Balkans_Cup

Balkans Cup

Balkans Cup

Football tournament

This article is about the defunct regional football competition contested by club teams of Balkan countries. For the national teams version, see Balkan Cup. For the youth version, see Balkan Youth Championship. For the rugby league, see Balkans Cup (rugby league).

The Balkans Cup (officially Coupe Balkanique de Football)[1] was an international football competition for clubs from Albania, Bulgaria, Greece, Romania, Turkey, and Yugoslavia. It was introduced in 1961 and was very popular in the 1960s (the 1967 final attracted 42,000 spectators),[2] being the second most important international club competition for clubs from the region (after the European Champions' Cup in which the champions could play; the UEFA Cup Winners' Cup originally attracted few teams from the region as many did not organise domestic cups regularly and only Yugoslavia had significant representation in the Fairs Cup).[2] The competition has been dominated by Bulgaria-based teams. The Bulgarian teams have won together a total number of 9 titles.

Quick Facts Founded, Abolished ...

It later declined after Balkan clubs obtained more representation in the two minor UEFA competitions, in contrast to the (much older but also defunct) Balkan Cup for national teams.

Editions

The six nations which participated in the Balkans Cup (1961–1994)
Finals on Home and Away basis, except noted otherwise.
a → first leg of the final
More information Year(s) of Edition, Nr of Clubs & Format ...
  • Competition's formats:
type-A: One group of 5 clubs.
type-B: Two groups of 4, top clubs qualifying for the final.
type-C: Two groups of 3, top clubs qualifying for the final.
type-D: One group of 3 clubs.
type-E: Knock-out (Quarterfinals → Semifinals → Final).
type-F: Two groups of 3 and one group of 4, top clubs plus the best runner-up qualifying for the Knock-out Semifinals.
type-G: Knock-out (Preliminary round qualifying 2 clubs out of 4 → Semifinals → Final).
type-H: Knock-out (Preliminary round qualifying 1 club out of 2 → Semifinals → Final).
type-I: Knock-out (Semifinals → Final).

Performances

By club

When sorted by year of winning or losing final(s), the table is sorted by the year of each club's first final.

More information Club, Winners ...

By country

Clubs from Bosnia and Herzegovina, Croatia, North Macedonia, Montenegro and Serbia competed as part of SFR Yugoslavia.

More information Country, 00Winners ...

Top performer by country:

More information Country, Club ...

Participation

By club

In the 33 years of its existence, a total of 89 clubs from 6 countries appeared in the 28 Balkans Cup editions. Two of them, both Turkish, withdrawn their participation before playing a single match: Zonguldakspor in 1980–81 and Trabzonspor in 1986. Sides with 4 entries or more:

More information Club, Country ...

By country

Bulgarian and Turkish sides were present at each one of the 28 Balkans Cup editions, while Yugoslavian were absent 9 times in total, entering just twice during its last decade of existence (ironically, reaching both finals). Generally, South Slavs (both Football Association and clubs) were never keen supporters of the competition, as they had neither been enthusiastic about the national teams' Balkan Cup, too.

00Bulgaria00 Turkey 0Romania0 00Greece00 Albania Yugoslavia
000Number of different sides that entered151718151212
000Editions of Balkans Cup that
[1]Country was represented by at least one club282827272620
[2]Country's club withdrew before playing a match0—050—010—01
[3]Country was still represented by another club0—010—010—0—
[4]Country's clubs competed (=[1]-[2]+[3])282427272619
000Country's clubs were absent (=28 total editions-[4])0—0401010209
000Years/editions that country's clubs were absent—1977 to 1981
1986		1993–94
(Last Cup)		1983–841983 to 19851961 (First Cup)
1983 to 1988
1991–end
[5]Editions a club quit after playing at least one match010501040—01
000Editions a club withdrew or quit (=[2]+[5])011001050—02
[6]Editions with double entry08050603010—
[7]Total entries (=[4]-[3]+[6])362833292719
[8]Cups won090305060104
000% success in winning the Cup (=[8]÷[7]×100)25%11%15%21%04%21%
[9]Finals reached0 15040 11[6]090409
000% success in reaching the final (=[9]÷[7]×100)'42%14%33%31%15%47%

Despite the fact that in each edition there was at least one Turkish side initially entering, in no less than 5 occasions it withdrew before playing a single match and in 5 more quit during group stage, after unsuccessful results. Greeks followed with 1 withdrawal and 4 quits, while clubs from all countries had sporadically terminated their participation in some early stage of the competition, except for Albanian. Multiple winner and several other records holder Beroe Stara Zagora, became the only Bulgarian side ever to withdraw or quit a Balkans Cup match and the single one to do so in a final, by not showing up for 1970 edition's return leg against Partizani Tirana of Albania, following a 1–1 draw at home.

See also

References

  1. [1]
    sportsmemories.be
  2. [2]
    "Balkans Cup". RSSSF. Retrieved 5 January 2015.
  3. [3]
    Draw for the venue was held by FIFA President Sir Stanley Rous.
  4. [4]
    1983–84 edition not included, since contested in Group Format.
  5. [5]
    1961 edition not included, since contested in Group Format.
  6. [6]
    1961 and 1983–84 editions not included, since contested in Group Format.
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