The Taça de Portugal (Portuguese pronunciation: [ˈtasɐ ðɨ puɾtuˈɣal]; "Cup of Portugal") is an annual association football competition and the premier knockout tournament in Portuguese football. For sponsorship reasons, it has been known as Taça de Portugal Placard since the 2015–16 season.[1] Organised by the Portuguese Football Federation since it was first held in 1938, the competition is open to professional and amateur clubs from the top-four league divisions. Matches are played from August–September to May–June, and the final is traditionally held at the Estádio Nacional in Oeiras, near Lisbon. The winners qualify for the Supertaça Cândido de Oliveira (or the runners-up, in case the winners are also the league champions) and the UEFA Europa League (unless they already qualify for the UEFA Champions League through league placing).

Taça de Portugal
Founded1938 (1922, as Campeonato de Portugal)
RegionPortugal
Number of teams155 (current season)
Qualifier forUEFA Europa League
Domestic cup(s)Supertaça Cândido de Oliveira
Current championsPorto (19th title)
Most successful club(s)Benfica (26 titles)
Television broadcastersRTP1
SportTV
Canal 11
WebsiteOfficial Website
2023–24 Taça de Portugal

Before 1938, a similar competition was held since 1922 under the name Campeonato de Portugal (English: Championship of Portugal), which determined the national champions from among the different regional championship winners. The establishment of the Primeira Liga, a nationwide league-based competition, as the official domestic championship in 1938, led to the conversion of the Campeonato de Portugal into the main domestic cup competition, under its current designation. In fact, the trophy awarded to the Portuguese Cup winners is the same that was awarded to the Campeonato de Portugal winners, although titles in each competition are counted separately.

The first winners of the Taça de Portugal were Académica, who defeated Benfica 4–3 in the 1939 final. Benfica are the most successful team in the competition, with 26 trophies in 38 final appearances. Porto are the current holders, after beating Braga in the 2023 final.

History edit

 
Replica of the Taça de Portugal trophy first awarded to Académica de Coimbra in 1939.

The first incarnation of a Portuguese Cup began in 1912, as an invitational tournament organized by SC Império; it was named after the organizing club, as "Taça do Império" (not to be confused with a similarly named, but unrelated, Taça Império - the one-off trophy for the inaugural match at the National Stadium on 10 June 1944). Because of its closed format, with very few clubs taking part, the Portuguese Federation does not recognise it as a true "national cup"; it ended in 1918.

The inaugural season of the "Campeonato de Portugal" (Championship of Portugal) took place in 1921–22, and this competition was played every season until 1937–38. The original format had all the clubs participating in regional leagues, with the regional winners progressing to knock-out rounds, and the ultimate victors named Champions of Portugal. This was the primary tournament in Portugal, until the creation of the round-robin competition in 1934-35 - in fact, the Champions moniker of this early period can be misleading, as the modern concept of "champion" applies to the league champion (i.e., for statistical purposes, the winners of this Campeonato de Portugal are no longer counted among Portuguese League champions). The short period of coexistence between two championships meant considerable confusion, and was pointed as a reason for lack of competitiveness in contemporary international matches - therefore, a revamp was bound to happen.

The success of the older competition meant it was carried over after the reorganization of Football competitions in 1938–39, albeit losing its top status: the (round-robin) league carried the name Campeonato (or, in its longform, "Campeonato Nacional da Primeira Divisão"), and the old Campeonato de Portugal was renamed "Taça de Portugal" (Portuguese Cup) for the 1938–39 season. The Cup soon became the second-most important trophy in Portuguese football.

The Cup is organised by the Portuguese Football Federation (Federação Portuguesa de Futebol) and is played by all teams in the Primeira Liga, Segunda Liga (excluding the B teams), Campeonato Nacional de Seniores (excluding reserve teams), 22 District Championships runners-up and by 18 District Cups winners.[2]

Format edit

As of the 2008–09 season, the cup is composed of 8 rounds (final included), with 1st level clubs joining at the 3rd round, the 2nd level clubs joining at the 2nd round and the 3rd and lower-level clubs competing from the beginning. All rounds are played in a single game, except for the semifinals.[2]

Final venues edit

The final match has been played at the Estádio Nacional near Lisbon in Jamor every season since 1946, except in 1961 (in a rare occurrence, Estádio das Antas was chosen as a more convenient venue for both Leixões and FC Porto, despite being the home of the latter; an agreement was reached by both teams due to geographical proximity and capacity); in the three years following the Carnation Revolution; in the 1982–83 season, due to FC Porto's pressure. In the years following the Carnation Revolution, the venue for the final match would be the home ground of the team that had won the Portuguese Cup the previous year; however, when Boavista won the Cup twice in a row, its home ground (Estádio do Bessa) was deemed too small and the matches were instead played in Estádio das Antas (FC Porto's former home ground).[citation needed]

