Organising body | Football Association of Ireland |
---|---|
Founded | 1921–22 |
Region | Republic of Ireland Northern Ireland |
Number of teams | 40 |
Qualifier for | UEFA Europa Conference League |
Domestic cup(s) | President of Ireland's Cup |
Current champions | St Patrick’s Athletic (5th title) |
Most successful club(s) | Shamrock Rovers (25 titles) |
Website | fai.ie/senior-cup |
2024 FAI Cup |
The Football Association of Ireland Senior Challenge Cup [1] (FAI Cup), known as the Sports Direct FAI Cup [2] for sponsorship reasons, is a knock-out association football competition contested annually by teams from the Republic of Ireland (as well as Derry City from Northern Ireland). Organised by the FAI (Football Association of Ireland), the competition is currently sponsored by Sports Direct . It was known as the Free State Cup from 1923 to 1936. Shamrock Rovers hold the record of most wins with 25.
The current holders are St Patrick's Athletic, who won their 5th title in November 2023.
Since the early 1920s until the 1980s, all but a handful of FAI Cup finals were held at Dalymount Park, Dublin. Two replays in the 1920s were held at Shelbourne Park, the 1973 replay was held in Flower Lodge in Cork and the 1984 replay was in Tolka Park. However, since 1990, due to the lack of development of Dalymount, the final has been played at a number of different venues. From 1990 until 1997 it was played at Lansdowne Road stadium, from 1997 to 1999 back at Dalymount, from 1999 to 2002 at Tolka Park and from 2003 to 2006 back at Lansdowne Road. Due to the redevelopment of Lansdowne, the 2007 and 2008 finals were played at the RDS Arena. The 2009 final took place in Tallaght Stadium. Finals from 2010 onwards take place at the Aviva Stadium.
Shelbourne, Bohemians and Derry City are the only clubs to have won both the (Northern) Irish Cup and the FAI Cup, although Shelbourne and Bohemians only won it before partition, while Derry City remained in the Northern Irish league system until 1973, entering the League of Ireland in 1985. Alton United based in Belfast and Derry City are the only sides from outside the Republic of Ireland to win the competition.
Athlone Town in 1924, Dundalk in 1958, Shamrock Rovers in 1968 and Sligo Rovers in 2010 are the only sides ever to win the Cup without conceding a goal.
Since 2003, Irish domestic football has moved from the traditional European August–May season to a summer set-up, as favoured in Scandinavia. As an "interim" season was played in the second half of 2002, two FAI Cup Finals took place that year – Dundalk winning in April, and Derry City lifting the trophy in November.
Following the 1985 expansion of the League of Ireland to two Divisions, Bray Wanderers were the first First Division team to win the Cup, defeating non-League St. Francis in 1990. Bray were also the first team to win the Cup in a season that saw them relegated, in 1999. Dundalk were relegated in 2002 while winning the first of that year's trophies.
After two defeats in Cup Finals in the 1970s, Drogheda United finally reached the summit in 2005. Goals from Gavin Whelan (whose father, Paul, captained Bohemians to the 1992 cup and whose grandfather, Ronnie, won two cups with St. Patrick's Athletic) and captain Declan O'Brien helped "the Drogs" to a 2–0 win over Cork City.
The last soccer game to be played at the old Lansdowne Road was the 2006 final, contested between St. Patrick's Athletic and Derry City, who ran out eventual 4–3 winners after extra-time. The original FAI Cup was also retired after the game with a brand new version of the trophy to be used in the following seasons.
The largest ever win in the competition occurred on 29 November 2020 when Dundalk beat Athlone Town 11–0 at the semi-final stage. [3]
The largest ever attendance at an FAI Cup game was 43,881 people, as St Patrick's Athletic defeated Bohemians 3–1 in the 2023 FAI Cup Final at the Aviva Stadium. [4]
40 clubs compete in the FAI Cup. All clubs in the League of Ireland are automatically eligible. Clubs from Level 3–7 (non-league football) are also eligible provided they qualify from either the FAI Intermediate Cup or FAI Junior Cup competitions in the current season. All participating clubs must also have a stadium suitable for the competition.
