UEFA Super Cup facts for kids
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| Organising body | UEFA |
|---|---|
| Founded | 1972 (official since 1973) |
| Region | Europe |
| Number of teams | 2 |
| Current champions |  Manchester City(1st title) |
| Most successful club(s) |  Barcelona AC Milan Real Madrid(5 titles each) |
| Website | |
The UEFA Super Cup is an exciting annual football match. It's organized by UEFA, which is the main football body in Europe. This special match brings together the champions of Europe's two biggest club competitions: the UEFA Champions League and the UEFA Europa League.
The competition was first called the Super Competition, then the European Super Cup. In 1995, it was officially renamed the UEFA Super Cup.
From 1972 to 1999, the Super Cup was played between the winners of the European Cup (now Champions League) and the European/UEFA Cup Winners' Cup. When the Cup Winners' Cup stopped, the UEFA Super Cup started to be played between the Champions League winners and the UEFA Cup winners. The UEFA Cup was later renamed the UEFA Europa League in 2009.
The current champions are Manchester City. They won the 2023 match against Sevilla after a 1–1 draw, winning 5–4 in a penalty shootout. The teams with the most Super Cup wins are Barcelona, AC Milan, and Real Madrid. Each of these amazing clubs has won the trophy five times!
Contents
History of the UEFA Super Cup
UEFA Super Cup Winners
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Key:
Qualified as UCL winner Qualified as UCWC winner Qualified as UEL winner Abbreviations:
UCL = European Cup / UEFA Champions League UCWC = UEFA Cup Winners' Cup UEL = UEFA Cup / UEFA Europa League |
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| Season | Winner (between UCL and UCWC winners) |
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|---|---|---|
| 1973 | ||
| 1974 | ||
| 1975 | ||
| 1976 | ||
| 1977 | ||
| 1978 | ||
| 1979 | ||
| 1980 | ||
| 1981 | ||
| 1982 | ||
| 1983 | ||
| 1984 | ||
| 1985 | ||
| 1986 | ||
| 1987 | ||
| 1988 | ||
| 1989 | ||
| 1990 | ||
| 1991 | ||
| 1992 | ||
| 1993 | ||
| 1994 | ||
| 1995 | ||
| 1996 | ||
| 1997 | ||
| 1998 | ||
| 1999 | ||
| Season | Winner (between UCL and UEL winners) |
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| 2000 | ||
| 2001 | ||
| 2002 | ||
| 2003 | ||
| 2004 | ||
| 2005 | ||
| 2006 | ||
| 2007 | ||
| 2008 | ||
| 2009 | ||
| 2010 | ||
| 2011 | ||
| 2012 | ||
| 2013 | ||
| 2014 | ||
| 2015 | ||
| 2016 | ||
| 2017 | ||
| 2018 | ||
| 2019 | ||
| 2020 | ||
| 2021 | ||
| 2022 | ||
| 2023 | ||
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The idea for the European Super Cup came from Anton Witkamp in 1971. He was a sports reporter from a Dutch newspaper. At that time, Dutch football clubs, especially Ajax with their star player Johan Cruyff, were playing amazing "Total Football". Witkamp wanted to create a match to find out which team was truly the best in Europe.
He suggested that the winner of the European Cup should play against the winner of the European Cup Winners' Cup. Everything was ready for this new competition. However, the UEFA president at the time didn't officially approve it right away.
Early Unofficial and Official Matches
The 1972 final between Ajax and Scotland's Rangers is not officially recognized by UEFA. This is because Rangers were banned from European competitions due to their fans' behavior. So, UEFA didn't officially support the Super Cup until the next season. The 1972 match was played over two games, and Ajax won 6–3.
The 1973 final was the first one officially recognized by UEFA. In this match, Ajax beat AC Milan with a total score of 6–1.
Changes Over Time
For many years, the Super Cup was played over two games, one at each team's stadium. But sometimes, it was just one match because of busy schedules or political issues. For example, in 1991, Red Star Belgrade couldn't play in their home country due to war.
