |
| Melbourne Knights | 1 | 1995 | 1995 | 1 | 1984 | 2 | |
| Brisbane Lions | 1 | 1981 | 1981 | 0 | — | 1 | |
| Newcastle Rosebud United | 1 | 1984 | 1984 | 0 | — | 1 | |
| Sydney City | 1 | 1986 | 1986 | 0 | — | 1 | |
| Collingwood Warriors | 1 | 1997 | 1997 | 0 | — | 1 | |
| West Adelaide | 0 | — | — | 2 | 1986 | 2 | |
| Preston Lions | 0 | — | — | 2 | 1991 | 2 | |
| St George | 0 | — | — | 1 | 1979 | 1 | |
| Newcastle Breakers | 0 | — | — | 1 | 1996 | 1 |