The Norwegian Football Cup (Norwegian: Norgesmesterskapet i fotball for herrer) is the main knockout cup competition in Norwegian football. It is run by the Football Association of Norway and has been contested since 1902, making it the oldest football tournament in the country. The tournament is commonly known as Cupen ("The Cup"), NM or NM Cup (NM Cupen), an acronym formed from Norgesmesterskap ("Norwegian Championship"). These terms are used to describe both the men's and women's competitions. The equivalent competition for women's teams is the Norwegian Women's Football Cup.
The Norwegian Football Cup is a national championship, meaning that while the Eliteserien may be the most prestigious competition to win, it is the winners of the Cup who are awarded the title "Norwegian football champions". This differs from, for example, English football, where the winners of the Premier League are the ones who become English champions.
Winners receive the King's trophy. Winners also qualify for the Europa Conference League second qualifying round and a place in the Mesterfinalen, the Norwegian super cup match. The current Norwegian champions and holders of the cup are Molde, who defeated Bodø/Glimt 1–0 in the 2022 final. Odd and Rosenborg are the most successful clubs with 12 titles each.
History
The first cup was played in 1902, and Oscar II presented the King's Cup to the inaugural tournament. This was an invitation tournament organised by Kristiania IF and the Norwegian Football Association, which was later given official status. Five teams joined the competition, and Odd reached the final without playing a match. Grane won the first Norwegian Cup after they defeated Odd 2–0 at Gamle Frogner Stadion, Kristiania. The first tournament who had official status at the time of the events was the 1904 Norwegian Cup and was won by Odd.[1] In the beginning, the cup was open for county champions only. This continued until 1917, when the cup was opened for all clubs of a certain standing. League football began with the 1937–38 season, and Fredrikstad became the first team to win a domestic double by winning both the league and the cup in the same year. Due to the outbreak of World War II, the competition was not played between the 1940 and 1945 editions. The competition was not nationwide until 1963. 1963 was the first year clubs from Northern Norway were allowed to participate, this was due to a poor communication system in the northern parts of Norway and to the belief that the clubs in the three northern counties could not compete on the same level as the southern clubs (Bodø/Glimt – one of the two northern newcomers – did stay in the cup to the fourth round that year). Until 1963, teams from Northern Norway competed in their own Northern Norwegian Championships.
Before the 2004 cup final, NRK awarded the 1986 final between Tromsø and Lillestrøm with the title Tidenes Cupfinale (Best cup final ever), and ex-Rosenborg striker Gøran Sørloth with Tidenes Cuphelt (Best cup hero ever).
The final has been played at Ullevaal Stadion since the 1948 cup final.
Format
Overview
Before the proper rounds take place, two qualifying rounds are played in March and April. 176 clubs from tier 4 and 5 enter the first qualifying round and 44 of these advance to the first round where they are joined by 84 teams from tiers 1, 2 and 3.
The first round of the cup are played in April, around the same time as the Eliteserien season starts. The first two rounds are set up by the Norwegian Football Association, and the top flight teams are usually pitted against fairly weak amateur teams, often in rural areas, on the amateur team's home pitch. Early upsets, where an amateur team knocks a professional team out of the tournament do happen occasionally. For example, in 2012 the Eliteserien teams Sandnes Ulf and Sogndal were knocked out in the first round by the third division (fourth tier) teams Staal Jørpeland IL and Florø SK respectively.[2] Even if the amateur team loses, squaring off against a professional team may well be the highlight of their season.
From the third round to the semi-final, matchups are drawn at random, the teams face off once, and the winner goes on to the next round. The final match is played at Ullevaal Stadium (national stadium) in November or December, and takes place near the end of the Norwegian football season.
The cup is very popular in Norway, and tickets for the final match are hard to get hold of, as the game usually sells out quickly. The supporters of the two teams playing in the final match are seated at the two short-ends of the pitch, while the more neutral supporters are seated by the long-ends. The match is also televised on national television.
Schedule
Most entrants from level 4 and all entrants from level 5 have to play to qualifying rounds to join the competition proper.[3] Reserve teams of Eliteserien clubs, who are eligible to play in 2. divisjon (level 3) cannot enter. Depending on the number of reserve teams, the first round proper will be filled with the best clubs from level 4 until the number of teams from levels 1–4 is 84. Clubs from higher levels are then added in the first round, as per the table below. The months in which rounds are played are traditional, with exact dates subject to each year's calendar.
