The Middle Rhine Cup (German: Mittelrheinpokal) is a German football club Cup competition open to teams from the Lower Rhine region of the state of North Rhine-Westphalia. The competition is one of the 21 regional cup competitions of German football and acts as a qualifier to the following seasons' German Cup.[1]
 | |
| Region | Middle Rhine, North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany |
|---|---|
| Qualifier for | DFB-Pokal |
| Current champions | Alemannia Aachen (2023–24) |
| Most successful club(s) | Viktoria Köln (7 titles) |
The competition is sponsored by the Bitburger brewery and carries the official name Bitburger Mittelrheinpokal. It is operated by the Middle Rhine Football Association, the FVM.[2]
Modus
editClubs from fully professional leagues are not permitted to enter the competition, meaning, no teams from the Fußball-Bundesliga and the 2nd Bundesliga can compete.[2]
All clubs from the Middle Rhine playing in the 3. Liga (III) and the Regionalliga West (IV) are directly qualified for the first round, the remaining places are filled with the teams who qualified from local cup competitions, the Kreispokale. All up, 32 clubs take part in the first round of the competition.[2]
Since the establishment of the 3. Liga in 2008, reserve teams can not take part in the German Cup or the Middle Rhine Cup anymore.
Winners
editThe winners of the competition since 1993:[3]
| Club | Wins | Years |
|---|---|---|
| FC Viktoria Köln | 7 | 2014, 2015, 2016, 2018, 2021, 2022, 2023 |
| Alemannia Aachen | 6 | 1993, 1994, 1997, 1999, 2019, 2024 |
| Bayer Leverkusen II | 5 | 1996, 1998, 2000, 2003, 2007 |
| TSV Germania Windeck | 3 | 2009, 2010, 2011 |
| 1. FC Köln Amateure | 3 | 1995, 2004, 2005 |
| Alemannia Aachen II | 2 | 2002, 2006 |
| Bonner SC | 1 | 2017 |
| SC Fortuna Köln | 1 | 2013 |
| FC Hennef 05 | 1 | 2012 |
| FC Wegberg-Beeck | 1 | 2008 |
| Blau-Weiß Brühl | 1 | 2001 |
| 1. FC Düren | 1 | 2020 |
References
edit- ^ "DFB Cup Men – Mode". DFB. Archived from the original on 9 June 2009. Retrieved 8 July 2012.
- ^ a b c Bitburger-Pokal 2011/12: Wer ist dabei? Archived 11 May 2012 at the Wayback Machine (in German) FVM website. Retrieved 9 July 2012
- ^ FVM-Pokalsieger Herren Archived 2014-12-23 at the Wayback Machine (in German) FVM website – Winners of the Middle Rhine Cup. Retrieved 9 July 2012
Sources
edit- Deutschlands Fußball in Zahlen, (in German) An annual publication with tables and results from the Bundesliga to Verbandsliga/Landesliga, publisher: DSFS
External links
edit- Fussball.de: Middle Rhine Cup (in German)
- Bitburger-Pokal (in German) FVM website