Slovenian Football Cup

Slovenian Football Cup
Founded1991; 33 years ago (1991)
RegionSlovenia
Qualifier forUEFA Europa League
Current championsRogaška (1st title)
Most successful club(s)Maribor (9 titles)
Websitenzs.si
2024–25 Slovenian Football Cup

The Slovenian Football Cup (Slovene: Pokal Nogometne zveze Slovenije, pronounced [pɔˈkáːl nɔɡɔˈméːtnɛ ˈzʋéːzɛ slɔˈʋèːnijɛ]) is the top knockout tournament of Slovenian football and the second most important football competition in Slovenia after the Slovenian PrvaLiga championship. The cup was established in 1991 following the breakup of Yugoslavia. Since 2020, it has been known as Pokal Pivovarna Union after its headline sponsor, the Union Brewery.

As of 2024, a total of 18 clubs have reached the cup final, with 12 of them winning the title; the most successful side in the history of the competition is Maribor, who have triumphed 9 times in their 15 cup final appearances. They are followed by Olimpija (1945), Koper, and Olimpija (2005), who won four titles each. Primorje hold the record for most appearances in the final without winning the title, finishing as runners-up in three consecutive finals between 1996 and 1998. Aluminij, Nafta 1903 and Gorica are the only sides from outside the top flight which managed to reach the cup final, having finished as runners-up in 2002, 2020 and 2024, respectively.

Rogaška are the current champions, having beaten Gorica 6–5 on penalties (1–1 after extra time) in the 2024 final for their first title.

Format

Until 2021, the Slovenian Cup was contested by a total of 28 clubs: 18 lower league sides that qualified via regional cups organised by the Intercommunal Football Associations, and 10 teams that competed in the Slovenian PrvaLiga the previous season. In the first round proper, 18 lower league clubs were joined by the six lower placed top flight clubs. The twelve winners were then joined by the best four top flight clubs who automatically entered the second round proper. The games were played in a single leg knock-out format until the quarter-finals and semi-finals, when home and away matches were played and the aggregate score was taken into account.

From the 2022–23 season onwards, the number of teams in the first round has increased from 24 to 120, and any registered team in the country can participate in the preliminary rounds.[1] Four teams that represent Slovenia in UEFA competitions joins the competition in the second round. Only one match is played in all rounds, with extra time and penalty shoot-out if necessary. The draw is no longer delegated with seeded and unseeded teams. Up to and including the round of 32, if two clubs from different leagues are drawn as opponents, the lower league team automatically plays at home, unless it decides not to.[2]

Since 2005, the final is held as a single-legged match, although it was a two-legged affair in the period between 1994 and 2004.[3]

