Treble (association football)
Domestic trebles
Table:
Club

Country

Number
won

Year(s) won

Titles won

Rangers

Scotland

9

1930, 1934, 1949, 1964, 1976, 1978, 1993, 1999, 2003[24]

Scottish League, Scottish Cup, Glasgow Cup (1930, 1934)
Scottish League, Scottish Cup, Scottish League Cup (1949 onwards)

Celtic

Scotland

8

1907, 1908, 1967, 1969, 2001, 2017, 2018, 2019[25]

Scottish League, Scottish Cup, Glasgow Cup (1907, 1908)
Scottish League, Scottish Cup, Scottish League Cup (1967 onwards)

Linfield

Northern Ireland

5

1922, 1962, 1994, 2006, 2008[26][27][28][29]

Irish League, Irish Cup, County Antrim Shield (1922, 1962)
Irish League, Irish Cup, Irish League Cup (1994, 2006, 2008)

Glasgow City

Scotland

5

2009, 2012, 2013, 2014, 2015[30][31][32]

Scottish Women's Premier League, Scottish Women's Cup, SWPL Cup

Shamrock Rovers

Republic of Ireland

3

1925, 1932, 1964[33]

League of Ireland, FAI Cup, League of Ireland Shield

Buriram United

Thailand

3

2011, 2013, 2015[34]

Thai League 1, Thai FA Cup, Thai League Cup

Paris Saint-Germain

France

3

2015, 2016, 2018[35][36]

Ligue 1, Coupe de France, Coupe de la Ligue

Valletta

Malta

2

1997, 2001[37]

Maltese Premier League, Maltese Cup, Löwenbräu Cup

Kedah

Malaysia

2

2007, 2008[38]

Malaysian Super League, Malaysia Cup, Malaysian FA Cup

The New Saints

Wales

2

2015, 2016[39]

Welsh Premier League, Welsh Cup, Welsh League Cup

Bohemians

Republic of Ireland

1

1928[40]

League of Ireland, FAI Cup, League of Ireland Shield

Fall River Marksmen

United States

1

1930[41]

American Soccer League, National Challenge Cup, Lewis Cup

Athletic Bilbao

Spain

1

1931[42][43][44]

La Liga, Copa del Rey, Biscay Championship

Brookhattan

United States

1

1945[45]

American Soccer League, National Challenge Cup, Lewis Cup

Santos

Brazil

1

1964[46]

Taça Brasil, Torneio Rio-São Paulo, Campeonato Paulista

Toronto Croatia

Canada

1

1971[47]

NSL Cup, NSL Regular Season Champion, NSL Playoff Champion

Levski Sofia

Bulgaria

1

1984[48]

Bulgarian A Professional Football Group, Bulgarian Cup, Cup of the Soviet Army

CSKA Sofia

Bulgaria

1

1989[48]

Bulgarian A Professional Football Group, Bulgarian Cup, Cup of the Soviet Army

Derry City

Northern Ireland

1

1989[49]

League of Ireland, FAI Cup, League of Ireland Cup

South China

Hong Kong

1

1991[50]

Hong Kong First Division League, Hong Kong Senior Challenge Shield, Hong Kong FA Cup, Viceroy Cup

Consulting the given table and the context snippets listed below.

Provide an answer to this question: In which district is this football club based that won the highest league in Scottish football ? Respond with the correct answer (omit explanations) in JSON format as {"answer": "YOUR ANSWER"}.

