# Copa FGF

The Copa Federação Gaúcha de Futebol, commonly known as the Copa FGF, is an annual cup competition organized by the Rio Grande do Sul state football federation for clubs that are in the first, second and third divisions of the Campeonato Gaúcho. It is held in the second half of the year and usually clubs participating in the higher levels of the Campeonato Brasileiro do not participate with the first team squad, using their academies.
The competition was founded in 2004 being the most important knockout cup competition in Rio Grande do Sul football. It was created with the objective of filling the calendar of smaller teams, as the Campeonato Gaúcho runs only in the first months of the year, leaving many smaller teams of the state without games to play on the rest of the year, thus, the Copa FGF is considered a competition that values local Gaúcho football, because the greatest clubs in the state, Grêmio and Internacional, usually play the cup with their academy teams, opening up the possibility of smaller clubs of the state win the title. The winners of the Copa FGF faces the winners of the Campeonato Gaúcho at the super cup Recopa Gaúcha.
The Copa FGF usually receive a different name in each edition, honoring important people related to football in Rio Grande do Sul. The 2014 edition is called Copa Fernandão, in posthumous tribute to former Internacional footballer who died in June of the same year.
The current holders are São Luiz after beating Passo Fundo in the 2022 finals. The 2023 edition has been renamed to Copa Rei Pelé after Pelé's passing in December 2022.

## Format
### Competition

The competition is a knockout tournament with pairings for first round (round of 22) drawn at random, being the best placed club in the FGF Club Ranking plays the first leg at away. If that club wins by a difference of two or more goals, it will be automatically qualified for the next round. The same rules serves to Round of 12. From the quarter-finals, the order of matches is decided by lot and the second leg is required.
Twenty-two clubs beginning in the round of 22, being the winners and the best loser advancing to the second round. In the round of 12, the winners and the two best losers qualify for the quarter-finals. Thereafter, only the winners advance to the semifinals and the finals.

### Qualification for competitions

The Copa FGF winners qualify for the following season's Copa do Brasil. Currently, the competition does not grant more qualifying for the Campeonato Brasileiro Série D, because since the creation of the Super Copa Gaúcha, this new competition received that right for the champion. However, the Copa FGF winner also qualifies for this cup, having the opportunity to qualify for the Campeonato Brasileiro Série D.

## Clubs

Having been established in 2004, the Copa FGF has been played by dozens of different clubs in the state of Rio Grande do Sul. The following 22 clubs will compete in the Copa FGF during the 2014 edition.
| Club | City | Stadium | Capacity | Division in 2014 | First app | Number of apps | Titles | Last title |
| Aimoré | São Leopoldo | Cristo Rei | 10,000 | Série A1 | 2006 | 5 | — | — |
| Bagé | Bagé | Pedra Moura | 12,000 | Série B | 2008 | 3 | — | — |
| Brasil (PE) | Pelotas | Bento Freitas | 18,000 | Série A1 | 2004 | 8 | — | — |
| Cerâmica | Gravataí | Vieirão | 8,000 | Série A1 | 2007 | 7 | — | — |
| Esportivo | Bento Gonçalves | Montanha dos Vinhedos | 15,269 | Série A1 | 2004 | 5 | 1 | 2004 |
| Estância Velha | Canoas | Estádio das Cabriúvas | 5,000 | Série B | 2014 | 1 | — | — |
| Farroupilha | Pelotas | Nicolau Fico | 8,000 | Série B | 2004 | 4 | — | — |
| Garibaldi | Garibaldi | Alcides Santa Rosa | 4,000 | Série B | 2007 | 1 | — | — |
| Guarani (VA) | Venâncio Aires | Edmundo Feix | 4,000 | Série B | 2005 | 2 | — | — |
| Guarany (BG) | Bagé | Estrela D'Alva | 10,000 | Série B | 2006 | 4 | — | — |
| Internacional | Porto Alegre | Morada dos Quero-Queros | 2,000 | Série A1 | 2004 | 10 | 2 | 2010 |
| Juventude | Caxias do Sul | Alfredo Jaconi | 23,726 | Série A1 | 2004 | 9 | 2 | 2012 |
| Lajeadense | Lajeado | Arena Alviazul | 7,000 | Série A1 | 2005 | 7 | — | — |
| Marau | Marau | Carlos Renato Bebber | 2,000 | Série A2 | 2014 | 1 | — | — |
| Novo Hamburgo | Novo Hamburgo | Estádio do Vale | 6,500 | Série A1 | 2004 | 9 | 2 | 2013 |
| Panambi | Panambi | João Marimon Júnior | 3,000 | Série A2 | 2014 | 1 | — | — |
| Pelotas | Pelotas | Boca do Lobo | 18,000 | Serie A1 | 2004 | 8 | 1 | 2008 |
| Santa Cruz-RS | Santa Cruz do Sul | Estádio dos Plátanos | 7,000 | Série A2 | 2014 | 2 | 1 | 2020 |
| São José-RS | Porto Alegre | Passo D'Areia | 8,000 | Série A1 | 2004 | 9 | — | — |
| São Paulo-RS | Rio Grande | Aldo Dapuzzo | 11,500 | Série A1 | 2004 | 7 | — | — |
| Veranópolis | Veranópolis | Antônio David Farina | 4,000 | Série A1 | 2004 | 1 | — | — |
| Ypiranga-RS | Erechim | Colosso da Lagoa | 30,000 | Série A2 | A2006 | 4 | — | — |

