Slovenian Football Cup Explained

Current:2024–25 Slovenian Football Cup
Region:Slovenia
Qualifier For:UEFA Europa League
Current Champions:Rogaška (1st title)
Most Successful Club:Maribor (9 titles)
Website:nzs.si

The Slovenian Football Cup (Slovenian: Pokal Nogometne zveze Slovenije, in Slovenian pronounced as /pɔˈkáːl nɔɡɔˈméːtnɛ ˈzʋéːzɛ slɔˈʋèːnijɛ/) is the top knockout tournament of Slovenian football and the second most important football competition in Slovenia after the Slovenian PrvaLiga championship. The cup was established in 1991 following the breakup of Yugoslavia. Since 2020, it has been known as Pokal Pivovarna Union after its headline sponsor, the Union Brewery.

As of 2024, a total of 18 clubs have reached the cup final, with 12 of them winning the title; the most successful side in the history of the competition is Maribor, who have triumphed 9 times in their 15 cup final appearances. They are followed by Olimpija (1945), Koper, and Olimpija (2005), who won four titles each. Primorje hold the record for most appearances in the final without winning the title, finishing as runners-up in three consecutive finals between 1996 and 1998. Aluminij, Nafta 1903 and Gorica are the only sides from outside the top flight which managed to reach the cup final, having finished as runners-up in 2002, 2020 and 2024, respectively.

Rogaška are the current champions, having beaten Gorica 6–5 on penalties (1–1 after extra time) in the 2024 final for their first title.

Format

Until 2021, the Slovenian Cup was contested by a total of 28 clubs: 18 lower league sides that qualified via regional cups organised by the Intercommunal Football Associations, and 10 teams that competed in the Slovenian PrvaLiga the previous season. In the first round proper, 18 lower league clubs were joined by the six lower placed top flight clubs. The twelve winners were then joined by the best four top flight clubs who automatically entered the second round proper. The games were played in a single leg knock-out format until the quarter-finals and semi-finals, when home and away matches were played and the aggregate score was taken into account.

From the 2022–23 season onwards, the number of teams in the first round has increased from 24 to 120, and any registered team in the country can participate in the preliminary rounds.[1] Four teams that represent Slovenia in UEFA competitions joins the competition in the second round. Only one match is played in all rounds, with extra time and penalty shoot-out if necessary. The draw is no longer delegated with seeded and unseeded teams. Up to and including the round of 32, if two clubs from different leagues are drawn as opponents, the lower league team automatically plays at home, unless it decides not to.[2]

Since 2005, the final is held as a single-legged match, although it was a two-legged affair in the period between 1994 and 2004.[3]