Rangers Football Club is a Scottish professional football club based in the Govan district of Glasgow . It has played in the Scottish Premiership , the first tier of the Scottish Professional Football League , since winning the 2015-16 Scottish Championship . Their home ground , Ibrox Stadium , in the southwest of the city , is the third largest football stadium in the country . Although not the club 's official name , it is occasionally referred to as Glasgow Rangers . Rangers have played in royal blue shirts since the inception of the club . Rangers are the second most successful club in world football in terms of trophies won , behind only Egyptian club Al Ahly . The club has won more league titles and domestic trebles than any other team in the world , winning the league title 54 times , the Scottish Cup 33 times and the Scottish League Cup 27 times , and achieving the treble of all three in the same season seven times . Rangers won the European Cup Winners ' Cup in 1972 after being losing finalists twice , in 1961 ( the first British club to reach a UEFA tournament final ) and 1967 . A third runners-up finish in Europe came in the UEFA Cup in 2008 . Rangers have a long-standing rivalry with Celtic , the two Glasgow clubs being collectively known as the Old Firm , which is considered one of the world 's biggest football derbies . Founded in March 1872 , Rangers is the fourth-oldest football club in Scotland and was one of the 11 original members of the Scottish Football League and it remained in the top division continuously until a financial crisis during the 2011-12 season saw an administration event occur and the original company liquidated with the assets moved to a new company structure . The club was accepted as an associate member of the Scottish Football League and placed in the fourth tier of Scottish football league system in time for the start of the following season .
Scotland ( Scots : Scotland , Scottish Gaelic : Alba [ ˈal̪ˠapə ] ( listen ) ) is a country that is part of the United Kingdom . It covers the northern third of the island of Great Britain , with a border with England to the southeast , and is surrounded by the Atlantic Ocean to the north and west , the North Sea to the northeast , the Irish Sea to the south , and more than 790 islands , including the Northern Isles and the Hebrides . The Kingdom of Scotland emerged as an independent sovereign state in the European Early Middle Ages and continued to exist until 1707 . By inheritance in 1603 , James VI , King of Scots , became king of England and Ireland , thus forming a personal union of the three kingdoms . Scotland subsequently entered into a political union with England on 1 May 1707 to create the new Kingdom of Great Britain . The union also created a new Parliament of Great Britain , which succeeded both the Parliament of Scotland and the Parliament of England . In 1801 , Great Britain entered into a political union with Ireland to create the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland ( in 1922 , the Irish Free State seceded from the United Kingdom , leading to the latter being renamed the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland in 1927 ) . Within Scotland , the monarchy of the United Kingdom has continued to use a variety of styles , titles and other royal symbols of statehood specific to the pre-union Kingdom of Scotland . The legal system within Scotland has also remained separate from those of England and Wales and Northern Ireland ; Scotland constitutes a distinct jurisdiction in both public and private law . The continued existence of legal , educational , religious and other institutions distinct from those in the remainder of the UK have all contributed to the continuation of Scottish culture and national identity since the 1707 union with England . In 1997 , a Scottish Parliament was re-established , in the form of a devolved unicameral legislature comprising 129 members , having authority over many areas of domestic policy . The head of the Scottish Government is the first minister of Scotland , who is supported by the deputy first minister of Scotland .
The 1929-30 season was the 56th season of competitive football by Rangers .
The 1933-34 season was the 60th season of competitive football by Rangers .
The 1948-49 season was the 69th season of competitive football by Rangers .
The 1963-64 season is the 84th season of competitive football by Rangers .
The 1975-76 season was the 96th season of competitive football by Rangers .
The 1977-78 season was the 98th season of competitive football by Rangers .
The 1992-93 season was the 113th season of competitive football by Rangers .
The 1998-99 season was the 119th season of competitive football by Rangers .
The 2002-03 season was the 123rd season of competitive football by Rangers .
The Scottish football champions are the winners of the highest league in Scottish football , namely the Scottish Football League ( SFL ) from 1890 until 1998 , the Scottish Premier League ( SPL ) from 1998 until 2013 and the Scottish Premiership thereafter . The SFL was established in 1890 , initially as an amateur league until professionalism in Scottish football was legalised in 1893 . At the end of the first season Dumbarton and Rangers finished level on points at the top of the table . The rules in force at the time required that the teams contest a play-off match for the championship , which finished in a 2-2 draw , and the first ever championship was thus shared between two clubs , the only occasion on which this has happened . In 1893 a Second Division was formed , with the existing single division renamed the First Division . The league continued during the First World War but was suspended during the Second World War . Although there were several short spells when a third division was created , the two-division structure remained largely in place until 1975 , when a major re-organisation of the league led to a new three-tier set-up and the creation of a new Premier Division at the highest level . In 1998 , the teams then in the Premier Division broke away to form the SPL , which supplanted the Premier Division as the highest level of football in Scotland . The SPL and SFL merged in 2013 to form the Scottish Professional Football League ( SPFL ) , which branded its top division as the Scottish Premiership . Throughout its existence the championship of Scottish football has been dominated by two Glasgow clubs , Celtic and Rangers . The two rivals , who are collectively known as the Old Firm , have claimed the majority of league titles . As of 2019 , Rangers have won 54 and Celtic 50 , while no other club has won the title on more than four occasions .
The Scottish Football Association Challenge Cup , commonly known as the Scottish Cup ( Scots : Scots Cup ; Scottish Gaelic : Cupa na h-Alba ) , is an annual association football knock-out cup competition for men 's football clubs in Scotland . The competition was first held in 1873-74 . Entry is open to all 98 clubs with full membership of the Scottish Football Association ( SFA ) , along with up to eight other clubs who are associate members . The competition is called the William Hill Scottish Cup for sponsorship reasons . Although it is the second oldest competition in association football history , after the FA Cup , the Scottish Cup trophy is the oldest in association football and is also the oldest national trophy in the world . It was first presented to Queen 's Park , who won the final match of the inaugural tournament in March 1874 . The current holders are Celtic , who won the tournament for a 39th time by defeating Hearts 2-1 in the 2019 final .
The Glasgow Cup is a football tournament open to teams from Glasgow , Scotland . Operated by the Glasgow Football Association , it was competed for annually by senior Glasgow clubs from 1887 until 1989 . It is now ( since the 2019-20 amended rules ) competed for between the senior teams of Clyde , Partick Thistle and Queen 's Park and the youth teams of Celtic and Rangers , and has used both knockout and round robin formats to determine the finalists . The cup was dominated by the city 's Old Firm rivals , Rangers and Celtic , who won the competition 44 times and 29 times respectively ( including one shared win ) while it was a senior competition . Only five times did the final not feature either Rangers or Celtic ( 1889 , 1915 , 1946 , 1947 and 1989 ) . The advent of European football led to the Glasgow Cup becoming less valued , and the tournament did not take place at all or was not finished several times in its later years . Since it was reinstated for youth teams , Rangers have won a further 13 editions , ahead of Celtic with 11 ( following the 2019 final ) . The Glasgow Cup should not be confused with the Scottish Youth Cup , which is open to youth sections of clubs across Scotland since but has featured a Celtic v Rangers final nine times since its inception in 1983 , often played within a few weeks of the Glasgow Cup final .
The Scottish League Cup , currently known as the Betfred Cup for sponsorship reasons , is a football competition open to all Scottish Professional Football League ( SPFL ) clubs . The competition had a straight knockout format but became a group and knockout competition from 2016-17 . Rangers are the record holders of the cup , winning 27 times . Celtic are the current holders , after beating Rangers 1-0 at Hampden Park on 8 December 2019 . Currently , the domestic television rights are held by BT Sport who replaced BBC Scotland from the 2016-17 season .
The Celtic Football Club ( /ˈsɛltɪk/ SEL-tik ) is a Scottish professional football club based in Glasgow , which plays in the Scottish Premiership . The club was founded in 1887 [ nb 1 ] with the purpose of alleviating poverty in the immigrant Irish population in the East End of Glasgow . They played their first match in May 1888 , a friendly match against Rangers which Celtic won 5-2 . Celtic established themselves within Scottish football , winning six successive league titles during the first decade of the 20th century . The club enjoyed their greatest successes during the 1960s and 70s under Jock Stein when they won nine consecutive league titles and the 1967 European Cup . Celtic have played in green and white for the entirety of its history , adopting hoops in 1903 , those being used ever since . Celtic are one of only five clubs in the world ( which also includes their rivals Rangers ) to have won over 100 trophies in their history . The club has won the Scottish league championship 50 times , most recently in 2018-19 , the Scottish Cup 39 times and the Scottish League Cup 19 times . The club 's greatest season was 1966-67 , when Celtic became the first British team to win the European Cup , also winning the Scottish league championship , the Scottish Cup , the League Cup and the Glasgow Cup . Celtic also reached the 1970 European Cup Final and the 2003 UEFA Cup Final , losing in both . Celtic have a long-standing fierce rivalry with Rangers , and the clubs are known as the Old Firm , seen by some as the world 's biggest football derby . The club 's fanbase was estimated in 2003 as being around nine million worldwide , and there are more than 160 Celtic supporters clubs in over 20 countries .
During the 1906-07 Scottish football season , Celtic competed in the Scottish First Division .
During the 1907-08 Scottish football season , Celtic competed in the Scottish First Division .
Celtic competed in five tournaments in the 1966-67 season . They won all five competitions and completed the only ever European Quintuple . Over the course of the season , Celtic scored a world record 196 goals in the major competitions they took part in . The team from this season are commonly known as the Lisbon Lions , because the European Cup final was held in Lisbon .
During the 1968-69 Scottish football season , Celtic competed in the Scottish First Division .
Celtic played the 2000-01 season in the Scottish Premier League . Martin O'Neill became manager and Celtic won a domestic treble of the three major Scottish trophies : the Scottish League Cup , the Scottish Premier League trophy and the Scottish FA Challenge Cup .
The 2016-17 season was the 128th season of competitive football by Celtic . They competed in the Scottish Premiership , Champions League , League Cup and Scottish Cup . They won all three domestic tournaments , completing a domestic treble ( the 11th in Scottish football ) , while going undefeated in 47 domestic games and were nicknamed the Invincibles .
The 2017-18 season was the 129th season of competitive football by Celtic . They competed in the Scottish Premiership , League Cup , Scottish Cup , Champions League and Europa League . Celtic won all three domestic tournaments , completing a double treble .
The 2018-19 season was Celtic 's 130th season of competitive football . They competed in the Scottish Premiership , League Cup , Scottish Cup , Champions League and Europa League . Celtic won all three domestic tournaments , completing an unprecedented treble treble .