The total number of entries in the FAI Cup has changed as Non-League football has gradually been expanded and reorganised over time. In the 2022 season, 39 clubs entered the competition. It is very rare for top clubs to miss the competition, although it can happen in exceptional circumstances.
Northern Irish sides that play in Republic of Ireland leagues are eligible. There is only one club currently competing: Derry City.
Lvl | Competition | Entering cup at | No. of clubs |
---|---|---|---|
1 | League of Ireland Premier Division | First Round | All 10 teams qualify automatically |
2 | League of Ireland First Division | First Round | All 10 teams qualify automatically |
3–7 | FAI Intermediate Cup | Preliminary Round, First Round | 16 fourth round teams |
7–12 | FAI Junior Cup | Preliminary Round | 4 semi-finalists |
The FAI Cup winners qualify for the following season's UEFA Europa Conference League. This European place applies even if the team is relegated or is not in the Republic of Ireland top flight. In the past, if the FAI Cup winning team also qualified for the following season's Champions League or Conference League through their league or European performance, then the losing FAI Cup finalists were given the European berth of the FAI Cup winners. Now the FAI Cup berth is then given to the highest-place team in the league who has not yet qualified. FAI Cup winners enter the UEFA Conference League at the Second qualifying round. Each club that qualifies for the UEFA Conference League gets prize money worth up to 10 million pounds.
The FAI Cup winners also qualify for the following season's single-match President of Ireland's Cup, the traditional season opener played against the previous season's Premier Division champions (or the Premier Divisions runners-up if the FAI Cup winners also won the league – the double).
Rank | Club | Winners | Runners-up | Winning Years |
---|---|---|---|---|
1 | Shamrock Rovers | 25 | 10 | 1924–25, 1928–29, 1929–30, 1930–31, 1931–32, 1932–33, 1935–36, 1939–40, 1943–44, 1944–45, 1947–48, 1954–55, 1955–56, 1961–62, 1963–64, 1964–65, 1965–66, 1966–67, 1967–68, 1968–69, 1977–78, 1984–85, 1985–86, 1986–87, 2019 |
2 | Dundalk | 12 | 8 | 1941–42, 1948–49, 1951–52, 1957–58, 1976–77, 1978–79, 1980–81, 1987–88, 2001–02, 2015, 2018, 2020 |
3 | Shelbourne | 7 | 12 | 1938–39, 1959–60, 1962–63, 1992–93, 1995–96, 1996–97, 1999–00 |
Bohemians | 7 | 9 | 1927–28, 1934–35, 1969–70, 1975–76, 1991–92, 2000–01, 2008 | |
5 | Derry City | 6 | 5 | 1988–1989, 1994–1995, 2002, 2006, 2012, 2022 |
6 | St Patrick's Athletic | 5 | 8 | 1958–59, 1960–61, 2014, 2021, 2023 |
Sligo Rovers | 5 | 6 | 1982–83, 1993–94, 2010, 2011, 2013 | |
Drumcondra | 5 | 4 | 1926–27, 1942–43, 1945–46, 1953–54, 1956–57 | |
9 | Cork City | 4 | 5 | 1997–98, 2007, 2016, 2017 |
10 | Waterford | 2 | 7 | 1936–37, 1979–80 |
Cork Athletic | 2 | 3 | 1950–52, 1952–53 | |
Limerick | 2 | 3 | 1970–71, 1981–82 | |
Cork/Fordsons | 2 | 2 | 1925–26, 1933–34 | |
Cork Hibernians | 2 | 2 | 1971–72, 1972–73 | |
Cork United | 2 | 2 | 1940–41, 1946–47 | |
Longford Town | 2 | 2 | 2003, 2004 | |
St. James's Gate | 2 | 2 | 1921–22, 1937–38 | |
Bray Wanderers | 2 | - | 1989–90, 1998–99 | |
19 | Drogheda United | 1 | 3 | 2005 |
Finn Harps | 1 | 1 | 1973–74 | |
Galway United | 1 | 1 | 1990–91 | |
Alton United | 1 | - | 1922–23 | |
Athlone Town | 1 | - | 1923–24 | |
Transport | 1 | - | 1949–50 | |
Home Farm | 1 | - | 1974–75 | |
UCD AFC | 1 | - | 1983–84 | |
Sporting Fingal | 1 | - | 2009 | |
28 | Cork Celtic | - | 3 | – |
Brideville | - | 2 | – | |
Dolphin | - | 2 | – | |
St. Francis | - | 1 | – |
