This article is about the men's Italian association football tournament. For other uses, see Coppa Italia (disambiguation).
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Juventus is the competition's most successful club with fifteen wins, followed by Roma and Inter Milan with nine. Juventus has contested the most finals with 22, followed by Roma with 17 finals. The holder can wear a cockade of Italy (Italian: coccarda), akin to the roundels that appear on military aircraft. The winner automatically qualifies for both the UEFA Europa League league phase and the Supercoppa Italiana the following year.
History
The beginning of the tournament was turbulent, due to the complexity of the participation of the teams in the tournament, since its inception in 1921, the Italian championship was divided into two groups. On the one hand the rich CCI Championship (Italian Football Confederation) and on the other the poor FIGC championship (Italian Football Federation). Losing all its most prestigious clubs, the FIGC tried to enhance its rump season with a new cup. The tournament's first edition held in 1922 was won by F.C. Vado.[2] The following agreement between the contenders did not contemplate a cup that, outside a failed 1926–27 tournament which was cancelled during the round of 32, was not held until 1935–36. The events of World War II interrupted the tournament after the 1942–43 season, and it did not resume again until 1958. Since then, it has been played annually or seasonally.[2]
The eight seasons during the fascist period were contested copying the FA Cup format. There was a different trophy, and the winners were awarded the tricolour scudetto while the championship winners obtained a Savoyard scudetto instead. The present-day cup and cockade were introduced in 1958.
Format
The competition is a knockout tournament with pairings for each round made in advance; the draw for the whole competition is made before a ball is kicked. Each tie is played as a single leg, except a two-legged semi-final stage. If a match is drawn, extra time is played. In the event of a draw after 120 minutes, a penalty shoot-out is contested. As well as being presented with the trophy, the winning team also qualifies for the UEFA Europa League (formerly the UEFA Cup). If the winners have already qualified for the UEFA Champions League via the Serie A, or are not entitled to play in UEFA competitions for any reason, the place goes to the next highest placed team in the league table.
There are a total of seven rounds in the competition. The competition begins in August with the preliminary round and is contested only by the eight lowest-ranked clubs. Clubs playing in Serie B join in during the first round with the 12 lowest-ranked teams in Serie A based on the previous league season's positions (unless they are to compete in European competition that year) begin the competition in the first round before August is over. The remaining eight Serie A teams join the competition in the third round in January, at which point 16 teams remain. The round of 16, the quarter-finals and the first leg of the semi-finals are then played in quick succession after the fourth round and the second leg of the semi-finals is played a couple of months later – in April – before the final in May. The two-legged final was eliminated for the 2007–08 edition and a single-match final is now played at the Stadio Olimpico in Rome.[3]
Phase
Round
Clubs remaining
Clubs involved
From previous round
Entries in this round
Teams entering at this round
First phase
Preliminary round
44
8
none
8
Four teams from Serie B and four teams from Serie C (ranked 37–44)
First round
40
32
4
28
12 teams from Serie A and 16 teams from Serie B (ranked 9–36)
The 1922 tournament was contested only by smaller clubs who remained associated with FIGC, following the formation of a breakaway league by the larger teams who participated the 1921–22 Prima Divisione.
Although 77 tournaments have been contested, only 76 cups have been assigned. The 1926–27 edition was abandoned in the round of 32.
From 1968 to 1971, FIGC introduced a final group instead of semi-finals and finals. For statistical equity, only champions and runners-up of those groups are counted as finalists.
The Coppa Italia and the Supercoppa Italiana has been broadcast by Mediaset since the 2021–22 season. Previously, the tournament was aired by the national public broadcaster RAI up until the 2020–21 edition.[7]
International
For countries without broadcasting rights, both Coppa Italia and Supercoppa Italiana also available via Serie A YouTube channel.