Linfield Football Club is a semi-professional football club based in Belfast , Northern Ireland , which plays in the NIFL Premiership - the highest level of the Northern Ireland Football League . The club was founded in 1886 as Linfield Athletic Club and in 1905 moved into their current home of Windsor Park , which is also the home of the Northern Ireland national team . The club 's badge displays Windsor Castle , in reference to the ground 's namesake . Historically , Linfield 's main rival has been Glentoran with whom they contest the Big Two derby . This rivalry traditionally includes a league derby played on Boxing Day each year , which usually attracts the largest league attendance of the season . Linfield 's average league home attendance is approximately 2,500 , the highest in the division and more than double the league 's overall average of about 1,000 . The club , nick-named the Blues , are managed by former Northern Ireland international and current all-time NI record goalscorer , David Healy . Healy was appointed on 14 October 2015 to succeed Warren Feeney , who had resigned in order to become assistant manager of Newport County . Linfield holds several domestic records and even a world record . The club was inaugural winners and one of the eight founding members of the Irish League in 1890 , and is one of only three clubs ( along with Glentoran and Cliftonville ) to have remained in the top division continuously , having never suffered relegation . Linfield has won 53 league championships to date - more than twice as many titles as any other Northern Irish club , and the second-highest total of top division league titles won by any club in the world ( one behind the current record holders , Rangers , with 54 Scottish titles ) . In 1922 , Linfield completed a clean sweep of all seven available trophies in a single season , and in 2006 won all four domestic trophies available in the modern era , in a single season , to achieve a domestic quadruple .
Northern Ireland ( Irish : Tuaisceart Éireann [ ˈt̪ˠuəʃcəɾˠt̪ˠ ˈeːɾʲən̪ˠ ] ( listen ) ; Ulster-Scots : Norlin Airlann ) is variously described as a country , province or region which is part of the United Kingdom . Located in the northeast of the island of Ireland , Northern Ireland shares a border to the south and west with the Republic of Ireland . In 2011 , its population was 1,810,863 , constituting about 30% of the island 's total population and about 3% of the UK 's population . Established by the Northern Ireland Act 1998 as part of the Good Friday Agreement , the Northern Ireland Assembly ( colloquially referred to as Stormont after its location ) holds responsibility for a range of devolved policy matters , while other areas are reserved for the British government . Northern Ireland co-operates with the Republic of Ireland in several areas , and the Agreement granted the Republic the ability to put forward views and proposals with determined efforts to resolve disagreements between the two governments . On 11 January 2020 , legislators in Northern Ireland formed a government for the first time since the Executive of the 5th Northern Ireland Assembly collapsed in January 2017 , following the Renewable Heat Incentive scandal . Northern Ireland was created in 1921 , when Ireland was partitioned between Northern Ireland and Southern Ireland by the Government of Ireland Act 1920 . Unlike Southern Ireland , which would become the Irish Free State in 1922 , the majority of Northern Ireland 's population were unionists , who wanted to remain within the United Kingdom . Most of these were the Protestant descendants of colonists from Great Britain . However , a significant minority , mostly Catholics , were nationalists who wanted a united Ireland independent of British rule . Today , the former generally see themselves as British and the latter generally see themselves as Irish , while a distinct Northern Irish or Ulster identity is claimed both by a large minority of Catholics and Protestants and by many of those who are non-aligned . For most of the 20th century , when it came into existence , Northern Ireland was marked by discrimination and hostility between these two sides in what First Minister of Northern Ireland , David Trimble , called a cold house for Catholics .
The NIFL Premiership , known as the Irish Premiership or Danske Bank Premiership for sponsorship purposes , and colloquially as the Irish League , is a professional association football league which operates as the highest division of the Northern Ireland Football League - the national league in Northern Ireland . It was formerly called the IFA Premiership until 2013 . Still known in popular parlance simply as the Irish League or the Irish Premiership , the Premiership was established in 2008 under the auspices of the Irish Football Association before the Northern Ireland Football League was created for the start of the 2013-14 season . At the end of the season , the champion club is presented with the Gibson Cup . Linfield are the current champions , lifting the league title for a record 53rd time . The title win was confirmed on 13 April 2019 , following a 0-0 draw at home against the outgoing champions , Crusaders , which left them 12 points clear with three games remaining .
The Irish Football Association Challenge Cup ( also known as the Sadler 's Peaky Blinder Irish Cup for sponsorship purposes ) is the primary football knock-out cup competition in Northern Ireland . Inaugurated in 1881 , it is the fourth-oldest national cup competition in the world . Prior to the break-away from the Irish Football Association by clubs from what would become the Irish Free State in 1921 , the Irish Cup was the national cup competition for the whole of Ireland . Since December 2019 , the cup has been sponsored by Sadler 's Peaky Blinder Lager . It was previously sponsored by Nationwide Building Society , Bass Ireland Ltd , JJB Sports and Tennent 's Lager . 126 clubs entered the 2018-19 competition . Crusaders are the current holders , having defeated second-tier side Ballinamallard United 3-0 in the 2019 final to lift the Cup for the fourth time overall , and the first time in the 10 years since winning the 2009 final .
The County Antrim & District Football Association Senior Shield ( more commonly known as the County Antrim Shield ) is a football competition in Northern Ireland . The competition is open to senior teams who are members of the North East Ulster Football Association ( also known as the County Antrim & District Football Association ) ( membership of which extends beyond County Antrim itself ) , often plus intermediate teams who qualify via the Steel & Sons Cup , depending on the numbers required . For the 2010-11 and 2011-12 seasons , only the winners took part . The current Shield champions are Cliftonville , who beat Ballymena United 2-1 in the 2019-20 final . During the later 1980s and early 1990s , the North East Ulster F.A . invited senior clubs from outside its jurisdiction to participate . Hence the Shield has been won by Newry Town ( later Newry City ) and Glenavon , neither of which are members of the North East Ulster F.A . The Shield has been regularly sponsored since the late 1980s . The 2014-15 competition was sponsored by Toals Bookmakers .
The Northern Ireland Football League Cup ( BetMcLean League Cup for sponsorship purposes ) , also known as the Irish League Cup , is a national football knock-out cup competition in Northern Ireland open to the 36 Northern Ireland Football League clubs . It is the third-most prestigious competition in domestic Northern Irish football after the NIFL Premiership and Irish Cup . It should not be confused with the Irish League Floodlit Cup which ran from 1987-88 to 1997-98 initially under the sponsorship of Budweiser and latterly Coca-Cola . Unlike the Irish Cup , the competition does not have a berth for UEFA Europa League qualification . The cup is operated by the Northern Ireland Football League , who in 2013 took over the administration from the Irish Football Association ( IFA ) for the 2013-14 season onwards , after which the cup was renamed as the Northern Ireland Football League ( NIFL ) Cup . Since the 2017-18 season , the Cup has been sponsored by McLean Bookmakers . The competition 's previous sponsors are JBE ( 2015-16 ) , WASP Solutions ( 2013-14 and 2014-15 ) , Irn Bru ( 2011-12 and 2012-13 ) , Co-operative Insurance ( 2001-02 to 2010-11 ) , Coca-Cola ( 1998-99 to 2000-01 ) , Wilkinson Sword ( 1991-92 to 1997-98 ) , and Roadferry Freight ( 1986-87 to 1990-91 ) . Coleraine are the current holders , after they defeated Crusaders 2-1 in the 2020 final to win the competition for a second time , the first time they had won the trophy since 1987 .
Glasgow City Football Club is a women 's football team based in Glasgow that plays in SWPL 1 , the top division of women 's football in Scotland and also the higher of two levels of the Scottish Women 's Premier League . The club has competed in the UEFA Women 's Cup and UEFA Women 's Champions League . They also have a reserve team and youth teams . Glasgow City has won the most Premier League titles and the most Scottish Cups in Scotland since 2000 . In 2016 , Glasgow City won their tenth Scottish Women 's Premier League title in a row , a Scottish record surpassing the previous record of nine achieved by the men 's teams of Celtic and Rangers . However they lost their monopoly on the domestic trophies with Hibernian L.F.C . winning the SWPL Cup and Scottish Cup .
The Scottish Women 's Premier League ( SWPL ) is the highest level of league competition in women 's football in Scotland . The league consists of two divisions , SWPL 1 and SWPL 2 , each with eight teams and is owned and managed by Scottish Women 's Football . The league was formed in 2002 when the Premier Division of the Scottish Women 's Football League ( SWFL ) broke away to form the SWPL . Initially operating as a single division of twelve teams , the current format was introduced in 2015 with the creation of SWPL 2 . The champions and runners-up of SWPL 1 qualify directly for the Round of 32 of the UEFA Women 's Champions League . Since 2009 the league has operated a summer season , running from March to November each year .
The Scottish Women 's Football Scottish Cup , commonly known as the Scottish Women 's Cup and currently as the SSE Scottish Women 's Cup for sponsorship reasons , is the national knockout cup competition for women 's football in Scotland . The competition is owned and managed by Scottish Women 's Football ( SWF ) , an affiliated body of the Scottish Football Association ( SFA ) , and is open to all senior teams affiliated with the SWF . The competition was first held in 1971 . Glasgow City is its most successful teams , having won it nine times .
The Scottish Women 's Premier League Cup is a cup competition in Scottish women 's football , a competition only open to teams in the Scottish Women 's Premier League . There are four rounds , including the final . The competition was launched in 2002 along with the Scottish Women 's Premier League . Since 2009 , women 's football in Scotland has adopted a summer season which now runs from March to November each year , which is why the competition is now played in a single calendar year .
Shamrock Rovers Football Club ( Irish : Cumann Peile Ruagairí na Seamróige ) is an Irish association football club based in Tallaght , South Dublin . The club 's senior team competes in the League of Ireland Premier Division and it is the most successful club in the Republic of Ireland . The club has won the League of Ireland title a record 17 times and the FAI Cup a record 25 times . Shamrock Rovers have supplied more players to the Republic of Ireland national football team ( 62 ) than any other club . In All-Ireland competitions , such as the Intercity Cup , they hold the record for winning the most titles , having won seven cups overall . Shamrock Rovers were founded in Ringsend , Dublin . The official date of the club 's foundation is 1899 . They won the League title at the first attempt in the 1922-23 season and established themselves as Republic of Ireland most successful club by 1949 , winning 44 major trophies . During the 1950s , the club won three League titles and two FAI Cups and became the first Irish team to compete in European competition , playing in the European Cup in 1957 . They followed this by winning a record six FAI Cups in succession in the 1960s , when they were also one of the European club teams that spent the summer of 1967 in the United States , founding the United Soccer Association . They won the first of four League titles in a row in 1983-84 , after a long decline . The club played at Glenmalure Park from 1926 to 1987 , when the owners controversially sold the stadium to property developers .
Ireland ( Irish : Éire [ ˈeːɾʲə ] ( listen ) ) , also known as the Republic of Ireland ( Poblacht na hÉireann ) , is a country in north-western Europe occupying 26 of 32 counties of the island of Ireland . The capital and largest city is Dublin , which is located on the eastern side of the island . Around a third of the country 's population of 4.9 million people resides in the greater Dublin area . The sovereign state shares its only land border with Northern Ireland , a part of the United Kingdom . It is otherwise surrounded by the Atlantic Ocean , with the Celtic Sea to the south , St George 's Channel to the south-east , and the Irish Sea to the east . It is a unitary , parliamentary republic . The legislature , the Oireachtas , consists of a lower house , Dáil Éireann , an upper house , Seanad Éireann , and an elected President ( Uachtarán ) who serves as the largely ceremonial head of state , but with some important powers and duties . The head of government is the Taoiseach ( Prime Minister , literally 'Chief ' , a title not used in English ) , who is elected by the Dáil and appointed by the President ; the Taoiseach in turn appoints other government ministers . The state was created as the Irish Free State in 1922 as a result of the Anglo-Irish Treaty . It had the status of Dominion until 1937 when a new constitution was adopted , in which the state was named Ireland and effectively became a republic , with an elected non-executive president as head of state . It was officially declared a republic in 1949 , following the Republic of Ireland Act 1948 . Ireland became a member of the United Nations in December 1955 .