Finals edit

Campeonato de Portugal (1922–1938) edit

Campeonato de Portugal finals
Season Winners Result Runners-up Date Venue
1922 Porto 2–1 Sporting CP 4 June 1922 Campo da Constituição, Porto
0–2 11 June 1922 Campo Grande, Lisbon
3–1 (a.e.t.) 18 June 1922 Campo do Bessa, Porto
1922–23 Sporting CP 3–0 Académica 24 June 1923 Santo Estádio, Faro
1923–24 Olhanense 4–2 Porto 8 June 1924 Campo Grande, Lisbon
1924–25 Porto (2) 2–1 Sporting CP 28 June 1925 Campo de Monserrate, Viana do Castelo
1925–26 Marítimo 2–0[a] Belenenses 6 June 1926 Campo do Ameal, Porto
1926–27 Belenenses 3–0 Vitória de Setúbal 12 June 1927 Estádio do Lumiar, Lisbon
1927–28 Carcavelinhos 3–1 Sporting CP 30 June 1928 Campo de Palhavã, Lisbon
1928–29 Belenenses (2) 3–1 União de Lisboa 16 June 1929
1929–30 Benfica 3–1 (a.e.t.) Barreirense 1 June 1930 Campo Grande, Lisbon
1930–31 Benfica (2) 3–0 Porto 28 June 1931 Campo do Arnado, Coimbra
1931–32 Porto (3) 4–4 (a.e.t.) Belenenses 30 June 1932
2–1 17 July 1932
1932–33 Belenenses (3) 3–1 Sporting CP 2 July 1933 Estádio do Lumiar, Lisbon
1933–34 Sporting CP (2) 4–3 (a.e.t.) Barreirense 8 July 1934
1934–35 Benfica (3) 2–1 Sporting CP 30 June 1935
1935–36 Sporting CP (3) 3–1 Belenenses 7 July 1936
1936–37 Porto (4) 3–2 Sporting CP 4 July 1937 Campo do Arnado, Coimbra
1937–38 Sporting CP (4) 3–1 Benfica 26 June 1938 Estádio do Lumiar, Lisbon

Performance by club edit

Club Winners Runners-up Winning years Runner-up years
Sporting CP 4 6 1923, 1934, 1936, 1938 1922, 1925, 1928, 1933, 1935, 1937
Porto 4 2 1922, 1925, 1932, 1937 1924, 1931
Belenenses 3 3 1927, 1929, 1933 1926, 1932, 1936
Benfica 3 1 1930, 1931, 1935 1938
Olhanense 1 0 1924
Marítimo 1 0 1926
Carcavelinhos 1 0 1928
Barreirense 0 2 1930, 1934
Académica 0 1 1923
Vitória de Setúbal 0 1 1927
União de Lisboa 0 1 1929

