Slovenian Football Cup

The Slovenian Football Cup (Slovene: Pokal Nogometne zveze Slovenije, [pɔˈkáːl nɔgɔˈméːtnɛ ˈzʋéːzɛ slɔˈʋèːnijɛ]), is the top knockout tournament of Slovenian football and the second most important football competition in Slovenia after the Slovenian PrvaLiga championship. The cup was established in 1991 after local clubs had abandoned the Yugoslav First League and Yugoslav Cup competitions following the breakup of Yugoslavia.

Contents

• List of finals
• List of winners
• References

The cup is contested by a total of 28 clubs: 18 lower level sides qualify via regional cups organised by the Intercommunal football associations. They are joined by the 6 lower placed top flight clubs and are reduced to 12 clubs through the first round proper. They are then joined by the best 4 top flight clubs who automatically enter the second round proper. The games are played in a single leg knock-out format until the quarter-finals and semi-finals when home and away matches are played and aggregate scores are taken into account. Since 2005 the final is also held as a single-legged match, although it was a two-legged affair in the period between 1994 and 2004.

As of 2016, a total of 13 clubs have reached the cup finals and the most successful side in the history of the competition is Maribor, who have triumphed 9 times in their 13 cup final appearances. They are followed by Olimpija, who won 4 titles before folding in 2004. Primorje hold the record for most appearances in the final without winning the title, finishing as runners-up in three consecutive finals between 1996 and 1998. Aluminij is the only side from outside the top flight which managed to reach the cup final, having finished as runners-up in 2002 after a 6–1 aggregate defeat to Gorica.