The League of Ireland ( Irish : Sraith na hÉireann ) , together with the Football Association of Ireland , is one of the two main governing bodies responsible for organising association football in the Republic of Ireland . The term was originally used to refer to a single division league . However today the League of Ireland features five divisions - the Premier Division , the First Division , an U19 Division , an U17 Division , an U15 Division and starting March 2019 an U13 Division . The League of Ireland has always worked closely with the FAI and in 2006 the two bodies formally merged . All the divisions are currently sponsored by Airtricity and as a result the league is also known as the SSE Airtricity League . In 2007 , it became one of the first leagues in Europe to introduce a salary cap . The league 's most successful club is Shamrock Rovers who have won 17 titles . Together with Dundalk , Bohemians and Shelbourne they are one of four clubs in the league to feature a golden star above their badge in recognition of winning ten titles . Bohemians are the only club in the league to have played every season in the top division .
The Football Association of Ireland Senior Challenge Cup ( FAI Cup ) , known as the Extra.ie FAI Cup for sponsorship reasons , is a knock-out association football competition contested annually by teams from the Republic of Ireland ( as well as Derry City from Northern Ireland ) . Organised by the FAI ( Football Association of Ireland ) , the competition is currently sponsored by Extra.ie . It was known as the Free State Cup from 1923 to 1936 . Shamrock Rovers hold the record of most wins with 25 . As of November 2019 , the current holders are Shamrock Rovers
The League of Ireland Shield ( Irish : Sciath Sraithe na hÉireann ) is a defunct Irish football tournament which was introduced when the League of Ireland started in 1921 and ran uninterrupted until 1972 . It was played before the league season began and was seen as the 3rd most important trophy in Irish football , after the league and FAI Cup . The winners of the Shield gained entry to the following seasons Inter-Cities Fairs Cup until 1971-1972 . It was played in a variety of formats ; from complete round robin series to group stages followed by knock out games to complete knock out tournaments . It was replaced by the League of Ireland Cup in 1973 . The LOI Shield should not be confused with the League of Ireland First Division Shield , a competition that ran in the 1980s and 1990s and , as the name suggests , was confined to First Division clubs .
Buriram United Football Club ( Thai : สโมสรฟุตบอลบุรีรัมย์ ยูไนเต็ด ) is a professional football club based in Buriram , Thailand . The club has played at the top level of Thai football for the majority of their existence and is competing in the Thai League 1 . The club was founded in 1970 as PEA FC ( Provincial Electricity Authority Football Club ) before reformed in to Buriram PEA then Buriram United in 2010 and 2012 respectively . Their home stadium is Chang Arena which has a capacity of 32,600 . Buriram United won their first Thai League 1 title in 2008 and the Kor Royal Cup in 1998 , as PEA FC . The club was previously based in Ayutthaya before moving east to Buriram for the 2010 season . In the 2011 season , Buriram PEA were the first team in Thai football history to win all the domestic trophies , as the triple champions of the ( 2011 Thai Premier League , 2011 Thai FA Cup , and 2011 Thai League Cup ) .
Thailand , [ a ] officially the Kingdom of Thailand and formerly known as Siam , [ b ] is a country at the centre of the Southeast Asian Indochinese Peninsula composed of 76 provinces . At 513,120 km2 ( 198,120 sq mi ) and over 68 million people , Thailand is the world 's 50th-largest country by total area and the 21st-most-populous country . The capital and largest city is Bangkok , a special administrative area . Thailand is bordered to the north by Myanmar and Laos , to the east by Laos and Cambodia , to the south by the Gulf of Thailand and Malaysia , and to the west by the Andaman Sea and the southern extremity of Myanmar . Its maritime boundaries include Vietnam in the Gulf of Thailand to the southeast , and Indonesia and India on the Andaman Sea to the southwest . It is a unitary state . Although nominally the country is a constitutional monarchy and parliamentary democracy , the most recent coup , in 2014 , established a de facto military dictatorship under a junta . Tai peoples migrated from southwestern China to mainland Southeast Asia from the 11th century ; the oldest known mention of their presence in the region by the exonym Siamese dates to the 12th century . Various Indianised kingdoms such as the Mon kingdoms , Khmer Empire and Malay states ruled the region , competing with Thai states such as the Kingdoms of Ngoenyang , Sukhothai , Lan Na and Ayutthaya , which rivaled each other . Documented European contact began in 1511 with a Portuguese diplomatic mission to Ayutthaya , now one of the great powers in the region . Ayutthaya reached its peak during cosmopolitan Narai 's reign ( 1656-1688 ) , gradually declining thereafter until being ultimately destroyed in the 1767 Burmese-Siamese War . Taksin ( r. 1767-1782 ) quickly reunified the fragmented territory and established the short-lived Thonburi Kingdom .
The 2015 season is Buriram United 's fourth season in the Thai Premier League . The club enters the season as the TPL Champion , and will participate in the Thai Premier League , FA Cup , League Cup , Kor Royal Cup and the AFC Champions League . The season covers the period from 20 December 2014 to 26 December 2015 . This is Buriram United 's name changing .
The Thai League 1 ( Thai : ไทยลีก 1 ) , commonly known as the T1 , is a Thai professional league for Football Association of Thailand clubs . At the top of the Thai football league system , it is the country 's premier football competition . Contested by 16 clubs , it operates on a system of promotion and relegation with Thai League 2 . The Thai League is a corporation in which the 16 member clubs act as shareholders . Seasons run from February to October , with teams playing 30 games each with a total of 240 games in the season . It is sponsored by Toyota and therefore officially known as the Toyota Thai League . In the Thai League , most of the games are played during Saturdays and Sundays , with a few games played on Wednesdays and Fridays .
The Thai FA Cup ( Thai : ไทยเอฟเอคัพ ) , known officially as The Football Association of Thailand Cup , is a football cup competition in Thailand . Thai FA Cup is an annual knockout association football competition in men 's domestic football . It was held between 1980 and 2001 and relaunched in 2009 . Bangkok Bank won the first two editions . In 2009 it was announced that the Thai FA Cup would return to the Thai football calendar . All the teams from the Thai League 1 and Division 1 League were automatically entered and teams from the Division 2 League as well as university and schools teams could apply to enter . The qualifying round took place from 27-30 June . The first round proper will see sixteen qualifiers progress to the second round where they will each meet a Division 1 side . The sixteen TPL teams enter at the third round stage . The final will be played at National Stadium with the winning team receiving 1,000,000 Thai baht . The runners-up will receive 500,000 Thai baht .
The League Cup ( Thai : ไทยลีกคัพ ) is a football cup competition in Thailand . It is also known as Toyota League Cup for sponsorship reasons . It was re-formed during the 2010 domestic football league season in Thailand and runs along the same lines as the Thai FA Cup except that the earlier rounds would be regional rather than an open draw .
Paris Saint-Germain Football Club ( French pronunciation : ​ [ paʁi sɛ̃ ʒɛʁmɛ̃ ] ) , commonly referred to as Paris Saint-Germain , Paris SG , or simply Paris or PSG , is a French professional football club based in Paris . Founded in 1970 , the club has traditionally worn red and blue kits . PSG has played their home matches in the 47,929-capacity Parc des Princes , in the 16th arrondissement of Paris , since 1974 . The club plays in the highest tier of French football , Ligue 1 . The Parisian club established itself as a major force in France , and one of the major forces of European football in the 2010s . PSG have won a total of 40 titles , 39 of them top-flight trophies , making it the most successful French club in history by this measure . Paris SG is also the only club to have never been relegated from Ligue 1 , the club with most consecutive seasons in the top-flight ( they have played 45 seasons in Ligue 1 since 1974 ) , one of only two French clubs to have won a major European title , the most popular football club in France , and one of the most widely supported teams in the world . Domestically , the Parisians have won eight Ligue 1 titles , a record twelve Coupe de France , a record eight Coupe de la Ligue , and a record nine Trophée des Champions titles . In European football , they have won one UEFA Cup Winners ' Cup and one UEFA Intertoto Cup . The capital club has also won one Ligue 2 , regarded as a minor official title . PSG have a long-standing rivalry with Olympique de Marseille . The duo contest French football 's most notorious match , known as Le Classique .
France ( French : [ fʁɑ̃s ] ( listen ) ) , officially the French Republic ( French : République française , pronounced [ ʁepyblik fʁɑ̃sɛːz ] ( listen ) ) , is a country whose territory consists of metropolitan France in Western Europe and several overseas regions and territories . [ XIII ] The metropolitan area of France extends from the Mediterranean Sea to the English Channel and the North Sea , and from the Rhine to the Atlantic Ocean . It is bordered by Belgium , Luxembourg and Germany to the northeast , Switzerland and Italy to the east , and Andorra and Spain to the south . The overseas territories include French Guiana in South America and several islands in the Atlantic , Pacific and Indian oceans . The country 's 18 integral regions ( five of which are situated overseas ) span a combined area of 643,801 square kilometres ( 248,573 sq mi ) and a total population of 67.02 million ( as of July 2019 [ update ] ) . France is a unitary semi-presidential republic with its capital in Paris , the country 's largest city and main cultural and commercial centre . Other major urban areas include Lyon , Marseille , Toulouse , Bordeaux , Lille and Nice . France , including its overseas territories , has the most number of time zones of any country , with a total of 12 . During the Iron Age , what is now metropolitan France was inhabited by the Gauls , a Celtic people . Rome annexed the area in 51 BC , holding it until the arrival of Germanic Franks in 476 , who formed the Kingdom of Francia . The Treaty of Verdun of 843 partitioned Francia into East Francia , Middle Francia and West Francia . West Francia , which became the Kingdom of France in 987 , emerged as a major European power in the Late Middle Ages , following its victory in the Hundred Years ' War ( 1337-1453 ) .
The 2014-15 season was Paris Saint-Germain Football Club 's 45th in existence and their 42nd in the top-flight of French football . The team competed in Ligue 1 , the Coupe de France , the Coupe de la Ligue , the Trophée des Champions and the UEFA Champions League .
The 2015-16 season was Paris Saint-Germain Football Club 's 43rd professional season since its creation in 1970 , and its 42nd consecutive season in the top-flight of French football .
The 2017-18 season was Paris Saint-Germain Football Club 's 45th professional season since its creation in 1970 , and its 44th consecutive season in the top-flight of French football . They broke the world transfer record by acquiring Neymar for a world record fee of €222 million .
Ligue 1 , [ a ] also called Ligue 1 Conforama for sponsorship reasons , is a French professional league for men 's association football clubs . At the top of the French football league system , it is the country 's primary football competition . Administrated by the Ligue de Football Professionnel , Ligue 1 is contested by 20 clubs and operates on a system of promotion and relegation with Ligue 2 . Seasons run from August to May . Clubs play two matches against each of the other teams in the league - once home and once away - totalling to 38 matches over the course of the season . Most games are played on Saturdays and Sundays , with a few games played during weekday evenings . Play is regularly suspended the last weekend before Christmas for two weeks before returning in the second week of January . Ligue 1 is one of the top national leagues , currently ranked fifth in Europe behind Spain 's La Liga , England 's Premier League , Germany 's Bundesliga and Italy 's Serie A. Ligue 1 was inaugurated on 11 September 1932 under the name National before switching to Division 1 after a year of existence . The name lasted until 2002 before switching to its current name . AS Saint-Étienne is the most successful club with ten league titles in France while Olympique Lyonnais is the club that has won the most consecutive titles ( seven between 2002 and 2008 ) . With the presence of 69 seasons in Ligue 1 , Olympique de Marseille hold the record for most seasons among the elite , while Paris Saint-Germain hold the league record for longevity with 45 consecutive seasons ( from 1974 until at least 2019 ) . The current champions are Paris Saint-Germain , who won their eighth title in the 2018-19 season .
