Bulgarian Cup

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Bulgarian Cup
Current season or competition: Bulgarian Cup 2008-09
Sport	Football
Founded	1924
No. of teams	number varies
Country(ies)	Bulgaria
Most recent champion(s)	Litex Lovech (2007-08)
TV partner(s)	BNT 1

The Bulgarian Cup (Bulgarian: Купа на България) is a Bulgarian annual football competition. All officially registered Bulgarian football teams take part in it.

The tournament's format is single-elimination, with all matches being one-legged. The Bulgarian Cup final is usually held at the Vasil Levski National Stadium in Sofia. The competition's winner achieves the right to take part in the UEFA Cup. If the winner has already secured a place through the Bulgarian A Professional Football Group, the team that has come fourth in the championship substitutes it.

[edit] History

The Bulgarian Cup has its roots in several cup tournaments held in Bulgaria through the 20th century, simultaneously or successively. The first one is the National Cup or Tsar's Cup (Bulgarian: Купа на Царя) that existed between 1938 and 1942, in which the champions of the country's oblasts played in a one-legged single-elimination tournament, the host being determined by lot.

During the Communist rule in Bulgaria, the National Cup was superseded by the two-legged Cup of the Soviet Army (Bulgarian: Купа на Съветската армия) tournament, which was held between 1945 and 1990. After 1981, it lost its importance due to the revival of the Bulgarian Cup tournament in honour of the 1300th anniversary of the country, but continued to exist until disbanded in 1990. Levski Sofia, as the club to have won the trophy most times, were awarded the original Soviet Army Cup to preserve it in their collection.2006-2007 national cup final will be played in Stara Zagora.

[edit] Winners

[edit] Tsar's Cup (1924-1944)

• 1938 — FK-13
• 1939 — Shipka Sofia
• 1940 — FK-13
• 1941 — AS-23
• 1942 — Levski Sofia
• 1943 — Slavia Sofia
• 1944 — not finished

[edit] Cup of the Soviet Army (1946-1990)

[edit] Bulgarian Cup (1980-present)

[edit] Performance by club

[edit] Titles by city

[edit] External links

• Bulgarian Cup news from Topsport (Bulgarian)