List of finals

Key

Match ended after extra time
Match decided by a penalty shoot-out after the extra time
Match decided on aggregate score in a two-legged tie
Italic Team from outside the top flight
Season Winners Score Runners-up Venue Attendance
1991–92 Maribor 0–0 (a.e.t.)
(4–3 pen.) 		Olimpija Bežigrad 2,000
1992–93 Olimpija 2–1 Celje Skalna Klet 2,500
1993–94 Maribor 3–2 (agg.) Mura
1994–95 Mura 2–1 (agg.) Celje
1995–96 Olimpija 2–1 (agg.) Primorje
1996–97 Maribor 3–0 (agg.) Primorje
1997–98 Rudar Velenje 4–2 (agg.) Primorje
1998–99 Maribor 5–2 (agg.) Olimpija
1999–2000 Olimpija 3–2 (agg.) Korotan Prevalje
2000–01 Gorica 4–3 (agg.) Olimpija
2001–02 Gorica 6–1 (agg.) Aluminij
2002–03 Olimpija 3–3 (agg.) (a) Celje
2003–04 Maribor 7–4 (agg.) Dravograd
2004–05 Celje 1–0 Gorica Arena Petrol 3,800
2005–06 Koper 1–1 (a.e.t.)
(5–3 pen.) 		Celje Arena Petrol 3,200
2006–07 Koper 1–0 Maribor Arena Petrol 3,500
2007–08 Interblock 2–1 Maribor Arena Petrol 5,400
2008–09 Interblock 2–1 Koper Ljudski vrt 2,500
2009–10 Maribor 3–2 (a.e.t.) Domžale Ljudski vrt 6,000
2010–11 Domžale 4–3 Maribor Stožice 6,000
2011–12 Maribor 2–2 (a.e.t.)
(3–2 pen.) 		Celje Stožice 4,132
2012–13 Maribor 1–0 Celje Bonifika 1,500
2013–14 Gorica 2–0 Maribor Bonifika 3,500
2014–15 Koper 2–0 Celje Bonifika 3,000
2015–16 Maribor 2–2 (a.e.t.)
(7–6 pen.) 		Celje Bonifika 2,500
2016–17 Domžale 1–0 Olimpija Ljubljana Bonifika 3,230
2017–18 Olimpija Ljubljana 6–1 Aluminij Stožice 8,804
2018–19 Olimpija Ljubljana 2–1 Maribor Stadion Z'dežele 8,623
2019–20 Mura 2–0 Nafta 1903 NNC Brdo 200
2020–21 Olimpija Ljubljana 2–1 Celje Bonifika 1,200
2021–22 Koper 3–1 Bravo Stadion Z'dežele 3,200
2022–23 Olimpija Ljubljana 2–1 (a.e.t.) Maribor Stadion Z'dežele 9,217
2023–24 Rogaška 1–1 (a.e.t.)
(6–5 pen.) 		Gorica Stožice 4,042

List of winners

Teams shown in italics are no longer in existence.

Club Winners Last final won Runners-up Last final lost
Maribor 9 2016 6 2023
Olimpija[a] 4 2003 3 2001
Koper 4 2022 1 2009
Olimpija Ljubljana[a] 4 2023 1 2017
Gorica 3 2014 2 2024
Domžale 2 2017 1 2010
Interblock 2 2009 0 —
Celje 1 2005 9 2021
NK Mura[b] 1 1995 1 1994
Rudar Velenje 1 1998 0 —
NŠ Mura[b] 1 2020 0 —
Rogaška 1 2024 0 —
Primorje 0 — 3 1998
Aluminij 0 — 2 2018
Korotan Prevalje 0 — 1 2000
Dravograd 0 — 1 2004
Nafta 1903 0 — 1 2020
Bravo 0 — 1 2022

Notes

  1. ^ a b The original Olimpija went bankrupt and folded in 2005. In the same year, NK Bežigrad was founded. In 2008, the club renamed as Olimpija Ljubljana. Legally, the original and the new club are two separate entities.
  2. ^ a b The original Mura went bankrupt and folded in 2005. Legally, the original and the new club are two separate entities.

References

  1. ^ "Sklepi za tekmovanja v organizaciji NZS v članski kategoriji" (PDF). nzs.si (in Slovenian). Football Association of Slovenia. 12 June 2022. Archived (PDF) from the original on 16 June 2022. Retrieved 16 June 2022.
  2. ^ "Zadeva: Spremembe in dopolnitve Sklepov za tekmovanja v organizaciji NZS v članskih kategorijah" (PDF). nzs.si (in Slovenian). Football Association of Slovenia. 29 May 2023. Archived (PDF) from the original on 30 May 2023. Retrieved 30 May 2023.
  3. ^ "Video: Finale pokala Slovenije od leta 1999 do 2005". nzs.si (in Slovenian). Football Association of Slovenia. 20 May 2014. Archived from the original on 30 May 2023. Retrieved 30 May 2023. Potem ko je bil v prejšnji sezoni finale odločen že po prvi tekmi, je NZS spremenila način tekmovanja in v finalu se je ponovno igrala ena tekma za naslov pokalnega prvaka.