The Coupe de France , also known as the Coupe Charles Simon , is the premier knockout cup competition in French football organized by the French Football Federation ( FFF ) . It was first held in 1917 and is open to all amateur and professional football clubs in France , including clubs based in the overseas departments and territories . Between 1917 and 1919 , the competition was called the Coupe Charles Simon , in tribute of Charles Simon , a French sportsman and the founder of the French Interfederal Committee ( the ancestor of the French Football Federation ) , who died in 1915 while serving in World War I . The final is played at the Stade de France and the winner qualifies for the group stage of the UEFA Europa League and a place in the Trophée des Champions match . A concurrent women 's tournament is also held , the Coupe de France Féminine . Combined with random draws and one-off matches ( no replays ) , the Coupe de France can be difficult for the bigger clubs to win . The competition is usually beneficial to the amateur clubs as it forces higher-ranked clubs , usually professional clubs , to play as the away team when drawn against lower-league opposition if they are competing two levels below them . Despite the advantages , only two amateur clubs have reached the final since professionalism was introduced in French football in 1932 : Calais RUFC in 2000 and Les Herbiers VF in 2018 . Two clubs from outside Ligue 1 have won the competition , Le Havre in 1959 and Guingamp in 2009 . The reigning champions are Rennes , who defeated Paris Saint-Germain in the final of the 2018-19 competition .
The Coupe de la Ligue ( French pronunciation : ​ [ kup də la liɡ ] ) , known outside France as the French League Cup , is a knockout cup competition in French football organized by the Ligue de Football Professionnel . The tournament was established in 1993 and , unlike the Coupe de France , is only open to professional clubs in France which play in country 's top three football divisions , though only four professional clubs currently play in the Championnat National . [ citation needed ] Strasbourg are the current champions , having defeated Guingamp 4-1 on penalties following a 0-0 draw for a fourth title in the 2018-19 competition . The 2019-20 edition of the tournament will be its last , after the LFP voted to suspend the competition indefinitely to reduce the season schedule .
Valletta Football Club is a professional football club based in Valletta , the capital city of Malta , and competes in the Maltese Premier League , the top flight of Maltese football . The club was founded in 1943 after a merge of Valletta Prestons , Valletta St. Paul 's and Valletta United , the latter being a two-time league winner before the Second World War . Considered as one of the most supported and successful clubs in Maltese football , the club has won 25 league titles , 14 FA Trophies and a record 13 Super Cups .
The origin of the name Malta is uncertain , and the modern-day variation is derived from the Maltese language . The most common etymology is that the word Malta is derived from the Greek word μέλι , meli , honey . The ancient Greeks called the island Μελίτη ( Melitē ) meaning honey-sweet , possibly for Malta 's unique production of honey ; an endemic subspecies of bees live on the island . The Romans called the island Melita , which can be considered either a latinisation of the Greek Μελίτη or the adaptation of the Doric Greek pronunciation of the same word Μελίτα . In 1525 William Tyndale used the transliteration Melite in Acts 28:1 for Καὶ διασωθέντες τότε ἐπέγνωμεν ὅτι Μελίτη ἡ νῆσος καλεῖται as found in his translation of The New Testament that relied on Greek texts instead of Latin . Melita is the spelling used in the Authorized ( King James ) Version of 1611 and in the American Standard Version of 1901 . Malta is widely used in more recent versions , such as The Revised Standard Version of 1946 and The New International Version of 1973 . Another conjecture suggests that the word Malta comes from the Phoenician word Maleth , a haven , or 'port ' in reference to Malta 's many bays and coves . Few other etymological mentions appear in classical literature , with the term Malta appearing in its present form in the Antonine Itinerary ( Itin . Marit . p. 518 ; Sil . Ital .
The Maltese Premier League , known as BOV Premier League for sponsorship reasons with Bank of Valletta ( colloquially known as Il-Kampjonat Premjer ) , is a full-time professional league and the highest level of football in Malta . Managed by the Malta Football Association , the Premier League is contested by 14 teams and operates on a promotion and relegation system with the First Division . As of August 2018 , the Premier League ranks 45th out of 55 members in the UEFA coefficient . The league was first competed in 1909 as the First Division , before switching to its current name in 1980 ; the First Division in turn replaced the Second Division . Sliema Wanderers have won the title a record 26 times . The current champions are Valletta who won their 25th title in the 2018-19 season .
The FA Trophy is an annual football cup competition that takes place in Malta . The cup was founded in 1933 ; following a match between England and Italy , played in Rome in May 1933 , to where a number of pro-British Maltese supporters travelled to support the English side , The Football Association as recognition donated a silver trophy to be played on the model of the FA Cup . The team who wins the cup , wins a place in the second qualifying round of the UEFA Europa League . This competition is now played on a knock-out basis between all the senior clubs in the Maltese and Gozitan football pyramids . The cup winners play a match for the Maltese Super Cup against the league champions of the season .
Kedah Football Association ( Malay : Persatuan Bola Sepak Kedah ) is a football association that supervises football in the state of Kedah , Malaysia . They are the only team in the history of Malaysian football to have achieved treble titles twice , in 2006-07 and 2007-08 seasons . Kedah FA is a professional football team from Malaysia that is based in Alor Setar . It represents the state of Kedah , under the supervision of Kedah Football Association . Kedah FA currently plays in the Malaysia Super League .
Malaysia ( /məˈleɪziə , -ʒə/ ( listen ) mə-LAY-zee-ə , -⁠zhə ; Malay : [ məlejsiə ] ) is a country in Southeast Asia . The federal constitutional monarchy consists of 13 states and three federal territories , separated by the South China Sea into two similarly sized regions , Peninsular Malaysia and East Malaysia ( Malaysian Borneo ) . Peninsular Malaysia shares a land and maritime border with Thailand and maritime borders with Singapore , Vietnam , and Indonesia . East Malaysia shares land and maritime borders with Brunei and Indonesia and a maritime border with the Philippines and Vietnam . Kuala Lumpur is the national capital and largest city while Putrajaya is the seat of the federal government . With a population of over 30 million , Malaysia is the world 's 44th most populous country . The southernmost point of continental Eurasia , Tanjung Piai , is in Malaysia . In the tropics , Malaysia is one of 17 megadiverse countries , home to large numbers of endemic species . Malaysia has its origins in the Malay kingdoms which , from the 18th century , became subject to the British Empire , along with the British Straits Settlements protectorate . Peninsular Malaysia was unified as the Malayan Union in 1946 . Malaya was restructured as the Federation of Malaya in 1948 and achieved independence on 31 August 1957 . Malaya united with North Borneo , Sarawak , and Singapore on 16 September 1963 to become Malaysia .
The Malaysia Super League ( Malay : Liga Super Malaysia ) is the men 's top professional football division of the Malaysia football league system . Administered by the Football Malaysia Limited Liability Partnership ( FMLLP ) , now known as the Malaysia Football League ( MFL ) , Malaysia Super League is contested by twelve teams , with the two lowest-placed teams relegated to the Malaysia Premier League division and replaced by the top two teams in that division . 32 clubs have competed since the inception of the Malaysia Super League in 2004 ; eight of them have won the title : Johor Darul Ta'zim ( 6 ) , Kedah , Selangor , Kelantan ( 2 each ) , Pahang , Perlis , Negeri Sembilan , and LionsXII ( 1 each ) . The current champions are Johor Darul Ta'zim , which won the 2019 edition .
The Malaysia Cup ( Malay : Piala Malaysia ) is an annual association football tournament in Malaysia . The cup was first held in 1921 . Even though it is the nation 's oldest cup tournament , it is currently a secondary cup to the Malaysia FA Cup as the Malaysia FA Cup is the cup which is given the nation 's slot for continental cup tournament . The competition was previously managed by Football Association of Malaysia ( FAM ) before it was transferred to Football Malaysia LLP ( now known as Malaysian Football League ( MFL ) ) in the 2016 season . A new format was introduced for 2016 season where only the best eleven teams from Malaysia Super League ( MSL ) and five others from Malaysia Premier League ( MPL ) qualified to play in Malaysia Cup that season where the final position for the qualification was determined after the least game of first round of MSL and MPL . After all 16 teams has been identified , the team will be divided into four groups which then will compete in the tournament for the cup . The Malaysia Cup was played at the end of each year 's football season until the 2016 season where it was changed to be played near the end of the football season in order to promote competitive league within Malaysian football league . The current title holder is Johor Darul Ta'zim , who won the 2019 edition .
The Malaysia FA Cup ( Malay : Piala FA ) , known as Shopee Piala FA for sponsorship reasons , is an annual national knock-out football tournament in Malaysia . The cup was first held in 1990 . The competition was previously managed by Football Association of Malaysia ( FAM ) before it was transferred to Football Malaysia LLP ( MFL ) ( now known as Malaysian Football League ( MFL ) ) in the 2016 season . The cup is contested among the clubs from the Malaysia Super League , Malaysia Premier League , Malaysia M3 League and Malaysia M4 League . The preliminary and first rounds are played between the clubs that qualified from the M3 and M4 League . The winners advance to the second round and join the rest of the clubs . The winners of the competition are awarded with a slot to compete in the AFC Cup alongside the champions of the Malaysia Super League . The current title holders are Kedah , which won their fifth title in the 2019 edition .
The New Saints of Oswestry Town & Llansantffraid Football Club ( Welsh : Clwb Pêl-droed y Seintiau Newydd ) , also known as The New Saints or TNS is a professional football club representing Oswestry in Shropshire , England ; and Llansantffraid-ym-Mechain in Powys , Wales- the two places are 8 miles ( 13 km ) apart . They play in the Cymru Premier , which they have won a record thirteen times - including the past eight seasons . Founded in 1959 as Llansantffraid F.C. , from 1997 to 2006 , the club was known as Total Network Solutions F.C . after its sponsor . In 2003 , it merged with Oswestry Town F.C . and three years later it adopted its current name . TNS play at Park Hall in Oswestry after moving there in 2007 from the Recreation Ground in Llansantffraid . Park Hall accommodates 2,034 spectators of which 1,000 are seated and there are plans to upgrade the ground to 3,000 capacity in the future .
Wales ( Welsh : Cymru [ ˈkəmri ] ( listen ) ) is a country that is part of the United Kingdom . It is bordered by England to the east , the Irish Sea to the north and west , and the Bristol Channel to the south . It had a population in 2011 of 3,063,456 and has a total area of 20,779 km2 ( 8,023 sq mi ) . Wales has over 1,680 miles ( 2,700 km ) of coastline and is largely mountainous with its higher peaks in the north and central areas , including Snowdon ( Yr Wyddfa ) , its highest summit . The country lies within the north temperate zone and has a changeable , maritime climate . Welsh national identity emerged among the Britons after the Roman withdrawal from Britain in the 5th century , and Wales is regarded as one of the modern Celtic nations . Llywelyn ap Gruffudd 's death in 1282 marked the completion of Edward I of England 's conquest of Wales , though Owain Glyndŵr briefly restored independence to Wales in the early 15th century . The whole of Wales was annexed by England and incorporated within the English legal system under the Laws in Wales Acts 1535 and 1542 . Distinctive Welsh politics developed in the 19th century . Welsh Liberalism , exemplified in the early 20th century by Lloyd George , was displaced by the growth of socialism and the Labour Party . Welsh national feeling grew over the century ; Plaid Cymru was formed in 1925 and the Welsh Language Society in 1962 . Established under the Government of Wales Act 1998 , the National Assembly for Wales holds responsibility for a range of devolved policy matters .
The Cymru Premier is the national football league of Wales . It has both professional and semi-professional status clubs and is at the top of the Welsh football league system . Prior to 2002 , the league was known as the League of Wales ( LoW ) , but changed its name as part of a sponsorship deal to the Welsh Premier League . The league has been rebranded as the Cymru Premier for the 2019-20 season .