Taça de Portugal (1938–present) edit

Taça de Portugal finals
Season Winners Result Runners-up Date Venue
1938–39 Académica 4–3 Benfica 25 June 1939 Campo das Salésias, Lisbon
1939–40 Benfica 3–1 Belenenses 7 July 1940 Estádio do Lumiar, Lisbon
1940–41 Sporting CP 4–1 Belenenses 22 June 1941 Campo das Salésias, Lisbon
1941–42 Belenenses 2–0 Vitória de Guimarães 12 June 1942 Estádio do Lumiar, Lisbon
1942–43 Benfica (2) 5–1 Vitória de Setúbal 20 June 1943 Campo das Salésias, Lisbon
1943–44 Benfica (3) 8–0 Estoril Praia 28 May 1944
1944–45 Sporting CP (2) 1–0 Olhanense 1 July 1945
1945–46 Sporting CP (3) 4–2 Atlético CP 30 June 1946 Estádio Nacional, Jamor
1946–47 Not held due to overscheduling
1947–48 Sporting CP (4) 3–1 Belenenses 4 July 1948 Estádio Nacional, Jamor
1948–49 Benfica (4) 2–1 Atlético CP 12 June 1949
1949–50 Not held, due to the Latin Cup being held at Estádio Nacional
1950–51 Benfica (5) 5–1 Académica 10 June 1951 Estádio Nacional, Jamor
1951–52 Benfica (6) 5–4 Sporting CP 15 June 1952
1952–53 Benfica (7) 5–0 Porto 28 June 1953
1953–54 Sporting CP (5) 3–2 Vitória de Setúbal 27 June 1954
1954–55 Benfica (8) 2–1 Sporting CP 12 June 1955
1955–56 Porto 2–0 Torreense 27 May 1956
1956–57 Benfica (9) 3–1 Sporting da Covilhã 2 June 1957
1957–58 Porto (2) 1–0 Benfica 15 June 1958
1958–59 Benfica (10) 1–0 Porto 19 July 1959
1959–60 Belenenses (2) 2–1 Sporting CP 3 July 1960
1960–61 Leixões 2–0 Porto 9 July 1961 Estádio das Antas, Porto
1961–62 Benfica (11) 3–0 Vitória de Setúbal 1 July 1962 Estádio Nacional, Jamor
1962–63 Sporting CP (6) 4–0 Vitória de Guimarães 30 June 1963
1963–64 Benfica (12) 6–2 Porto 5 July 1964
1964–65 Vitória de Setúbal 3–1 Benfica 4 July 1965
1965–66 Braga 1–0 Vitória de Setúbal 22 May 1966
1966–67 Vitória de Setúbal (2) 3–2 (a.e.t.) Académica 9 July 1967
1967–68 Porto (3) 2–1 Vitória de Setúbal 16 June 1968
1968–69 Benfica (13) 2–1 (a.e.t.) Académica 22 June 1969
1969–70 Benfica (14) 3–1 Sporting CP 14 June 1970
1970–71 Sporting CP (7) 4–1 Benfica 27 June 1971
1971–72 Benfica (15) 3–2 (a.e.t.) Sporting CP 4 June 1972
1972–73 Sporting CP (8) 3–2 Vitória de Setúbal 17 June 1973
1973–74 Sporting CP (9) 2–1 (a.e.t.) Benfica 9 June 1974
1974–75 Boavista 2–1 Benfica 14 June 1975 Estádio José Alvalade, Lisbon
1975–76 Boavista (2) 2–1 Vitória de Guimarães 12 June 1976 Estádio das Antas, Porto
1976–77 Porto (4) 1–0 Braga 18 May 1977
1977–78 Sporting CP (10) 1–1 (a.e.t.) Porto 18 June 1978 Estádio Nacional, Jamor
2–1 24 June 1978
1978–79 Boavista (3) 1–1 (a.e.t.) Sporting CP 30 June 1979
1–0 1 July 1979
1979–80 Benfica (16) 1–0 Porto 7 June 1980
1980–81 Benfica (17) 3–1 Porto 6 June 1981
1981–82 Sporting CP (11) 4–0 Braga 29 May 1982
1982–83 Benfica (18) 1–0 Porto 21 August 1983 Estádio das Antas, Porto
1983–84 Porto (5) 4–1 Rio Ave 1 May 1984 Estádio Nacional, Jamor
1984–85 Benfica (19) 3–1 Porto 10 June 1985
1985–86 Benfica (20) 2–0 Belenenses 27 April 1986
1986–87 Benfica (21) 2–1 Sporting CP 7 June 1987
1987–88 Porto (6) 1–0 Vitória de Guimarães 19 June 1988
1988–89 Belenenses (3) 2–1 Benfica 28 May 1989
1989–90 Estrela da Amadora 1–1 (a.e.t.) Farense 27 May 1990
2–0 3 June 1990
1990–91 Porto (7) 3–1 (a.e.t.) Beira-Mar 2 June 1991
1991–92 Boavista (4) 2–1 Porto 24 May 1992
1992–93 Benfica (22) 5–2 Boavista 10 June 1993
1993–94 Porto (8) 0–0 (a.e.t.) Sporting CP 5 June 1994
2–1 (a.e.t.) 10 June 1994
1994–95 Sporting CP (12) 2–0 Marítimo 10 June 1995
1995–96 Benfica (23) 3–1 Sporting CP 18 May 1996
1996–97 Boavista (5) 3–2 Benfica 10 June 1997
1997–98 Porto (9) 3–1 Braga 14 June 1998
1998–99 Beira-Mar 1–0 Campomaiorense 16 June 1999
1999–00 Porto (10) 1–1 (a.e.t.) Sporting CP 21 May 2000
2–0 25 May 2000
2000–01 Porto (11) 2–0 Marítimo 10 June 2001
2001–02 Sporting CP (13) 1–0 Leixões 12 May 2002
Replay matches abolished
2002–03 Porto (12) 1–0 União de Leiria 15 June 2003 Estádio Nacional, Jamor
2003–04 Benfica (24) 2–1 (a.e.t.) Porto 16 May 2004
2004–05 Vitória de Setúbal (3) 2–1 Benfica 29 May 2005
2005–06 Porto (13) 1–0 Vitória de Setúbal 14 May 2006
2006–07 Sporting CP (14) 1–0 Belenenses 27 May 2007
2007–08 Sporting CP (15) 2–0 (a.e.t.) Porto 18 May 2008
2008–09 Porto (14) 1–0 Paços de Ferreira 31 May 2009
2009–10 Porto (15) 2–1 Chaves 16 May 2010
2010–11 Porto (16) 6–2 Vitória de Guimarães 22 May 2011
2011–12 Académica (2) 1–0 Sporting CP 20 May 2012
2012–13 Vitória de Guimarães 2–1 Benfica 26 May 2013
2013–14 Benfica (25) 1–0 Rio Ave 18 May 2014
2014–15 Sporting CP (16) 2–2 (3–1 p) Braga 31 May 2015
2015–16 Braga (2) 2–2 (4–2 p) Porto 22 May 2016
2016–17 Benfica (26) 2–1 Vitória de Guimarães 28 May 2017
2017–18 Desportivo das Aves 2–1 Sporting CP 20 May 2018
2018–19 Sporting CP (17) 2–2 (5–4 p) Porto 25 May 2019
2019–20 Porto (17) 2–1 Benfica 1 August 2020 Estádio Cidade de Coimbra, Coimbra
2020–21 Braga (3) 2–0 Benfica 23 May 2021
2021–22 Porto (18) 3–1 Tondela 22 May 2022 Estádio Nacional, Jamor
2022–23 Porto (19) 2–0 Braga 4 June 2023