Notes:
The League of Ireland is a league of professional football clubs from the Republic of Ireland plus Derry City from Northern Ireland. It is one of the two main governing bodies responsible for organising association football in the Republic of Ireland, along with the Football Association of Ireland. It is also the top-level football league in the Republic of Ireland since its foundation in 1921, but the term was used to refer to a single division league before the introduction of a second division in 1985.
The League of Ireland Premier Division, also known as the SSE Airtricity League Premier Division for sponsorship reasons, is the top level division in both the League of Ireland and the Republic of Ireland football league system. The division was formed in 1985 following a reorganisation of the League of Ireland. St Patrick's Athletic and Bohemians are the only current League of Ireland clubs never to have been relegated from the Premier Division. The league has been won on two occasions by Northern Ireland-based club Derry City, the presence of which within the league makes it a cross-border competition. Since 2003, the Premier Division has taken place from spring to autumn.
The 2011 FAI Senior Challenge Cup, also known as the 2011 FAI Ford Cup, is the 91st season of the national football competition of the Republic of Ireland. The winners of the competition will earn spots in both the second qualifying round of the 2012–13 UEFA Europa League and the 2012 Setanta Sports Cup.
Christopher Stephen Forrester is an Irish professional footballer who plays as a midfielder for St Patrick's Athletic in the League of Ireland Premier Division. He has also previously played for Bohemians, Peterborough United, Aberdeen and the Republic of Ireland under-21's. In March 2016 he was called up to the Republic of Ireland senior squad but has yet to be capped.
The 2012 League of Ireland Premier Division was the 28th season of the League of Ireland Premier Division. The division featured 12 teams. Sligo Rovers were champions, winning their first top league title since 1976–77. Drogheda United finished as runners-up.
The 2014 season was St. Patrick's Athletic F.C.'s 85th year in existence and was their 63rd consecutive season in the League of Ireland top division. It was the third year that Liam Buckley is the team's manager, following replacing Pete Mahon in December 2011. The Saints finished the previous season as the 2013 champions. The season was very successful on the field as the Saints began by winning the inaugural President's Cup and the Leinster Senior Cup. The biggest triumph of all however was when top scorer Christy Fagan wrote himself into the club's history books by scoring twice in a 2–0 win over Derry City in the 2014 FAI Cup Final, ending a 53-year hoodoo with the cup for the club. Pats also competed in the UEFA Champions League, the Setanta Cup and the League of Ireland Cup.
The 2016 FAI Senior Challenge Cup, also known as the 2016 FAI Irish Daily Mail Senior Cup for sponsorship reasons, was the 96th season of the national Football competition of the Republic of Ireland. The winners of the competition earned a spot in the First qualifying round of the 2017–18 UEFA Europa League.
Dundalk entered the 2016 season as the reigning League Champions and FAI Cup holders from 2014, having won the 'Double' for the first time since 1987–88. 2016 was Stephen Kenny's third season at the club as manager. It was Dundalk's seventh consecutive season in the top tier of Irish football, their 80th in all, and their 89th in the League of Ireland.