The Welsh Football Association Cup ( Welsh : Cwpan Cymdeithas Pêl-droed Cymru ) is a knock-out football competition contested annually by teams in the Welsh football league system . It is considered the most prestigious of the cup competitions in domestic Welsh association football . The Football Association of Wales is the organising body of this competition , which has been run ( except during the two World Wars ) every year since its inception in 1877-78 . In the early years of organised football in Wales , football was very much the sport of north Wales rather than the rugby union playing south - the FAW was founded in Ruabon , near Wrexham in 1876 , and Wrexham remained the site of the FAW 's head office until 1986 ; it was not until 1912 that a southern team , Cardiff City , won the Welsh Cup for the first time . The winning team qualifies to play in the following season 's UEFA Europa League ( previously teams qualified for the UEFA Cup Winners ' Cup , which was discontinued in 1999 ) . Currently , the full sponsored name of the competition is the JD Welsh Cup .
The Welsh Premier League Cup ( also known as the Nathaniel MG Cup ) is a cup competition in Welsh football organised by the Welsh Premier League . The competition was established in 1992 and is considered to be the second-most important domestic cup competition for Welsh football clubs , after the older and more prestigious Welsh Cup . Unlike the Welsh Cup , where 135 teams entered in 2008-09 , the competition is only open to the members of the Welsh Premier League , the Cymru North , Cymru South and a very select few other clubs . It should not be confused with the Welsh Football League Cup , which is for the clubs in the Welsh Football League , which despite its name only covers the south and centre of Wales .
Bohemian Football Club ( Irish : Cumann Peile Bóithéamaigh ) , more commonly referred to as Bohemians or Bohs , is a semi-professional football club from Dublin , Ireland . Bohemians compete in the Premier Division of the League of Ireland , and are the oldest League of Ireland club in continuous existence . Bohs are the third most successful club in League of Ireland football history , having won the League of Ireland title 11 times , the FAI Cup 7 times , the League of Ireland Shield 6 times and the League of Ireland Cup 3 times . Prior to the establishment of the Football Association of Ireland and League of Ireland , Bohemians competed in the Irish Football League and Irish Cup , which were at the time all-Ireland competitions . During that period they won the Irish Cup once and finished runners up 5 times . They share the record for most wins in European competition with archrivals Shamrock Rovers and hold the record for Leinster Senior Cup wins with 32 cups claimed . Bohemians were founded on 6 September 1890 in the Phoenix Park Gate Lodge beside the North Circular Road entrance and played its first games in the Park 's Polo Grounds . They were one of the founding members of the League of Ireland in 1921 , after their withdrawal from the Irish Football League . They established themselves as a major force within the first 15 years of the League of Ireland , winning 5 league titles , 2 FAI Cups and 4 Shields , but struggled for decades after that , largely due to their strict amateur status , going 34 seasons without winning a major trophy . Bohemians dropped their amateur ethos in 1969 and proceeded to win 2 League titles , 2 FAI Cups and 2 League cups during the 1970s . They suffered a further decline throughout the 1980s and most of the 1990s before claiming League and Cup doubles in 2001 and 2008 , alongside the 2003 and most recently 2009 title wins . Bohemians play their home matches at Dalymount park in the Northside neighbourhood of Phibsborough .
Fall River Marksmen was an American soccer club , based in Fall River , Massachusetts . They originally played as Fall River United before becoming known as the Marksmen after their owner , Sam Mark . During the 1920s and early 1930s they were one of the most successful soccer clubs in the United States , winning the American Soccer League on six occasions . They also won the National Challenge Cup four times . In 1924 they won the first ASL / Challenge Cup double and were subsequently the American soccer champions three times in succession . Between 1928 and 1930 they won a further three titles in a row . In 1930 they completed a treble , winning the ASL title , the Challenge Cup and the Lewis Cup . The same year they also toured Central Europe . The Marksmen played their home games at Mark 's Stadium , one of the earliest examples of a soccer-specific stadium in the United States . In 1931 the franchise relocated and merged twice . They first moved to New York , where they merged with New York Soccer Club and became the New York Yankees . They actually won their fourth National Challenge Cup after they became the Yankees , but due to complications following the merger it was credited to the Marksmen .
The United States of America ( USA ) , commonly known as the United States ( U.S. or US ) or America , is a country consisting of 50 states , a federal district , five major self-governing territories , and various possessions . [ g ] At 3.8 million square miles ( 9.8 million km2 ) , it is the world 's third or fourth-largest country by total area [ b ] and is slightly smaller than the entire continent of Europe . Most of the country is located in central North America between Canada and Mexico . With an estimated population of over 328 million , the U.S. is the third most populous country in the world . The capital is Washington , D.C. , and the most populous city is New York City . Paleo-Indians migrated from Siberia to the North American mainland at least 12,000 years ago . European colonization began in the 16th century . The United States emerged from the thirteen British colonies established along the East Coast . Numerous disputes between Great Britain and the colonies led to the American Revolutionary War lasting between 1775 and 1783 , leading to independence . The United States embarked on a vigorous expansion across North America throughout the 19th century - gradually acquiring new territories , displacing Native Americans , and admitting new states - until by 1848 it spanned the continent . During the second half of the 19th century , the American Civil War led to the abolition of slavery in the United States . The Spanish-American War and World War I confirmed the country 's status as a global military power .
The American Soccer League has been a name used by four different professional soccer sports leagues in the United States . The first American Soccer League was established in 1921 by the merger of teams from the National Association Football League and the Southern New England Soccer League . For several years The ASL 's popularity rivaled the popularity of the National Football League . Disputes with the United States Football Association and FIFA , and the onset of the Great Depression in 1929 led to the league 's collapse in spring 1933 .
The Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup , commonly known as the U.S. Open Cup ( USOC ) , is a knock-out cup competition in American soccer . It is the oldest ongoing national soccer competition in the U.S . The 107th edition , to be held in 2020 , will be contested by 100 clubs from the four professional leagues sanctioned by the United States Soccer Federation : Major League Soccer ( MLS ) , the United Soccer League 's Championship and League One divisions , and the National Independent Soccer Association ( NISA ) , as well as amateur clubs in the earlier rounds of the tournament after qualifying through their leagues . The overall champion earns a total of $ 300,000 in prize money , while the runner-up receives $ 100,000 , and the furthest-advancing team from each lower division league receives $ 25,000 . In addition , the tournament winner qualifies for the group stage of the CONCACAF Champions League . The competition was first held during the 1913-14 season as the National Challenge Cup , with Brooklyn Field Club winning a trophy donated by Thomas Dewar for the promotion of American soccer . It was renamed and then dedicated to MLS owner Lamar Hunt by the United States Soccer Federation in 1999 . Major League Soccer teams have dominated the competition since MLS began play in 1996 . No lower division team has won the U.S. Open Cup since the Rochester Rhinos in 1999 or reached the U.S. Open Cup final since the Charleston Battery in 2008 . The most recent champions of the competition , Atlanta United FC , won their first title after defeating Minnesota United FC 2-1 in the 2019 final .
The Lewis Cup was an American soccer trophy established in 1914 as the championship trophy for the amateur Blue Mountain League , which was composed of clubs from the Lehigh Valley region of northwestern Pennsylvania . It was later awarded to the winners of the American Soccer League 's League Cup . The last winner received the trophy in 1963 and it resides in the Museum of Sports Glory in Kiev , Ukraine .
Athletic Club , also commonly known as Athletic Bilbao ( Basque : Bilboko Athletic Kluba / Spanish : Athletic Club de Bilbao ) , is a Spanish professional football club based in the city of Bilbao in the Basque Country ( Spain ) . They are known as Los Leones ( The Lions ) because their stadium was built near a church called San Mamés ( Saint Mammes ) . Mammes was an early Christian thrown to the lions by the Romans . Mammes pacified the lions and was later made a saint and The team plays it 's home matches at the San Mamés Stadium . Athletic have won La Liga on eight occasions , fourth most in the history of the league . In the table of Copa del Rey titles , Athletic is second only to Barcelona , having won it 23 times . [ note 1 ] The club also has one of the most successful women 's teams in Spain , which has won five championships in the Primera División Femenina . The club is one of three founding members of the Primera División that have never been relegated from the top division since its inception in 1929 , the others being Real Madrid and Barcelona . These three clubs , along with Osasuna , are the only four professional clubs in Spain that are not sports corporations ; instead they are owned and operated by club members . Athletic 's main rivals are Real Sociedad , against whom it contests the Basque derby , and Real Madrid , due to sporting and political rivalry . At various points in the club 's history , further Basque league derbies have been contested against Alavés , Eibar and Osasuna . The club is known for its cantera policy of bringing young Basque players through the ranks , as well as recruiting players from other Basque clubs like Joseba Etxeberria and Javi Martínez .
Spain ( Spanish : España [ esˈpaɲa ] ( listen ) ) , officially the Kingdom of Spain ( Spanish : Reino de España ) , [ a ] [ b ] is a country in Southwestern Europe with some pockets of Spanish territory across the Strait of Gibraltar and the Atlantic Ocean . Its continental European territory is situated on the Iberian Peninsula . Its territory also includes two archipelagoes : the Canary Islands off the coast of Africa , and the Balearic Islands in the Mediterranean Sea . The African enclaves of Ceuta , Melilla , and Peñón de Vélez de la Gomera make Spain the only European country to have a physical border with an African country ( Morocco ) . [ h ] Several small islands in the Alboran Sea are also part of Spanish territory . The country 's mainland is bordered to the south and east by the Mediterranean Sea except for a small land boundary with Gibraltar ; to the north and northeast by France , Andorra , and the Bay of Biscay ; and to the west and northwest by Portugal and the Atlantic Ocean . With an area of 505,990 km2 ( 195,360 sq mi ) , Spain is the largest country in Southern Europe , the second largest country in Western Europe and the European Union , and the fourth largest country in the European continent . By population ( about 47 million ) , Spain is the sixth largest in Europe and the fifth in the European Union . Spain 's capital and largest city is Madrid ; other major urban areas include Barcelona , Valencia , Seville , Zaragoza , Málaga and Bilbao . Modern humans first arrived in the Iberian Peninsula around 35,000 years ago . Iberian cultures along with ancient Phoenician , Greek , Celtic and Carthaginian settlements developed on the peninsula until it came under Roman rule around 200 BCE , after which the region was named Hispania , based on the earlier Phoenician name Sp ( a ) n or Spania . At the end of the Western Roman Empire the Germanic tribal confederations migrated from Central Europe , invaded the Iberian peninsula and established relatively independent realms in its western provinces , including the Suebi , Alans and Vandals .
The 1930-31 La Liga season started December 7 , 1930 , and finished April 5 , 1931 . Athletic Bilbao defended the title successfully and won the league thanks to its better goal difference in a three-way draw in the first position .
The Republic 's Cup 1931 was the 31st staging of the Copa del Rey , the Spanish football cup competition . With the proclamation of the Second Spanish Republic on April 14 , all teams with Real ( Royal ) in their names , changed it due to anti-monarchic reasons . Real Sociedad changes to Donostia FC . Most of this changes were done between first and second legs of the first round . The competition started on April 12 , 1931 , and concluded on June 21 , 1931 , with the final , held at the Estadio Chamartín in Madrid . Athletic Bilbao won their 11th title , the second in a row .
