# Domestic cup

A domestic cup (also known as association cup or national cup) is a type of sports tournament, particularly common in association football. This tournament type is notable for its participation by professional and amateur teams from many levels of a country's league system. The structure of the competition varies but is usually a knockout format and is typically organized by the country's governing body for the sport (football association). The oldest of such tournament was England's FA Cup, first played in 1871.

## Format

The format of domestic cups vary from country to country but they usually share many characteristics. The tournament is typically a knockout format where matchups can be played as a single match or a two-legged tie. Teams may enter the tournament in different rounds depending on their league rank. Lower ranked teams would enter in earlier rounds or in a qualifier for the main tournament. A domestic cup will be played over several months and runs concurrently with the league season. The winner of a domestic cup may qualify to a super cup or a continental competition.

## List of domestic cups in association football in Africa

Current :
| Country | Domestic Cup |
| Algeria | Algerian Cup |
| Angola | Taça de Angola |
| Benin | Benin Cup |
| Botswana | Botswana FA Challenge Cup |
| Burkina Faso | Coupe du Faso |
| Burundi | Burundian Cup |
| Cameroon | Cameroonian Cup |
| Cape Verde | Taça Nacional de Cabo Verde |
| Central African Republic | Central African Republic Coupe Nationale |
| Chad | Chad Cup |
| Comoros | Comoros Cup |
| Congo | Coupe du Congo (Republic of Congo) |
| Djibouti | Djibouti Cup |
| DR Congo | Coupe du Congo (DR Congo) |
| Egypt | Egypt Cup |
| Equatorial Guinea | Equatoguinean Cup |
| Eritrea | Eritrean Cup |
| Eswatini | Swazi Cup |
| Ethiopia | Ethiopian Cup |
| Gabon | Coupe du Gabon Interclubs |
| Gambia | Gambian Cup |
| Ghana | Ghana FA Cup |
| Guinea | Guinée Coupe Nationale |
| Guinea-Bissau | Taça Nacional da Guiné Bissau |
| Ivory Coast | Coupe de Côte d'Ivoire |
| Kenya | FKF President's Cup |
| Lesotho | Lesotho Independence Cup |
| Liberia | Liberian FA Cup |
| Libya | Libyan Cup |
| Madagascar | Coupe de Madagascar |
| Malawi | FDH Bank Knockout Cup |
| Mali | Malian Cup |
| Mauritania | Mauritanian President's Cup |
| Mauritius | Mauritian Cup |
| Morocco | Moroccan Throne Cup |
| Mozambique | Taça de Moçambique |
| Namibia | Namibia FA Cup |
| Niger | Niger Cup |
| Nigeria | Nigeria Federation Cup |
| Réunion | Coupe de la Réunion |
| Rwanda | Rwandan Cup |
| São Tomé and Príncipe | Taça Nacional de São Tomé e Príncipe |
| Senegal | Senegal FA Cup |
| Seychelles | Seychelles FA Cup |
| Sierra Leone | Sierra Leonean FA Cup |
| Somalia | Somalia Cup |
| South Africa | Nedbank Cup |
| South Sudan | South Sudan National Cup |
| Sudan | Sudan Cup |
| Tanzania | Tanzania FA Cup |
| Togo | Coupe du Togo |
| Tunisia | Tunisian Cup |
| Uganda | Uganda Cup |
| Zanzibar | Zanzibari Cup |
| Zimbabwe | Cup of Zimbabwe |
Defunct :
| Country | Domestic Cup |
| Zambia | Zambian Cup |