## Champions

| Season | Name | Champions | Runners-up |
| 2004 | Copa LG/Colombo | Esportivo | Gaúcho |
| 2005 | Copa FGF | Novo Hamburgo | Ulbra |
| 2006 | Copa FGF | Grêmio | Ulbra |
| 2007 | Copa Rogério Amoretty | Caxias | Brasil de Pelotas |
| 2008 | Copa Lupi Martins | Pelotas | Cerâmica |
| 2009 | Copa Arthur Dallegrave | Internacional | Ypiranga |
| 2010 | Copa Enio Costamilan | Internacional | Cerâmica |
| 2011 | Copa Dra. Lacy Ughini | Juventude | Lajeadense |
| 2012 | Copa Hélio Dourado | Juventude | Brasil de Pelotas |
| 2013 | Copa Willy Sanvitto | Novo Hamburgo | São José |
| 2014 | Copa Fernandão | Lajeadense | Guarani-VA |
| 2015 | Copa Luiz Fernando Costa | Lajeadense | Pelotas |
| 2016 | Not held | Not held | Not held |
| 2017 | Copa Paulo Sant'Ana | São José | Aimoré |
| 2018 | Copa Wianey Carlet | Avenida | Gaúcho |
| 2019 | Copa Seu Verardi | Pelotas | São José |
| 2020 | Troféu Ibsen Pinheiro | Santa Cruz | São José |
| 2021 | Troféu Dirceu de Castro | Glória | Novo Hamburgo |
| 2022 | Troféu Tarciso Flecha Negra | São Luiz | Passo Fundo |
| 2023 | Copa Rei Pelé | São Luiz | São José |
| 2024 | Copa Zagallo | São José | Ypiranga |

## Records and statistics
### List of champions

Seven clubs are officially recognized to have been the Copa FGF champions, of which four teams have two titles each: Internacional, Juventude, Lajeadense and Novo Hamburgo. Below is the complete list of winners and runners-up of the competition.
| Club | Won | Runner-up | Years won | Years runner-up |
| São José | 2 | 4 | 2017, 2024 | 2013, 2019, 2020, 2023 |
| Lajeadense | 2 | 1 | 2014, 2015 | 2011 |
| Pelotas | 2 | 1 | 2008, 2019 | 2015 |
| Novo Hamburgo | 2 | 1 | 2005, 2013 | 2021 |
| Juventude | 2 | 0 | 2011, 2012 | — |
| Internacional | 2 | 0 | 2009, 2010 | — |
| São Luiz | 2 | 0 | 2022, 2023 | – |
| Santa Cruz | 1 | 0 | 2020 | — |
| Avenida | 1 | 0 | 2018 | — |
| Caxias | 1 | 0 | 2007 | — |
| Grêmio | 1 | 0 | 2006 | — |
| Esportivo | 1 | 0 | 2004 | — |
| Glória | 1 | 0 | 2021 | — |
| Gaúcho | 0 | 2 | — | 2004, 2018 |
| Brasil de Pelotas | 0 | 2 | — | 2007, 2012 |
| Canoas | 0 | 2 | — | 2005, 2006 |
| Cerâmica | 0 | 2 | — | 2008, 2010 |
| Ypiranga | 0 | 2 | — | 2009, 2024 |
| Passo Fundo | 0 | 1 | - | 2022 |
| Aimoré | 0 | 1 | — | 2017 |
| Guarani-VA | 0 | 1 | — | 2014 |