Major trophy
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"Major trophy" is a term used in football (soccer) to indicate a trophy or competition of high status, one which is seen as a significant achievement for top-rank football clubs to win. These are competitions which are open to every team in a country or continent, are typically involve a large number of matches, and are regarded as being contests of importance. Quality of opponents, public and media interest, prize money and the competition's history all play a part in judging whether a competition is "major" or not.
In general, the term is used for the national league competition, the national cup competition as well as continental competitions that are seen as being of significance.[2] Some countries also have a league cup or other secondary cup competition; in some places (such as Portugal's Taça da Liga) it may be considered a "major trophy,"[3] while in other countries it is not afforded any importance, such as Israel's Toto Cup.[4]
Super cups, contested by the winners of the previous year's league and cup, are not generally considered "major trophies," as they only consist of a single game and many teams treat the games as friendlies. However, some super cups, such as the Supercopa de España, are considered major trophies in their countries.[5]
The significance of a trophy can change over time. For example, the English Football League Cup (the modern EFL Cup) was originally not taken seriously, with many top teams not entering when the competition was created in the 1960s.[6] Up to the 1990s, many teams such as Manchester United and Arsenal fielded youth and reserve players in the competition to give first-team players a rest.[7][8] When it was sponsored by Worthington, it was nicknamed the "Worthless Cup."[9] However, in the 21st century the competition has increased in importance,[10] in part because the winners receive a lucrative place in European competition for the following season.[11]
Pre-season tournaments such as Emirates Cup, Teresa Herrera Trophy, International Champions Cup and the Amsterdam Tournament are also not considered major trophies; teams compete in them simply to gain money and exposure, and winning them is not considered a serious achievement.
Sample list of major trophies
[edit]England
[edit]Considered major trophies
[edit]- Premier League (formerly the FA Premier League)
- Football League First Division (a major trophy until 1992, when it was replaced by the FA Premier League)
- FA Cup
- EFL Cup (formerly the Football League Cup)[12][13]
Not considered major trophies
[edit]- FA Community Shield (formerly the Charity Shield)[14]
- All leagues below the Premier League
- EFL Trophy
- Full Members' Cup (played 1985–1992)
- All other cup competitions[15]
- Pre-season tournaments
European competitions
[edit]Considered major trophies
[edit]- UEFA Champions League (formerly the European Cup)[16]
- UEFA Europa League (formerly the UEFA Cup)[17]
- UEFA Conference League[18]
- UEFA Cup Winners' Cup (defunct since 1999)[19]
Debatable status
[edit]- Inter-Cities Fairs Cup (defunct since 1971)[2][20][21]
Not considered major trophies
[edit]- UEFA Super Cup[22]
- Intertoto Cup (previously the International Football Cup; defunct since 2005)[15]
- Anglo-Italian Cup[23]
World competitions
[edit]Considered major trophies
[edit]- FIFA Club World Cup (formerly the FIFA Club World Championship)[24]
- FIFA Intercontinental Cup[25][26]
International football
[edit]Considered major trophies
[edit]- FIFA World Cup
- All continental competitions: Africa Cup of Nations, AFC Asian Cup, UEFA European Championship, CONCACAF Gold Cup, OFC Nations Cup, Copa América
- Olympic Games football tournament[27]
Debatable status
[edit]Not considered major trophies
[edit]- FIFA Confederations Cup (defunct since 2017)
- British Home Championship (defunct since 1984)[31]
- Other regional cups, such as the area competitions of Africa or the Caribbean Cup
References
[edit]- ^ Athletic, The (August 10, 2024). "Whether or not it counts as a trophy, the Community Shield matters". The New York Times.
- ^ a b Jeanes, Will; Caulkin, George (March 16, 2025). "How bad is Newcastle's trophy drought according to the numbers? (Very bad)". The New York Times – via NYTimes.com.
- ^ "Braga beat Estoril on penalties to lift Taça da Liga trophy". OneFootball. June 22, 2025.
- ^ "A complete culture change in Beitar Jerusalem | The Jerusalem Post". The Jerusalem Post | JPost.com. August 14, 2019.
- ^ "Lewandowski stars as Barcelona clinch 100th major trophy, Szczęsny sees red - English Section". www.polskieradio.pl.
- ^ "Should clubs be allowed to opt out of the League Cup? - Ian Hart". SussexWorld. August 30, 2018.
- ^ "Manchester United - RedWeb3 - Treble Winners: 1998-1999 Manchester United 2:1 Nottingham Forest". homepage.eircom.net.
- ^ "Football: Coca-Cola Cup - League will not punish 'reserve' sides". Independent.co.uk.
- ^ "Worthless Cup?". November 6, 2001 – via news.bbc.co.uk.
- ^ Cox, Sam (October 25, 2016). "Is the EFL Cup now more important than the FA Cup?". FootballFanCast.
- ^ "Carabao Cup: Uefa Europa Conference League place awaits winners". BBC Sport. September 15, 2020.
- ^ "Newcastle win Carabao Cup to finally end trophy drought as Howe becomes legend". talkSPORT. March 16, 2025.
- ^ Stewart, Ben (May 8, 2025). "Arsenal trophy drought: Last time every Premier League club won a trophy". Planet Football.
- ^ "Is the Community Shield a major trophy & who has won it most? How English football's Super Cup is viewed | Goal.com". www.goal.com. August 8, 2024.
- ^ a b sport, Guardian (March 19, 2025). "The 'big' teams that haven't won a major trophy for at least 10 years". The Guardian.
- ^ Sanderson, Mark (March 29, 2025). "Every trophy across Europe's top five leagues have been ranked in order - by prestige". GiveMeSport.
- ^ "Tottenham Hotspur secures first major trophy since 2008 defeating Manchester United in UEFA Europa League final". The Economic Times. May 22, 2025 – via The Economic Times - The Times of India.
- ^ "Real Betis v Chelsea: Is the Conference League a major trophy?". BBC Sport. May 27, 2025.
- ^ "The official website for European football". UEFA.com.
- ^ "Inter City Fairs Cup - Trophy Room". www.trophyroom.co.uk.
- ^ "Why Newcastle's last major trophy doesn't actually count". The Irish Sun. January 8, 2025.
- ^ Glendenning, Barry (August 12, 2021). "The Super Cup only counts as a trophy if your team happens to win it". The Guardian.
- ^ Ben Hayward (April 10, 2025). "Tottenham trophies: all major Spurs silverware since 1882". FourFourTwo.
- ^ Kilvington, Ross (February 15, 2025). "English football clubs with the most major trophies". FootballFanCast.
- ^ Flood, George (December 18, 2024). "Ancelotti makes Real Madrid history with Intercontinental Cup triumph". The Standard.
- ^ "Carlo Ancelotti makes more history! Revered tactician sets himself apart from past Real Madrid managers as Los Blancos claim Intercontinental Cup | Goal.com". www.goal.com. December 18, 2024.
- ^ https://www.olympics.com/en/news/neymar-aiming-to-end-brazil-s-wait-for-olympic-football-gold
- ^ "Portugal's impressive Nations League win over Spain outshines Ronaldo vs. Yamal". ESPN.com. June 8, 2025.
- ^ "The official website for European football". UEFA.com.
- ^ "Optus Sport". sport.optus.com.au.
- ^ "England football managers". 888sport.