Performance by club edit

Club Winners Runners-up Winning years Runner-up years
Benfica 26 12 1940, 1943, 1944, 1949, 1951, 1952, 1953, 1955, 1957, 1959, 1962, 1964, 1969, 1970, 1972, 1980, 1981, 1983, 1985, 1986, 1987, 1993, 1996, 2004, 2014, 2017 1939, 1958, 1965, 1971, 1974, 1975, 1989, 1997, 2005, 2013, 2020, 2021
Porto 19 14 1956, 1958, 1968, 1977, 1984, 1988, 1991, 1994, 1998, 2000, 2001, 2003, 2006, 2009, 2010, 2011, 2020, 2022, 2023 1953, 1959, 1961, 1964, 1978, 1980, 1981, 1983, 1985, 1992, 2004, 2008, 2016, 2019
Sporting CP 17 12 1941, 1945, 1946, 1948, 1954, 1963, 1971, 1973, 1974, 1978, 1982, 1995, 2002, 2007, 2008, 2015, 2019 1952, 1955, 1960, 1970, 1972, 1979, 1987, 1994, 1996, 2000, 2012, 2018
Boavista 5 1 1975, 1976, 1979, 1992, 1997 1993
Vitória de Setúbal 3 7 1965, 1967, 2005 1943, 1954, 1962, 1966, 1968, 1973, 2006
Belenenses 3 5 1942, 1960, 1989 1940, 1941, 1948, 1986, 2007
Braga 3 5 1966, 2016, 2021 1977, 1982, 1998, 2015, 2023
Académica 2 3 1939, 2012 1951, 1967, 1969
Vitória de Guimarães 1 6 2013 1942, 1963, 1976, 1988, 2011, 2017
Leixões 1 1 1961 2002
Beira-Mar 1 1 1999 1991
Estrela da Amadora 1 0 1990
Desportivo das Aves 1 0 2018
Atlético CP 0 2 1946, 1949
Marítimo 0 2 1995, 2001
Rio Ave 0 2 1984, 2014
Estoril Praia 0 1 1944
Olhanense 0 1 1945
Torreense 0 1 1956
Sporting da Covilhã 0 1 1957
Farense 0 1 1990
Campomaiorense 0 1 1999
União de Leiria 0 1 2003
Paços de Ferreira 0 1 2009
Chaves 0 1 2010
Tondela 0 1 2022

See also edit

Notes edit

  1. ^ Belenenses walked off on the 50th minute to protest the officiating.

References edit

  1. ^ "Agora a Taça de Portugal é Placard" [Now the Portuguese Cup is Placard] (in Portuguese). Portuguese Football Federation. 19 November 2015. Retrieved 19 November 2015.
  2. ^ a b "REGULAMENTO Taça de Portugal de Futebol Masculino" (in Portuguese). Artigo 9.º Qualificação. Retrieved 26 May 2019.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: location (link)

Further reading edit

  • Lebre, Fernando; Ribeiro, Magda (October 2007). Taça de Portugal: Décadas de paixão [Portuguese Cup: Decades of passion] (First ed.). Sete Caminhos. ISBN 978-989-602-121-4.

External links edit