The Liechtenstein Football Cup is Liechtenstein's premier football competition, and has been organised annually by the Liechtenstein Football Association (LFV) since 1946. The winner qualifies to take part in the UEFA Conference League.
 | |
| Founded | 1945 |
|---|---|
| Region | Liechtenstein |
| Number of teams | 7 (and 10 reserve teams) |
| Qualifier for | UEFA Conference League |
| Current champions | FC Vaduz (50th title) |
| Most successful club(s) | FC Vaduz (50 titles) |
| Website | lfv.li/aktiv-cup |
 2024–25 Liechtenstein Cup | |
As there is no national league in Liechtenstein, the Liechtenstein Football Cup is the only national football competition in the country. The country has only seven clubs, all of which historically have already established themselves in the Swiss league competitions. The national cup competition is currently the only route for Liechtenstein to be represented at the European football club competitions, since Liechtensteiner clubs are prevented from qualifying for European competition via the Swiss league system.[1]
Competition format
editThe competition has an unusual format in that not only can the first teams of the main seven football clubs enter, but also the reserve sides, which all play in lower divisions in the Swiss league system. This can lead to some unusual scenarios, such as in the second round of the 2006–07 cup, where FC Triesenberg's second team went through, but the first team was knocked out.
Teams from the same football club can be drawn together from the semi-finals onwards. In the 2009–10 competition semi-final stage, USV Eschen/Mauren were drawn with USV Eschen/Mauren II, and again in 2022-23 semi-finals, where FC Balzers were drawn with FC Balzers II.
The top 3 clubs based on league position can only meet from the quarter-finals onwards. A qualifying round also takes place if more than 16 teams enter, and a draw is made to determine which of the third-teams are required to participate in this round.[2]
List of winners
editFC Vaduz have won the competition on 50 occasions, which is a domestic football cup world record.
Records
editA list of all Liechtenstein clubs reflecting their success in the Liechtenstein Cup after 76 competitions (from 1946 to 2023, exclude 2019-2021).
"League Tier" indicates in which tier of the Swiss Football League the clubs are active (status: season 2023–24).
| Club | League Tier | Finals | Won | Lost |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| FC Vaduz | 2 | 63 | 50 | 13 |
| FC Balzers | 4 | 27 | 11 | 16 |
| FC Triesen | 7 | 18 | 8 | 10 |
| USV Eschen/Mauren | 4 | 23 | 5 | 18 |
| FC Schaan | 8 | 14 | 3 | 11 |
| FC Ruggell | 6 | 7 | – | 7 |
| FC Triesenberg | 7 | 2 | – | 2 |
References
edit- ^ "Swiss first for Liechtenstein's Vaduz | Inside UEFA". fifa.com. 23 May 2023. Retrieved 18 August 2023.
- ^ "Spielplan 2024/2025 | LFV".
- ^ "Liechtenstein - List of Cup Finals". RSSSF. Retrieved 28 July 2011.