The 2018 FAI Cup was the 98th edition of the Republic of Ireland's primary national cup competition. It began with the qualifying round on 21 April 2018, and concluded with the final on 4 November 2018. The winner qualified for the 2019–20 Europa League first qualifying round.
The 2019 League of Ireland season was Bohemian Football Club's 129th year in their history and their 35th consecutive season in the League of Ireland Premier Division since it became the top tier of Irish football. Bohemians participated in various domestic cups this season, including the FAI Cup, EA Sports Cup and the Leinster Senior Cup. Bohemians also competed in the Scottish Challenge Cup.
The 2019 FAI Cup was the 99th edition of the annual Republic of Ireland's cup competition. Forty teams participated in the competition, including all teams from the Premier Division and First Division. The competition began on 19 April 2019 with the first of five rounds and ended on 3 November 2019 with the final at the Aviva Stadium in Dublin, a nominally neutral venue, which has hosted the final since 2010.
The 2020 League of Ireland Premier Division, known as the SSE Airtricity League for sponsorship reasons, was the 36th season of the League of Ireland Premier Division.
The 2020 League of Ireland season was Bohemian Football Club's 130th year in their history and their 36th consecutive season in the League of Ireland Premier Division since it became the top tier of Irish football. Bohemians were due to participate in both national domestic cup competitions this season, namely the FAI Cup and the EA Sports Cup. The latter was deferred indefinitely due to the Coronavirus pandemic. Bohemians competed in the UEFA Europa League for the first time in seven years as they qualified with a third-place finish the previous season.
The 2020 FAI Cup was the 100th edition of the Republic of Ireland's primary national cup competition. This edition featured clubs exclusively from the League of Ireland Premier Division and the First Division, whereas usually non-league teams are involved. The number of teams was reduced due to the ongoing Coronavirus pandemic. The restrictions also meant that crowds were restricted or prohibited from attending. The competition began on 10 August 2020 with the first of four rounds and concluded on 6 December 2020 with the final at the Aviva Stadium in Dublin, a neutral venue, which has hosted the final since 2010.
The 2021 League of Ireland season was Bohemian Football Club's 131st year in their history and their 37th consecutive season in the League of Ireland Premier Division since it became the top tier of Irish football. Bohemians participated in the FAI Cup, the national domestic cup competition, reaching their first final since 2008. Bohemians also competed in the inaugural UEFA Europa Conference League where they set a record for Irish clubs with four consecutive victories in European competition.
The 2022 League of Ireland Premier Division, known as the SSE Airtricity League Premier Division for sponsorship reasons, was the 38th season of the League of Ireland Premier Division, the top Irish league for association football clubs since its establishment in 1985. Shamrock Rovers were the defending champions, having won their nineteenth Premier Division title the previous season. They retained the title on 24 October as a result of Derry City drawing 0-0 away to Sligo Rovers.
The 2022 League of Ireland season was Bohemian Football Club's 132nd year in their history and their 38th consecutive season in the League of Ireland Premier Division since it became the top tier of Irish football. Bohs finished the campaign in sixth position. Bohemians also participated in the FAI Cup, exiting at the quarter final stage.
Mark Doyle is an Irish professional footballer who plays as a winger or striker for USL Championship club Rhode Island, having previously spent six seasons at Drogheda United and two seasons with St Patrick's Athletic.
The 2023 League of Ireland Premier Division, known as the SSE Airtricity League Premier Division for sponsorship reasons, was the 39th season of the League of Ireland Premier Division, the top Irish league for association football clubs since its establishment in 1985.
The 2023 League of Ireland season was Bohemian Football Club's 133rd year in their history and their 39th consecutive season in the League of Ireland Premier Division since it became the top tier of Irish football. Bohemians participated in the FAI Cup, where they reached the final for the second time in three years but lost out to fellow Dublin club St. Patrick's Athletic in front of a record 43,881 fans. In September, the club won the Leinster Senior Cup for a record 33rd time.