The Biscay Regional Championship ( Campeonato Regional de Vizcaya ) , also called the North Regional Championship ( Campeonato Regional Norte ) in its early editions , was an official football tournament in Spain organised by the North Football Federation . It was played annually between 1913 and 1940 and served to elect the representatives of the region in the Spanish Cup , which at that time served as the overall annual national championship .
Brookhattan was an American soccer club based in New York , New York that was a member of the professional American Soccer League ( ASL ) . In 1942 they won the Lewis Cup . In 1945 they won the treble ; the ASL , National Challenge Cup and Lewis Cup . In 1948 , coffee importer Eugene Diaz , previous owner of New York Galicia , bought the team . In that year they finished second in the 1948 National Challenge Cup . During the 1948-49 season , Pito Villanon led the ASL in scoring . In the 1949-50 season , Joe Gaetjens was the top scorer in the ASL . Pito Villanon led the ASL in scoring in 1952-53 and was also the ASL MVP . They finished runner-up in the ASL in 1954 .
Santos Futebol Clube ( Brazilian Portuguese : [ ˈsɐ̃tus futʃiˈbɔw ˈklubi ] ) , commonly known simply as Santos , is a Brazilian sports club based in Vila Belmiro , a bairro in the city of Santos . It plays in the Paulistão , the State of São Paulo 's premier state league , as well as the Brasileirão , the top tier of the Brazilian football league system . The club was founded in 1912 by the initiative of three sports enthusiasts from Santos by Raimundo Marques , Mário Ferraz de Campos , and Argemiro de Souza Júnior as a response to the lack of representation the city had in football . Since then , Santos became one of Brazil 's most successful clubs , becoming a symbol of Jogo Bonito ( English : the Beautiful Game ) in football culture , hence the motto Técnica e Disciplina ( Technique and discipline ) . The most recognized Santista anthem is the Leão do Mar written by Mangeri Neto . This was largely thanks to the Peixe 's golden generation of the 1960s which contained players such as Gilmar , Mauro Ramos , Mengálvio , Coutinho , Pepe and Pelé , named the Athlete of the Century by the International Olympic Committee , and widely regarded as the best and most accomplished footballer in the game 's history . Os Santásticos , considered by some the best club team of all times , won a total of 24 titles during that decade including five consecutive Brasileirões , a feat that remains unequaled today . Os Santásticos won four competitions in 1962 , thus completing a quadruple , comprising the Paulistão , the Brasileirão , the Copa Libertadores and the European/South American Cup . Santos is one of the most successful clubs in the Brasileirão , becoming national champions on eight occasions . It has also won 21 Paulistãos , three Copa Libertadores , two Intercontinental Cups , one Supercopa de Campeones Intercontinentales , one Copa CONMEBOL ( the precursor of current Copa Sudamericana ) , one Copa do Brasil and one Recopa Sudamericana . On January 20 , 1998 , Santos became the first team , in any category in the world , to reach the milestone of 10,000 goals in the entire history of football and was voted by FIFA as one of the most successful clubs of the 20th century . The Peixe play their home games at the Vila Belmiro , which currently holds up to 20,120 spectators .
Brazil ( Portuguese : Brasil ; Portuguese pronunciation : [ bɾaˈziw ] ) , [ nt 1 ] officially the Federative Republic of Brazil ( Portuguese : República Federativa do Brasil , listen ( help·info ) ) , is the largest country in both South America and Latin America . At 8.5 million square kilometers ( 3.2 million square miles ) and with over 211 million people , Brazil is the world 's fifth-largest country by area and the sixth most populous . Its capital is Brasília , and its most populous city is São Paulo . The federation is composed of the union of the 26 states , the Federal District , and the 5,570 municipalities . It is the largest country to have Portuguese as an official language and the only one in the Americas ; it is also one of the most multicultural and ethnically diverse nations , due to over a century of mass immigration from around the world . Bounded by the Atlantic Ocean on the east , Brazil has a coastline of 7,491 kilometers ( 4,655 mi ) . It borders all other countries in South America except Ecuador and Chile and covers 47.3% of the continent 's land area . Its Amazon River basin includes a vast tropical forest , home to diverse wildlife , a variety of ecological systems , and extensive natural resources spanning numerous protected habitats . This unique environmental heritage makes Brazil one of 17 megadiverse countries , and is the subject of significant global interest and debate regarding deforestation and environmental protection . Brazil was inhabited by numerous tribal nations prior to the landing in 1500 of explorer Pedro Álvares Cabral , who claimed the area for the Portuguese Empire . Brazil remained a Portuguese colony until 1808 , when the capital of the empire was transferred from Lisbon to Rio de Janeiro . In 1815 , the colony was elevated to the rank of kingdom upon the formation of the United Kingdom of Portugal , Brazil and the Algarves .
The Taça Brasil ( English : Brazil Cup ) was the Brazilian national football championship contested from 1959 to 1968 . Bahia , Cruzeiro and Botafogo were the only champions to have played all phases of the tournament , because until the 1968 edition teams from Rio de Janeiro and São Paulo were already qualified to the semi-finals . Both Cruzeiro and Bahia , the only champions not from Rio or São Paulo , beat the great and world-famous Santos of Pelé , Coutinho and Pepe . In 1989 the Copa do Brasil was created , in the same cup-style and also qualifying to the Copa Libertadores .
The Torneio Rio - São Paulo ( English : Rio - São Paulo Tournament ) was a traditional Brazilian football competition contested between São Paulo and Rio de Janeiro teams from 1933 to 1966 , in 1993 and from 1997 to 2002 . Organized by the state football associations of the state of São Paulo and the city of Rio de Janeiro ( after unification of the states of Guanabara and Rio de Janeiro ) , the official name of the tournament became the Torneio Roberto Gomes Pedrosa in 1954 , named after former goalkeeper of the Brazilian national team and president of the São Paulo Football Association who died in that year . This name was not broadly popularized used until 1967 when the tournament was first opened to teams from the states of Minas Gerais , Paraná and Rio Grande do Sul , and later also from Pernambuco and Bahia . The Torneio Roberto Gomes Pedrosa , also often referred to as Taça Prata ( Silver Cup ) and contested until 1970 , is generally considered the predecessor of the Brazilian Football Championship which started in 1971 . Due to its continental size and historical peculiarities , Brazil has a short history of national competitions , with the modern Campeonato Brasileiro starting in 1971 supported by the military regime and only made possible due to the improvements in civil aviation and air transport . The CBF does not officially recognize the Torneio Rio - São Paulo or Taça Brasil as national titles . In 2010 , the CBF officially recognized the expanded Torneio Roberto Gomes Pedrosa from 1967 to 1970 as a legitimate national championship . In the era prior to officially recognized national competition , given that the majority of Brazil 's strongest teams were located in São Paulo and Rio de Janeiro , some historians consider that up until 1959 , despite its schedule irregularity , the Torneio Rio - São Paulo was the most prestigious title for any team to claim outside of state championships . From 2000 to 2002 , the Torneio Rio - São Paulo champions were granted qualification to the Copa dos Campeões .
The Campeonato Paulista Série A1 , commonly known as Campeonato Paulista , nicknamed Paulistão , is the top-flight professional football league in the Brazilian state of São Paulo . Run by the FPF , the league is contested between 16 clubs and typically lasts from January to April . Rivalries amongst four of the most well-known Brazilian teams ( Corinthians , Palmeiras , Santos and São Paulo ) have marked the history of the competition . The Campeonato Paulista is the oldest established league in Brazil , being held since 1902 and professionally since 1933 .
C.N.S.C . Toronto Croatia ( Croatian National Sports Club Toronto Croatia ) is a Canadian soccer team based in Toronto , Ontario , that plays in the Supergroup Open Division in the Canadian Academy of Futbol . The team 's colours are red , white and blue , similar to those of the Croatian national football team . The club was founded in 1956 by the Croatian diaspora in Toronto . Initially the team played in various local amateur leagues before making the transition to the professional ranks by joining the Canadian National Soccer League ( CNSL ) in 1962 . In 1972 , after a period of dominance in the CNSL , the organization purchased the Toronto Metros of the North American Soccer League and retained their heritage by inserting Croatia into the team 's name . Their greatest success occurred in the 1976 season , where Toronto captured the Soccer Bowl . The 1976 team was later inducted into the Canadian Soccer Hall of Fame . In 1979 the club sold its share to Global Television Network and returned to the CNSL . Toronto Croatia became a founding member of the Canadian International Soccer League in 1994 , returned to the CNSL in 1997 , and the following year became a charter member of the Canadian Professional Soccer League ( later the Canadian Soccer League [ CSL ] ) . They established themselves as an elite club with a league record of six championships . The team has been among the most-successful clubs in Canadian soccer history , and one of the most-successful Croatian diaspora clubs .
Canada is a country in the northern part of North America . Its ten provinces and three territories extend from the Atlantic to the Pacific and northward into the Arctic Ocean , covering 9.98 million square kilometres ( 3.85 million square miles ) , making it the world 's second-largest country by total area . Its southern border with the United States , stretching some 8,891 kilometres ( 5,525 mi ) , is the world 's longest bi-national land border . Canada 's capital is Ottawa , and its three largest metropolitan areas are Toronto , Montreal , and Vancouver . As a whole , Canada is sparsely populated , with most of its land area dominated by forest and tundra . Its population is highly urbanized , with over 80 percent of its inhabitants concentrated in large and medium-sized cities , and 70 percent residing within 100 kilometres ( 62 mi ) of the southern border . Canada 's climate varies widely across its vast area , ranging from Arctic climate in the north to hot summers in the southern regions , with four distinct seasons . Various indigenous peoples inhabited what is now Canada for thousands of years before European colonization . Beginning in the 16th century , British and French expeditions explored and later settled along the Atlantic coast . As a consequence of various armed conflicts , France ceded nearly all of its colonies in North America in 1763 . In 1867 , with the union of three British North American colonies through Confederation , Canada was formed as a federal dominion of four provinces . This began an accretion of provinces and territories and a process of increasing autonomy from the United Kingdom .
The Canadian National Soccer League , known as the National Soccer League until 1993 , was a soccer league in Canada that existed from 1926 to 1997 . The league was also known as the National Soccer League of Ontario and Quebec . Adding 'Canadian ' in 1993 was a result of the folding of the original CSL , and the accepting of the Winnipeg Fury , making the league more national . It was then re-branded as the Canadian Professional Soccer League in 1998 , primarily as a result of the restructuring in conjunction with the OSA ; and subsequently as the second Canadian Soccer League in 2006 with aspirations for national expansion .
Levski Sofia ( Bulgarian : Левски София ) is a professional association football club based in Sofia , Bulgaria , ranked 1st in the All-time Bulgarian League table . The team competes in the First League , the top division of the Bulgarian football league system . The club was founded on May 24 , 1914 , as a football department of Sport Club Levski by a group of students and is named after Vasil Levski , a Bulgarian revolutionary renowned as the national hero of the country . Levski have participated in more seasons of the Bulgarian football championship than any other team and are the only Bulgarian team to have never been relegated . They have won 26 A Group titles , 25 Bulgarian Cups and 3 Super Cups , which include a record 13 Doubles and 4 Trebles . On an international basis , Levski have reached five European Cup Winners ' Cup and UEFA Cup quarterfinals , two Balkans Cup finals , and in 2006 , they became the first Bulgarian club to reach the group stages of the UEFA Champions League . The team 's regular kit colour is all-blue . Levski 's home ground is the Vivacom Arena - Georgi Asparuhov in Sofia , which has a capacity of 25,000 spectators . The club 's biggest rivals are CSKA Sofia , and matches between the two capital sides are commonly referred to as The Eternal Derby of Bulgaria . Levski is also a regular member of the European Club Association and the European Multisport Club Association .