Some Super Cup matches were not played at all. In 1974, Bayern Munich and Magdeburg couldn't agree on a date. In 1981, Liverpool couldn't find time to play Dinamo Tbilisi. And in 1985, the match was canceled because English clubs were banned from European competitions after the Heysel Stadium disaster.
In the 1992–93 season, the European Cup became the UEFA Champions League. The winner of this competition continued to play the winner of the Cup Winners' Cup. Then, in the 1994–95 season, the European Cup Winners' Cup was renamed the UEFA Cup Winners' Cup. The next season, the Super Cup itself became the UEFA Super Cup.
After the 1998–99 season, the Cup Winners' Cup competition was stopped by UEFA. The 1999 Super Cup was the last time the winner of the Cup Winners' Cup played. In that match, Lazio beat Manchester United 1–0.
Barcelona captain Andrés Iniesta lifting the 2015 UEFA Super Cup trophy.
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Since then, the UEFA Super Cup has been played between the winners of the UEFA Champions League and the winners of the UEFA Cup. The 2000 Super Cup was the first time a UEFA Cup winner played. Galatasaray won that match against Real Madrid 2–1.
In the 2009–10 season, the UEFA Cup was renamed the UEFA Europa League. The winners of this competition still play the Champions League winners in the UEFA Super Cup.
Chelsea made history in 2013. They became the first club to have played in the Super Cup as winners of all three major UEFA club trophies: the Cup Winners' Cup (in 1998), the Champions League (in 2012), and the Europa League (in 2013). Manchester United also achieved this in 2017.
For 15 years, from 1998 to 2012, the Super Cup was always played at Stade Louis II in Monaco. But since 2013, the match is played at different stadiums each year, just like the Champions League and Europa League finals. The 2013 edition was held at Eden Stadium in Prague, Czech Republic.
The date of the UEFA Super Cup also changed in 2014. It moved from a Friday in late August to a Tuesday in mid-August.
In 2020, the Super Cup final was supposed to be in Porto, Portugal. But because of the COVID-19 pandemic in Europe, the Champions League final was moved to Portugal. So, the Super Cup was moved to September 24, 2020, and played at Puskás Aréna in Budapest, Hungary. This match was also special because it was the first official UEFA match since August 2020 to allow a small number of fans (up to 30% of the stadium's capacity) to attend.
Where the Games Are Played
The Super Cup used to be played over two games, one at each team's home stadium. But sometimes, this wasn't possible. For example, in 1991, Red Star Belgrade couldn't play in their home country because of war. So, only Manchester United's home game was played.
Since 1998, the Super Cup has been a single match played at a neutral stadium. From 1998 to 2012, this single match was always held at the Stade Louis II in Monaco. Since 2013, different stadiums across Europe have been chosen to host the event.
List of Venues Since 1998
- 1998–2012: Stade Louis II, Monaco
- 2013: Eden Aréna, Prague, Czech Republic
- 2014: Cardiff City Stadium, Cardiff, Wales
- 2015: Boris Paichadze Dinamo Arena, Tbilisi, Georgia
- 2016: Lerkendal Stadion, Trondheim, Norway
- 2017: Philip II Arena, Skopje, FYR Macedonia
- 2018: Lilleküla Stadium, Tallinn, Estonia
- 2019: Vodafone Park, Istanbul, Turkey
- 2020: Puskás Aréna, Budapest, Hungary
- 2021: Windsor Park, Belfast, Northern Ireland
- 2022: Olympic Stadium, Helsinki, Finland
- 2023: Karaiskakis Stadium, Piraeus, Greece
- 2024: Stadion Narodowy, Warsaw, Poland
Prizes and Money
The Trophy
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UEFA keeps the original UEFA Super Cup trophy. The winning club gets a full-size copy of the trophy to keep forever! The winning team also receives forty gold medals, and the runners-up get forty silver medals.
The Super Cup trophy has changed a few times. The first trophy was given to Ajax in 1973. In 1987, a new trophy was introduced. It was the smallest and lightest of all European club trophies, weighing about 5 kg (11 lbs) and standing 42.5 cm (16.7 inches) tall. For comparison, the UEFA Champions League trophy weighs 8 kg (17.6 lbs), and the UEFA Europa League trophy weighs 15 kg (33 lbs).