List of finals

Key

Match ended after extra time
Match decided by a penalty shoot-out after the extra time
Match decided on aggregate score in a two-legged tie
ItalicTeam from outside the top flight
SeasonWinnersScoreRunners-upVenueAttendance
1991–92Mariboralign=center style="background-color:#cedff2"0–0 (a.e.t.)
(4–3 pen.)
OlimpijaBežigrad2,000
1992–93Olimpija2–1CeljeSkalna Klet2,500
1993–94Mariboralign=center style="background-color:#cef2e0"3–2 (agg.)Mura
1994–95Muraalign=center style="background-color:#cef2e0"2–1 (agg.)Celje
1995–96Olimpijaalign=center style="background-color:#cef2e0"2–1 (agg.)Primorje
1996–97Mariboralign=center style="background-color:#cef2e0"3–0 (agg.)Primorje
1997–98Rudar Velenjealign=center style="background-color:#cef2e0"4–2 (agg.)Primorje
1998–99Mariboralign=center style="background-color:#cef2e0"5–2 (agg.)Olimpija
1999–2000Olimpijaalign=center style="background-color:#cef2e0"3–2 (agg.)Korotan Prevalje
2000–01Goricaalign=center style="background-color:#cef2e0"4–3 (agg.)Olimpija
2001–02Goricaalign=center style="background-color:#cef2e0"6–1 (agg.)Aluminij
2002–03Olimpijaalign=center style="background-color:#cef2e0"3–3 (agg.) (a)Celje
2003–04Mariboralign=center style="background-color:#cef2e0"7–4 (agg.)Dravograd
2004–05Celje1–0GoricaArena Petrol3,800
2005–06Koperalign=center style="background-color:#cedff2"1–1 (a.e.t.)
(5–3 pen.)
CeljeArena Petrol3,200
2006–07Koper1–0MariborArena Petrol3,500
2007–08Interblock2–1MariborArena Petrol5,400
2008–09Interblock2–1KoperLjudski vrt2,500
2009–10Mariboralign=center style="background-color:#FBCEB1"3–2 (a.e.t.)DomžaleLjudski vrt6,000
2010–11Domžale4–3MariborStožice6,000
2011–12Mariboralign=center style="background-color:#cedff2"2–2 (a.e.t.)
(3–2 pen.)
CeljeStožice4,132
2012–13Maribor1–0CeljeBonifika1,500
2013–14Gorica2–0MariborBonifika3,500
2014–15Koper2–0CeljeBonifika3,000
2015–16Mariboralign=center style="background-color:#cedff2"2–2 (a.e.t.)
(7–6 pen.)
CeljeBonifika2,500
2016–17Domžale1–0Olimpija LjubljanaBonifika3,230
2017–18Olimpija Ljubljana6–1AluminijStožice8,804
2018–19Olimpija Ljubljana2–1MariborStadion Z'dežele8,623
2019–20Mura2–0Nafta 1903NNC Brdo200
2020–21Olimpija Ljubljana2–1CeljeBonifika1,200
2021–22Koper3–1BravoStadion Z'dežele3,200
2022–23Olimpija Ljubljanaalign=center style="background-color:#FBCEB1"2–1 (a.e.t.)MariborStadion Z'dežele9,217
2023–24Rogaškaalign=center style="background-color:#cedff2"1–1 (a.e.t.)
(6–5 pen.)
GoricaStožice4,042

List of winners

Teams shown in italics are no longer in existence.

ClubWinnersLast final wonRunners-upLast final lost
Maribor9201662023
Olimpija4200332001
Koper4202212009
Olimpija Ljubljana42023 12017
Gorica3201422024
Domžale22017 12010
Interblock220090
Celje12005 92021
NK Mura11995 11994
Rudar Velenje11998 0
NŠ Mura12020 0
Rogaška12024 0
Primorje031998
Aluminij022018
Korotan Prevalje012000
Dravograd012004
Nafta 1903012020
Bravo012022

External links

Notes and References

  1. Web site: Sklepi za tekmovanja v organizaciji NZS v članski kategoriji . nzs.si . . 16 June 2022 . sl . 12 June 2022 . 16 June 2022 . https://web.archive.org/web/20220616112931/https://www.nzs.si/Doc/Info/2022/Sklepi%20za%20tekmovanja%20v%20organizaciji%20NZS%20v%20%C4%8Dlanski%20kategoriji_V3.6_%C4%8Distopis%20V12062022%20(1).pdf . live .
  2. Web site: Zadeva: Spremembe in dopolnitve Sklepov za tekmovanja v organizaciji NZS v članskih kategorijah . nzs.si . . 30 May 2023 . sl . 29 May 2023 . 30 May 2023 . https://web.archive.org/web/20230530112608/https://www.nzs.si/Doc/Info/2023/15-23_Spremembe%20in%20dopolnitve%20Sklepov%20za%20tekmovanja%20v%20organizaciji%20NZS%20v%20%C4%8Dlanski%20kategoriji.pdf . live .
  3. Web site: Video: Finale pokala Slovenije od leta 1999 do 2005 . nzs.si . . 30 May 2023 . sl . 20 May 2014 . Potem ko je bil v prejšnji sezoni finale odločen že po prvi tekmi, je NZS spremenila način tekmovanja in v finalu se je ponovno igrala ena tekma za naslov pokalnega prvaka. . 30 May 2023 . https://web.archive.org/web/20230530112605/https://www.nzs.si/novica/Video:_Finale_pokala_Slovenije_od_leta_1999_do_2005?id=32375&id_objekta= . live .