History
The tournament took place in Israel at January due to the fine weather conditions and wide fan base for the Russian and Ukrainian clubs formed by Jewish immigrants from the former Soviet Union. The cup is used as preparation for the more major spring tournaments, however the historical antagonism between Russian and Ukrainian clubs make the matches hard fought and fans interest very high.
In 2006, the first tournament took place in Tel Aviv. The Russian and Ukrainian champions and runners-up were: CSKA Moscow, Spartak Moscow, Dynamo Kyiv and Shakhtar Donetsk.
In 2007, the format was changed, when Maccabi Haifa and Hapoel Tel Aviv were added to the tournament. The teams were divided into two groups and the winners met in the final.
In 2008, the two Russian sides were CSKA Moscow and Spartak Moscow (2nd and 3rd, because Zenit St Petersburg declined to take part), the two Ukrainian: Dynamo Kyiv and Shakhtar Donetsk, Israeli champion Beitar Jerusalem and Serbian champion Red Star Belgrade.
Read more about this topic: Channel One Cup (football)
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