In several sports, most prominently association football , a league cup or secondary cup generally signifies a cup competition for which entry is restricted only to teams in a particular league. The first national association football tournament to be called "League Cup" was held in Scotland in 1946–47 and was entitled the Scottish League Cup . However, in the Republic of Ireland the now-defunct League of Ireland Shield was the first national league-only tournament of its kind (played first in 1921); this was subsequently replaced by the League of Ireland Cup in 1983.
6-427: The creation of a league cup marked the difference from the domestic cup (or primary cup), which is generally also open to teams from multiple leagues, often as far down as regional amateur leagues, and who are also members of the country's football association. League cups are less prevalent than domestic cups. The creation of a tournament of this kind exclusively for the top national-level league teams, in addition to
12-499: A super cup or a continental competition . A giant-killing, also known as an upset , is when lower-league sides slay the 'giant' of a team objectively viewed as the odds-on favorite to win the tie, or the whole tournament. Whereas Points-based competitions such as the Premier League rely on teams maintaining consistent form for the duration of the campaign, the stakes are much higher in domestic cup matches, which follow
18-443: A rise in the number of floodlit stadiums, allowing regular midweek matches. In certain countries, the league cup had, or in some cases still has, group stages in the early stages. These often opened the season before the main league season began. Domestic cup A domestic cup (also known as association cup or national cup ) is a type of sports tournament, particularly common in association football . This tournament type
24-489: Is notable for its participation by professional and amateur teams from many levels of a country's league system . The structure of the competition varies but is usually a knockout format and is typically organized by the country's governing body for the sport ( football association ). The oldest of such tournament was England's FA Cup , first played in 1871 . The format of domestic cups vary from country to country but they usually share many characteristics. The tournament
30-419: Is typically a knockout format where matchups can be played as a single match or a two-legged tie . Teams may enter the tournament in different rounds depending on their league rank. Lower ranked teams would enter in earlier rounds or in a qualifier for the main tournament. A domestic cup will be played over several months and runs concurrently with the league season. The winner of a domestic cup may qualify to
36-718: The two main domestic association football tournaments of the league and association cup, also created a new national footballing achievement called the domestic " treble ". The first national league treble of this kind was won by Shamrock Rovers of the Republic of Ireland in 1925. League cups were generally introduced after the Second World War – for example, the Football League Cup in England in 1960 – although in other countries they were created following
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