Taca de Portugal - History

History

The first incarnation of the Taça was in 1912, but very few clubs could participate and thus it was not a regular competition, the fact which ended it in 1918, the Portuguese Federation doesn't take in account its existence. It was named Taça do Império since S.C. Império organized it (do not confuse with Taça Império, which was the trophy of the inaugural game at the National Stadium where the Champion and the Cup winner played against each other). In 1922 the Championship of Portugal (Campeonato de Portugal) was created and was played every season with all the clubs participating in elimination rounds, the winners were named Champions of Portugal and it was the primary tournament in Portugal, until the creation of the round-robin competition in the middle 1930s. With the success of this competition and the beginning of the recently created and official Portuguese Championship, the 1938–39 season, the Taça de Portugal (Portuguese Cup) was created and the tournament quickly became the second-most important in Portugal. It is organized by the Portuguese Football Federation (Federação Portuguesa de Futebol) and is played by all the teams in the four national divisions (Primeira Liga, Segunda Liga, Second Division and Third Division).

As of the 2008–09 season, the cup is composed of 8 rounds (final included), with 1st level clubs joining at the 3rd round, the 2nd level clubs joining at the 2nd round and the 3rd and lower level clubs competing from the beginning. All rounds are played in a single game, except for the semifinals.