Round
New entrants at this round
Month
No of matches
Qualifying Competition
First Qualifying Round
Level 4 and 5 clubs
March
88
Second Qualifying Round
none
April
44
Competition Proper
First Round
Level 1, 2 and 3 clubs
April
64
Second Round
none
May
32
Third Round
16
Fourth Round
June
8
Quarter-finals
August
4
Semi-finals
September
2
Final
December
1
Tiebreaking
In all rounds, if a fixture result in a draw after normal time, the winner is settled by a period of extra time, and if still necessary, a penalty shootout. Earlier, fixtures resulting in a draw (after normal time) would go to a replay, played at the venue of the away team.
The first Cup Final to go to a replay was the 1945 final, between Lyn and Fredrikstad. The initial tie finished 1–1 and the first replay also finished 1–1. Lyn won the second replay 4–0. The only other time the final has taken three matches to settle was the 1965 final between Oslo rivals Skeid and Frigg (2–2, 1–1, 2–1). The last replayed final was the 1995 final, when Rosenborg and Brann fought a 1–1 draw. The replay saw Rosenborg win the Cup, with the score 3–1. The first final to be decided by a penalty shootout was the 2009 final between Molde and Aalesund. The score ended 1–1 after normal time and 2–2 after extra time. Aalesund won the final 5–4 on penalties.
Qualification for subsequent competitions
European football
Prior to 2020, the Cup winners qualified for the following season's UEFA Europa League (formerly named the UEFA Cup; from its launch in 1960 until 1998, they entered the now-defunct UEFA Cup Winners' Cup instead). Effecting from the 2020 Norwegian Cup, winners qualify for the UEFA Europa Conference League. This European place applies even if the team is relegated or is not in the Norwegian top flight. In the past, if the Cup winning team also qualified for the following season's Champions League or Europa League through their league position, then the losing Cup finalist were given this European berth instead. Norwegian Cup winners enter the Europa League at the second qualifying round. Losing finalists, if they haven't qualified for Europe via the league, began earlier, at the first qualifying round. From the 2015–16 UEFA Europa League season, however, UEFA does not allow the runners-up to qualify for the Europa League through the competition.[4] If the winner – and until 2015, the runner-up – has already qualified for Europe through their league position (with the exception of the UEFA Cup until 1998), the Cup berth was then given to the highest-place team in the league who has not yet qualified.
Mesterfinalen
The Cup winners also qualify for the following season's single-match Mesterfinalen, a season opener played against the previous season's Eliteserien champions (or the Eliteserien runners-up if the Cup winners also won the league – the double).
Since 1978, an official cup for women's clubs has also been played. The women's cup final is usually played on a Saturday, the day before the men's cup final. The 1978 cup final between BUL and Trondheims-Ørn was the only Norwegian cup final to be decided on penalties.
Before the 2006 final, the Norwegian Football Association decided that the Women's final would be played at Bislett Stadium instead of Ullevaal Stadion, which caused some debate. The Football Association claimed that two matches over one weekend would cause too much wear on the Ullevaal pitch, while representatives for the clubs claimed that the move was discriminating against women's football. When the semi-finals of the 2006 cup were drawn, all 4 clubs boycotted the draw in a protest against the move.
↑ Andersen, Espen (2007). Det store gjennombruddet. Norsk fotballs kulturhistorie 1885–1925[The big breakthrough. Norwegian fotball's cultural history 1885–1925] (in Norwegian). Oslo. pp.207–208. ISBN9788250204102.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: location missing publisher (link)
↑ After a protest from Odd during the original 1909 Final, which was caused by Odd refusing to play on after conceding what they saw as an offside goal – the Norwegian Football Federation annulled the Second Half. A replacement Referee – Thorvald Torgersen – was appointed and the 2nd Half and Extra Time were replayed in full – http://www.rsssf.no/1909/fcup
Fotballklubben Bodø/Glimt is a Norwegian professional football club from the town of Bodø that currently plays in Eliteserien, the Norwegian top division. The club was founded in 1916 and is frequently referred to by its original club name, "Glimt".
Vålerenga Fotball is a Norwegian association football club from Oslo and a part of the multi-sport club Vålerengens IF and compete in the Norwegian first division after being relegated after the 2023 season, finishing 14th out of 16. Founded in 1913, the club is named after the neighbourhood of Vålerenga. Vålerenga's home ground is Intility Arena, located in Valle-Hovin. Vålerenga are five-time league champions and four-time Norwegian Football Cup champions, having last won the league in 2005 and the cup in 2008. Vålerenga is generally considered to be the largest football club in Oslo. It is especially known for its supporters, which are among the best and most loyal in Norwegian football.