## List of domestic cups in association football in Europe

Current :
| Country | Domestic Cup |
| Albania | Albanian Cup |
| Andorra | Copa Constitució |
| Armenia | Armenian Cup |
| Austria | Austrian Cup |
| Azerbaijan | Azerbaijan Cup |
| Belarus | Belarusian Cup |
| Belgium | Belgian Cup |
| Bosnia and Herzegovina | Bosnia and Herzegovina Football Cup |
| Bulgaria | Bulgarian Cup |
| Croatia | Croatian Football Cup |
| Cyprus | Cypriot Cup |
| Czech Republic | Czech Cup |
| Denmark | Danish Cup |
| England | FA Cup |
| Estonia | Estonian Cup |
| Faroe Islands | Faroe Islands Cup |
| Finland | Finnish Cup |
| France | Coupe de France |
| Georgia | Georgian Cup |
| Germany | DFB-Pokal |
| Gibraltar | Rock Cup |
| Greece | Greek Football Cup |
| Hungary | Magyar Kupa |
| Iceland | Icelandic Men's Football Cup |
| Israel | Israel State Cup |
| Italy | Coppa Italia |
| Kazakhstan | Kazakhstan Cup |
| Kosovo | Kosovar Cup |
| Latvia | Latvian Football Cup |
| Liechtenstein | Liechtenstein Football Cup |
| Lithuania | Lithuanian Football Cup |
| Luxembourg | Luxembourg Cup |
| Malta | Maltese FA Trophy |
| Moldova | Cupa Moldovei |
| Montenegro | Montenegrin Cup |
| Netherlands | KNVB Cup |
| North Macedonia | Macedonian Football Cup |
| Northern Ireland | Irish Cup |
| Norway | Norwegian Football Cup |
| Poland | Polish Cup |
| Portugal | Taça de Portugal |
| Republic of Ireland | FAI Cup |
| Romania | Cupa României |
| Russia | Russian Cup (football) |
| San Marino | Coppa Titano |
| Scotland | Scottish Cup |
| Serbia | Serbian Cup |
| Slovakia | Slovak Cup |
| Slovenia | Slovenian Football Cup |
| Spain | Copa del Rey |
| Sweden | Svenska Cupen |
| Switzerland | Swiss Cup |
| Turkey | Turkish Cup |
| Ukraine | Ukrainian Cup |
| Wales | Welsh Cup |
Defunct :
| Country | Domestic Cup |
| Czechoslovakia | Czechoslovak Cup |
| East Germany | FDGB-Pokal |
| Serbia and Montenegro | Serbia and Montenegro Cup |
| Soviet Union | Soviet Cup |
| Yugoslavia | Yugoslav Cup |
Non-UEFA :
| Country | Domestic Cup |
| Monaco | Challenge Prince Rainier III |
| Vatican City | Coppa Sergio Valci |

## Giant-killing

A giant-killing, also known as an upset, is when lower-league sides slay the 'giant' of a team objectively viewed as the odds-on favorite to win the tie, or the whole tournament.
Whereas Points-based competitions such as the Premier League rely on teams maintaining consistent form for the duration of the campaign, the stakes are much higher in domestic cup matches, which follow a knockout format, as everything is on the line during the course of a single match.
Some examples of giant-killings include :
* Hereford United 2-1 Newcastle United, which was an FA Cup Third round replay after the first match had resulted in a 2–2 draw. The result, a 2–1 extra time victory for Hereford, is notable for being one of the greatest shocks of all time in the history of the FA Cup, as Hereford were the lowest-ranked non-league side to beat a top-flight opposition in English footballing history. The home team, Hereford United, were playing in the Southern Football League, the fifth tier of the English football league system. The away team, Newcastle United, played in the English First Division, the first tier.
* A major upset in Spanish football was the Alcorconazo, when in the first leg of a 2009–10 Copa del Rey AD Alcorcón won over Real Madrid 4–0. Real Madrid is one of the largest clubs in Spanish football and the world while Alcorcón team played in the third-tier Segunda División B. Because Real Madrid won the second leg only 1–0, Alcorcón advanced victorious to the next round. The half-time substitution of Guti when the score was 3–0 and when he was booked before was another topic in the Spanish press because of words exchanged between the player and his coach, Manuel Pellegrini.
* 1. FC Saarbrücken (as a 3. Liga side), managed to string together a run of giant-killings. They upset Bundesliga giants FC Bayern Munich with a historic 2–1 win to advance to the round of 16 in the 2023–24 DFB-Pokal. At this stage they met Eintracht Frankfurt, another of the most well-established teams in the Bundesliga. An eventful second-half left the home side 2–0 victors and moving through to the quarterfinals. They went on to beat another Bundesliga side Borussia Mönchengladbach 2–1 to advance to the semi-finals for the 5th time in club history. They met the 2. Bundesliga side 1. FC Kaiserslautern in the semi-finals of the DFB-Pokal, losing at home 0–2.
* Calais RUFC entered the international spotlight during their run to the final of the 2000 Coupe de France, under Spanish coach Ladislas Lozano. Made up of teachers, dock workers and office clerks, Calais' ten-round cup run saw the team defeat regional heavyweights Lille and first division teams Racing Strasbourg and Bordeaux; they played no games at their own ground, drawn as the away team in most rounds and the later 'home' ties played at the Stade Félix-Bollaert in Lens due to issues with facilities and capacity. They eventually lost 2–1 to Nantes in the final at the Stade de France in Paris on 7 May 2000, despite leading 1–0 at half-time.