UEFA Super Cup

UEFA Super Cup. The UEFA Super Cup is an annual football match organized by the Union of European Football Associations (UEFA) and contested by the reigning champions of the two main European club competitions. It features the winners of the UEFA Champions League and the winners of the UEFA Europa League. The match serves as the curtain-raiser for the European club season and is considered one of the continent's most prestigious one-off fixtures.

History

The concept for the competition was proposed in the early 1970s by Anton Witkamp, a journalist for the Dutch newspaper De Telegraaf. The first official edition was played in 1972, contested between the 1972 European Cup winners, Ajax, and the 1972 UEFA Cup Winners' Cup winners, Rangers. For its first two decades, the fixture was a two-legged home-and-away tie. The competition's status grew significantly after it was officially recognized and organized directly by UEFA starting in 1998. A pivotal change occurred in 1999 when the match became a single game played at a neutral venue, with Stade Louis II in Monaco hosting for 15 consecutive years until 2012. Since 2013, the venue has rotated to various major stadiums across Europe, such as the PGE Narodowy in Warsaw and Karaiskakis Stadium in Piraeus. The competing teams changed in 2000 following the dissolution of the UEFA Cup Winners' Cup, with the UEFA Cup (later rebranded as the UEFA Europa League) winners taking that berth.

Format

The match is a single fixture contested by the champions of UEFA's two premier annual club tournaments. The team that wins the UEFA Champions League faces the team that wins the UEFA Europa League. If a club completes a continental treble by winning both the Champions League and their domestic league, the Europa League winner is joined by the defeated Champions League finalist. The game is played at a predetermined neutral venue selected by UEFA, typically in August before the start of the domestic league seasons across the continent. Standard football rules apply, with the match proceeding to 30 minutes of extra time if level after 90 minutes, followed by a penalty shoot-out if necessary. The winning team is awarded a gold medal, while the runner-up receives a silver medal.

Results

The most successful clubs in the history of the competition are Barcelona, Real Madrid, and Milan, each having won the title five times. Spanish clubs hold the record for the most victories by nation, demonstrating the dominance of La Liga in European football during the 21st century. Notable editions include the 1973 match where Ajax defeated Milan, and the 2000 final where Galatasaray beat Real Madrid to become the first Turkish winners. Recent winners include Chelsea in 2021, Real Madrid in 2022, and Manchester City in 2023, who secured their first title by defeating Sevilla in Athens.

Records and statistics

Spanish forward Lionel Messi and French striker Karim Benzema share the record for most appearances in the match, each having played in five finals. Cristiano Ronaldo holds the record for most goals scored in the competition's history. The highest-scoring final occurred in 2019 when Liverpool defeated Chelsea 5–4 after extra time in Istanbul. Milan and Real Madrid have both lost the final on three occasions, the joint-highest number of defeats. The most one-sided victory was in 2006 when Sevilla defeated Barcelona 3–0. Several managers, including Carlo Ancelotti and Pep Guardiola, have won the trophy multiple times with different clubs.

Trophy

The current trophy was first awarded in 1998 and was designed by the Swiss jeweler Jörg Stadelmann. It is made of sterling silver and weighs approximately 12.2 kilograms. The trophy's design features a silver base supporting a large, angular bowl, symbolizing the upward momentum of the champions. The names of the winning clubs are engraved on the base. Unlike the trophies for the UEFA Champions League or UEFA Europa League, the winning club does not keep the original trophy permanently; instead, they receive a full-size replica to retain. The original remains in UEFA's custody and is presented at each annual final.