Eliteserien is a Norwegian professional league for association football clubs. At the top of the Norwegian football league system, it is the country's primary football competition. Contested by 16 clubs, it operates on a system of promotion and relegation with the Norwegian First Division.
The 2005 Tippeligaen was the 61st completed season of top division football in Norway. The season began on 10 April 2005, and was concluded with the last of 26 rounds played on 29 October. 3 points were given for wins and 1 for draws.
The 2006 Tippeligaen was the 62nd completed season of top division football in Norway. The season began on April 9, 2006 and ended on November 5, 2006. Rosenborg became champions on October 29, with one round to go, by defeating Viking at home. The other main contenders for the title were Brann and Lillestrøm, the former securing their place as runners-up on the same day.
The 2005 season was the 100th season of competitive football in Norway.
The 2008 season was the 103rd season of competitive football in Norway.
The 2009 Norwegian Football Cup was the 104th season of the Norwegian annual knockout football tournament. The competition started with two qualifying rounds on 13 April and 22 April, and the final was held on 8 November. The defending champions were Vålerenga.
The 2010 Tippeligaen was the 66th completed season of top division football in Norway. The competition began on 14 March and ended on 7 November. Rosenborg was the defending champions, having secured their twenty-first league championship in 2009. Haugesund, Hønefoss and Kongsvinger entered as the three promoted teams from the 2009 1. divisjon. They replaced Fredrikstad, Bodø/Glimt and Lyn who were relegated to the 2010 1. divisjon.
The 2011 season was the 106th season of competitive football in Norway.
The 2011 Tippeligaen was the 67th completed season of top division football in Norway. The competition began on 20 March 2011 and ended on 27 November 2011. Rosenborg were the defending champions, having secured their twenty-second League Championship on 24 October 2010. Sogndal, Sarpsborg 08 and Fredrikstad entered as the three promoted teams from the 2010 1. divisjon. They replaced Hønefoss, Kongsvinger and Sandefjord who were relegated to the 2011 1. divisjon.
Norwegian football teams have entered Union of European Football Associations (UEFA) club competitions every season since 1960. Nineteen clubs have represented Norway in four official tournaments: the Champions League, the Europa League, the Cup Winners' Cup and the Intertoto Cup, the latter two which are now defunct. Rosenborg has participated in thirty seasons, more than any other Norwegian team, while Fyllingen, Gjøvik-Lyn, Haugar and Kongsvinger have only participated once each. No Norwegian teams have ever advanced past the quarter-finals of any tournament, with Rosenborg, Lyn, Brann, Vålerenga and Bodø/Glimt having reached one quarter-final each.
The 2013 Tippeligaen was the 69th completed season of top division football in Norway. The competition began 15 March 2013 and ended on 10 November 2013, when Strømsgodset defeated Haugesund 4–0 to win their second league title.
The 2013 Norwegian Football Cup was the 108th season of the Norwegian annual knockout football tournament. It began with qualification matches in March 2013. The first round was played 17 April 2013 and the tournament ended with the final on 24 November 2013, which Molde won by beating Rosenborg 4–2.
The 2015 Norwegian Football Cup was the 110th season of the Norwegian annual knock-out football tournament. It began with qualification matches in March 2015. The first round was played 21, 22 and 23 April 2015 and the tournament was ended with the final being held on 22 November 2015.
Mesterfinalen, also known as UNICEF Mesterfinalen due to its cooperation with UNICEF, is a Norwegian association football competition contested between the champions of the previous Eliteserien season and the holders of the Norwegian Football Cup. If the same team is both reigning League and Cup champions, the silver medalist from the league provides the opposition. The competition was founded in 2009, then known as Superfinalen. Superfinalen was not arranged between 2011 and 2016 before it was rebranded and again arranged in 2017. The fixture is a recognised competitive football super cup.
The 2018 Norwegian Football Cup final was the final match of the 2018 Norwegian Football Cup, the 113th season of the Norwegian Football Cup, the premier Norwegian football cup competition organized by the Football Association of Norway (NFF). The match was played on 2 December 2018 at the Ullevaal Stadion in Oslo, and opposed two Eliteserien sides Rosenborg and Strømsgodset. Rosenborg defeated Strømsgodset 4–1 to claim the Norwegian Cup for a twelfth time in their history and equaled Odd's record number of cup titles.
The 2022 Norwegian First Division is a Norwegian second-tier football league season.
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2024 Norwegian Football Cup 