Bulgaria ( /bʌlˈɡɛəriə , bʊl-/ ( listen ) ; Bulgarian : България , romanized : Balgariya ) , officially the Republic of Bulgaria ( Bulgarian : Република България , romanized : Republika Balgariya , IPA : [ rɛˈpublikɐ bɐɫˈɡarijɐ ] ) , is a country in Southeast Europe . It is bordered by Romania to the north , Serbia and North Macedonia to the west , Greece and Turkey to the south , and the Black Sea to the east . The capital and largest city is Sofia ; other major cities are Plovdiv , Varna and Burgas . With a territory of 110,994 square kilometres ( 42,855 sq mi ) , Bulgaria is Europe 's 16th-largest country . One of the earliest societies in the lands of modern-day Bulgaria was the Neolithic Karanovo culture , which dates back to 6,500 BC . In the 6th to 3rd century BC the region was a battleground for Thracians , Persians , Celts and ancient Macedonians ; stability came when the Roman Empire conquered the region in AD 45 . The Eastern Roman , or Byzantine , Empire lost some of these territories to an invading Bulgar horde in the late 7th century . The Bulgars founded the First Bulgarian Empire in AD 681 , which dominated most of the Balkans and significantly influenced Slavic cultures by developing the Cyrillic script . This state lasted until the early 11th century , when Byzantine emperor Basil II conquered and dismantled it . A successful Bulgarian revolt in 1185 established a Second Bulgarian Empire , which reached its apex under Ivan Asen II ( 1218-1241 ) . After numerous exhausting wars and feudal strife , the Second Bulgarian Empire disintegrated in 1396 and its territories fell under Ottoman rule for nearly five centuries . The Russo-Turkish War of 1877-78 resulted in the formation of the current Third Bulgarian State .
The First Professional Football League ( Bulgarian : Първа професионална футболна лига ) , also known as the Bulgarian First League or Parva liga , currently known as the efbet League for sponsorship reasons , is a professional association football league , located at the top of the Bulgarian football league system . Contested by 14 teams , it operates on a system of promotion and relegation with the Vtora liga . The Bulgarian football championship was inaugurated in 1924 as the Bulgarian State Football Championship and has been played in a league format since 1948 , when the A Group was established . The champions of the First League have the right to participate in the qualifying rounds of the UEFA Champions League based on the league 's European coefficient . Additionally , two UEFA Europa League spots are allocated to the second team in the final standings and the winner of the European playoffs . A further fourth spot may also be granted to the fourth placed team in the final league ranking , given that the Bulgarian Cup holder has finished among the top three teams at the end of the season . A total of 67 clubs have competed in the Bulgarian top-tier since its establishment . In the last decade , many teams such as the current champions Ludogorets were introduced for the first time in the league . In 2016-17 , Vereya Stara Zagora became the 67th club to participate in the competition . Since 1948 , eleven different teams have been crowned champions of Bulgaria . The three most successful clubs are CSKA Sofia with 31 titles , Levski Sofia with 26 titles and Ludogorets Razgrad with 8 titles respectively . The current champions Ludogorets Razgrad won their eight consecutive title in their eight First League season in 2018-19 .
The Bulgarian Cup ( Bulgarian : Купа на България , romanized : Kupa na Bulgaria ) is a Bulgarian annual football competition . It is the country 's main cup competition and all officially registered Bulgarian football teams take part in it . The tournament 's format is single-elimination , with all matches being one-legged , except the semi-finals . The competition 's winner gets the right to take part in the UEFA Europa League . 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 . The competition has been dominated by Sofia-based teams . The Sofia teams have won together a total number of 61 titles . The three most successful teams are Levski Sofia ( 25 cups ) , CSKA Sofia ( 20 cups ) and Slavia Sofia ( 8 cups ) . The most recent winner of the Bulgarian Cup is Lokomotiv Plovdiv , who beat Botev Plovdiv 1-0 in the 2019 Bulgarian Cup Final .
CSKA ( Bulgarian : ЦСКА ) is a Bulgarian professional association football club based in Sofia and currently competing in the country 's premier football competition , the First League . CSKA is an abbreviation for Central Sports Club of the Army ( Bulgarian : Централен Спортен Клуб на Армията ) . Officially established on 5 May 1948 , CSKA 's roots date back to an army officers ' club founded in 1923 . The club has won a record 31 Bulgarian titles and 20 Bulgarian Cups . Internationally , CSKA are the only Bulgarian club to have reached the semi-finals of the European Cup , which they have done twice , and they have also reached the semi-final of the UEFA Cup Winners ' Cup once . CSKA 's home colors are red and white and its home ground is the Bulgarian Army Stadium . The club 's biggest rivals are Levski Sofia and matches between the two sides are known as The Eternal Derby of Bulgaria .
Derry City Football Club ( Irish : Cumann Peile Chathair Dhoire ) is a professional football club based in Derry , County Londonderry , Northern Ireland . It plays in the League of Ireland Premier Division , the top tier of league football in the Republic of Ireland , and is the League of Ireland 's only participant from Northern Ireland . The club 's home ground is the Brandywell Stadium and the players wear red and white striped shirts from which its nickname , the Candystripes , derives . The club is also known as the Red and White Army , Derry or City . The club , founded in 1928 , initially played in the Irish League , the domestic league in Northern Ireland , and won a title in 1964-65 . In 1971 , security concerns related to the Troubles meant matches could not be played at the Brandywell . The team played home fixtures 30 miles ( 48 km ) away in Coleraine . The security forces withdrew their objections to the use of the Brandywell the following year , but in the face of insistence from the Irish League that the unsustainable arrangement continue , the club withdrew from the league . After 13 years in junior football , it joined the League of Ireland 's new First Division for 1985-86 . Derry won the First Division title and achieved promotion to the Premier Division in 1987 , and remained there until an administrative relegation in 2009 . The club won a domestic treble in 1988-89 , the only League of Ireland club so far to do so . After spending the majority of its time in the League of Ireland in the Premier Division , the club was expelled in November 2009 when it was discovered there were secondary , unofficial contracts with players .
The League of Ireland Cup ( Irish : Corn Sraithe na hÉireann ) is a football competition open to all League of Ireland clubs . Some invited clubs from the lower levels of the Republic of Ireland football league system participate and occasionally these sides have included junior league representative selections . The format has changed from year to year . For the most part it has been used as a precursor to the league season , with 6 groups of 4 teams ( geographically based ) , with the winners and two best runners up going on to the last eight ( which started the knockout phase ) . The knockout stage would be played midweek through the season . In the late 1990s the cup went into a straight knockout format and recently has reverted to again starting with a group phase , this time with 8 groups of 3 with only the winners progressing . In 2006 , the competition was once again contested on a straight knock-out basis , with a regionalised seeding system determining pairings and byes in the early rounds . The winners of the cup receive a €25,000 prize . The League Cup Final has also changed format many times . They have been played on neutral grounds , with two-legged games and currently ( and historically most times ) a draw is made to see which finalist gets home advantage . The competition began in 1973 , replacing the earlier League of Ireland Shield . From 2009 , the League of Ireland Cup has been sponsored by Electronic Arts and branded for sponsorship reasons as the EA Sports Cup .
South China Athletic Association ( also known as South China , SCAA , Chinese : 南華體育會 ) is a football club which currently competes in the Hong Kong First Division , the second-level league in Hong Kong football league system . The club has won a record 41 First Division titles , a record 31 Senior Shields , a record 10 FA Cups and 3 League Cups . Nicknamed Shaolin Temple and Caroliners , South China has produced many great Hong Kong footballers over the years . In November 2007 , the club entered into a charity partnership with Hong Kong Red Cross . The partnership is a pioneer between a sports association and a humanitarian organisation in Hong Kong . The club plays most of its home matches at Happy Valley Recreation Ground .
Hong Kong ( /ˌhɒŋˈkɒŋ/ ( listen ) ; Chinese : 香港 , Cantonese : [ hœ́ːŋ.kɔ̌ːŋ ] ( listen ) ) , officially the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region of the People 's Republic of China ( HKSAR ) , is a city and special administrative region on the eastern side of the Pearl River estuary in southern China . With over 7.4 million people of various nationalities [ d ] in a 1,104-square-kilometre ( 426 sq mi ) territory , Hong Kong is one of the most densely populated places in the world . Hong Kong became a colony of the British Empire after Qing Empire ceded Hong Kong Island at the end of the First Opium War in 1842 . The colony expanded to the Kowloon Peninsula in 1860 after the Second Opium War , and was further extended when Britain obtained a 99-year lease of the New Territories in 1898 . The territory was returned to China in 1997 . As a special administrative region , Hong Kong maintains separate governing and economic systems from that of mainland China under the principle of one country , two systems . Originally a sparsely populated area of farming and fishing villages , the territory has become one of the world 's most significant financial centres and commercial ports . It is the world 's tenth-largest exporter and ninth-largest importer . As one of the world 's leading international financial centres , Hong Kong has a major capitalist service economy characterised by low taxation and free trade , and the currency , Hong Kong dollar , is the eighth most traded currency in the world . Hong Kong hosts the largest concentration of ultra high-net-worth individuals of any city in the world . Although the city has one of the highest per capita incomes in the world , there is severe income inequality among its residents . Hong Kong is a highly developed territory and ranks fourth on the UN Human Development Index .
The Hong Kong First Division League ( Chinese : 香港甲組聯賽 ) is the second-highest division in the Hong Kong football league system . Established in 1908 , it is the oldest in Asia . The league was formerly the highest division in Hong Kong until the formation of the Hong Kong Premier League in 2014 . Since 1908 , a total of 29 clubs have been crowned champions of the Hong Kong football system . South China are the most successful club , having won 41 times since their first participation in 1941 .
The Hong Kong Senior Challenge Shield ( Chinese : 香港高級組銀牌 ) , known commonly as the Senior Shield , is the oldest football knockout inter-club competition in Asia . Traditionally , only the teams in the Hong Kong Premier League are entered into the competition . However , on occasion teams in lower divisions , usually the champions of the Junior Shield , are invited in order to increase the number of participating teams .
Hong Kong FA Cup ( Chinese : 香港足總盃 ) is a knockout cup competition in Hong Kong football , run by and named after The Hong Kong Football Association . The first edition of the competition was held in 1975 , before then the cup was known as the Golden Jubilee Cup . The current season is the 33rd edition of the event . 11 different teams have won the cup with 10-time champions South China being the most successful . In the first three years , the semi-finals and the finals were two-legged event . If the aggregate result was drawn , there would be extra time after the second leg . Drawn ties after extra time would be settled by a replay . However , this practice was abandoned in 1977 . Since 1978 , all matches have become one-legged , draws are settled by extra time and penalty shootouts . Moreover , teams from the Second Division and Third Division were allowed to enter the competition before . However , due to the huge difference in playing level between the First Division and the inferior levels below it , the cup has been limited to top-flight teams since 1981 . The current HKFA Cup holders are Kitchee .
Hong Kong Viceroy Cup ( Chinese : 總督盃 ) was a football competition in Hong Kong held by British American Tobacco . Started in 1969 , it was the first football competition in Hong Kong which allowed commercial sponsorship . Together with First Division League , FA Cup and Senior Shield , they were considered as Big Four competitions in Hong Kong football circle . Since July 1999 , the Hong Kong government has forbidden the sponsorship of sports events by tobacco firms , although the Chinese name of it suggests Governor , which was the leader of British Hong Kong colony before Hong Kong Handover in 1997 . The 29th and the last competition was held in 1998 .