A new, larger trophy was introduced in 2006. It weighs 12.2 kg (26.9 lbs) and is 58 cm (22.8 inches) tall.
Before 2008, if a team won the Super Cup three times in a row or five times in total, they would get to keep the original trophy. AC Milan, Barcelona, and Real Madrid have all won five times. However, only AC Milan got to keep the original trophy in 2007, because the rule changed after that.
Prize Money
Winning the UEFA Super Cup also comes with prize money! As of 2020:
- The team that comes in second place (runner-up) gets €3,800,000.
- The winning team gets €5,000,000.
Rules of the Game
The UEFA Super Cup is played as one single match at a neutral stadium. The game has two halves, each 45 minutes long. If the score is tied after 90 minutes, the game goes straight to a penalty shootout to decide the winner. Before 2023, if the score was tied, teams would play two extra 15-minute periods of extra time before going to penalties.
Each team has 23 players, with 11 starting the match. From the 12 players on the bench, up to 5 players can be substituted during the game. Teams usually wear their main kit. If the colors clash, the team that won the Europa League the previous year must wear a different colored kit.
If a club can't or won't play, the runner-up from their qualifying competition takes their place. If the weather is too bad to play, the match is played the next day.
Sponsors of the Super Cup
The UEFA Super Cup has the same sponsors as the UEFA Champions League. Some of the main sponsors for the 2023–24 season include:
- FedEx
- Turkish Airlines
- Oppo
- Heineken N.V.
- Just Eat Takeaway
- Mastercard
- PepsiCo (including Lay's)
- Sony (including PlayStation 5)
Adidas is also a sponsor and provides the official match ball. Macron makes the referee kits.
Football clubs can wear jerseys with their own sponsors, even if they are different from the Super Cup sponsors. Usually, only two main sponsors are allowed on a jersey, plus the manufacturer's logo.
Tickets for the Match
For the UEFA Super Cup, 60% of the stadium's seats are saved for the fans of the two competing clubs. The rest of the tickets are sold by UEFA through an online lottery. There's a small fee to apply for tickets, but you can apply as many times as you want!
Records and Statistics
Who Has Won the Most?
| Club | Winners | Runners-up | Years won | Years runners-up |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Barcelona |
5 | 4 | 1992, 1997, 2009, 2011, 2015 | 1979, 1982, 1989, 2006 |
| Real Madrid |
5 | 3 | 2002, 2014, 2016, 2017, 2022 | 1998, 2000, 2018 |
| Milan |
5 | 2 | 1989, 1990, 1994, 2003, 2007 | 1973, 1993 |
| Liverpool |
4 | 2 | 1977, 2001, 2005, 2019 | 1978, 1984 |
| Atlético Madrid |
3 | 0 | 2010, 2012, 2018 | — |
| Chelsea |
2 | 3 | 1998, 2021 | 2012, 2013, 2019 |
 Bayern Munich |
2 | 3 | 2013, 2020 | 1975, 1976, 2001 |
 Ajax |
2 | 1 | 1973, 1995 | 1987 |
 Anderlecht |
2 | 0 | 1976, 1978 | — |
| Valencia |
2 | 0 | 1980, 2004 | — |
| Juventus |
2 | 0 | 1984, 1996 | — |
| Sevilla |
1 | 6 | 2006 | 2007, 2014, 2015, 2016, 2020, 2023 |
 Porto |
1 | 3 | 1987 | 2003, 2004, 2011 |
| Manchester United |
1 | 3 | 1991 | 1999, 2008, 2017 |
 Dynamo Kyiv |
1 | 1 | 1975 | 1986 |
| Nottingham Forest |
1 | 1 | 1979 | 1980 |
| Aston Villa |
1 | 0 | 1982 | — |
 Aberdeen |
1 | 0 | 1983 | — |
 Steaua București |
1 | 0 | 1986 | — |
| KV Mechelen |
1 | 0 | 1988 | — |
| Parma |
1 | 0 | 1993 | — |
| Lazio |
1 | 0 | 1999 | — |
 Galatasaray |
1 | 0 | 2000 | — |
 Zenit Saint Petersburg |
1 | 0 | 2008 | — |
| Manchester City |
1 | 0 | 2023 | — |
| Hamburger SV |
0 | 2 | — | 1977, 1983 |
| PSV Eindhoven |
0 | 1 | — | 1988 |
| Sampdoria |
0 | 1 | — | 1990 |
 Red Star Belgrade |
0 | 1 | — | 1991 |
| Werder Bremen |
0 | 1 | — | 1992 |
| Arsenal |
0 | 1 | — | 1994 |
| Zaragoza |
0 | 1 | — | 1995 |
 Paris Saint-Germain |
0 | 1 | — | 1996 |
| Borussia Dortmund |
0 | 1 | — | 1997 |
| Feyenoord |
0 | 1 | — | 2002 |
| CSKA Moscow |
0 | 1 | — | 2005 |
 Shakhtar Donetsk |
0 | 1 | — | 2009 |
| Inter Milan |
0 | 1 | — | 2010 |
| Villarreal |
0 | 1 | — | 2021 |
| Eintracht Frankfurt |
0 | 1 | — | 2022 |
Winners by Country
| Nation | Winners | Runners-up | Total |
|---|---|---|---|
| Spain |
16 | 15 | 31 |
| England |
10 | 10 | 20 |
| Italy |
9 | 4 | 13 |
| Belgium |
3 | 0 | 3 |
| Germany |
2 | 8 | 10 |
| Netherlands |
2 | 3 | 5 |
| Portugal |
1 | 3 | 4 |
| Russia |
1 | 1 | 2 |
| Soviet Union |
1 | 1 | 2 |
| Romania |
1 | 0 | 1 |
| Scotland |
1 | 0 | 1 |
| Turkey |
1 | 0 | 1 |
| France |
0 | 1 | 1 |
| Ukraine |
0 | 1 | 1 |
| Yugoslavia |
0 | 1 | 1 |
| Total | 48 | 48 | 96 |
Individual Player and Coach Records
- Most Wins by a Player: Paolo Maldini, Dani Alves, Dani Carvajal, Karim Benzema, Toni Kroos, Luka Modrić, and Mateo Kovačić have each won 4 times.
- Most Matches Played by a Player: Roberto Donadoni and Alessandro Costacurta have played in 8 Super Cup matches each.
- Most Wins with Different Clubs (Player): Mateo Kovačić won with three different clubs: Real Madrid (2016, 2017), Chelsea (2021), and Manchester City (2023).
- Most Wins by a Coach: Carlo Ancelotti and Pep Guardiola have each won 4 times.
- Most Editions Contested by a Coach: Alex Ferguson, Carlo Ancelotti, and Pep Guardiola have each coached in 4 Super Cup finals.
- Most Matches Coached: Johan Cruyff and Alex Ferguson have coached in 5 Super Cup matches each.
- All-Time Top Scorers: Arie Haan, Oleg Blokhin, David Fairclough, Gerd Müller, Rob Rensenbrink, François Van Der Elst, Terry McDermott, Radamel Falcao, and Lionel Messi have all scored 3 goals.
- Most Wins with Different Clubs (Coach): Pep Guardiola won with three different clubs: Barcelona (2009, 2011), Bayern Munich (2013), and Manchester City (2023).
- Fastest Goal: Diego Costa scored a goal in just 50 seconds against Real Madrid on August 15, 2018.
- Only Player to Be Man of the Match More Than Once: Lionel Messi (in 2009 and 2015).
Hat-Tricks (Scoring 3 Goals in One Match)
- Only Player to Score a Hat-Trick in a Two-Legged Final: Terry McDermott, against Hamburger SV on December 6, 1977.
- Only Player to Score a Hat-Trick in a Single Final: Radamel Falcao, against Chelsea on August 31, 2012.
See also
In Spanish: Supercopa de la UEFA para niños
