UEFA Super Cup

The European Super Cup is the most prestigious football trophy in Europe, awarded to the winner of the annual match between the winners of the UEFA Europa League and the UEFA Champions League.

Origins and History

The foundations of the UEFA Super Cup were laid in the early 1970s by Dutch journalist Anton Witkamp, who proposed the idea of determining Europe’s best club. The first match was played in 1972 without UEFA’s official approval, featuring a two-leg contest between Rangers and Ajax. The first official UEFA Super Cup was held in the 1973 season; Ajax defeated AC Milan 6-1 on aggregate to win the trophy.

The tournament originally pitted the winners of the UEFA Cup Winners’ Cup against the winners of the European Cup/Champions League. After the discontinuation of the UEFA Cup Winners’ Cup in 1999, the format was changed to feature the winners of the UEFA Champions League and the UEFA Cup. Since 2010, the UEFA Cup has been replaced by the UEFA Europa League.

The Super Cup was not held in some years (1974, 1981, and 1985). Between 1973 and 1997, the final was generally played over two legs, except in 1984, 1986, and 1991 when it was decided in a single match. Since 1998, the final has been played as a single match at the Stade Louis II in Monaco, and since 2013 it has been hosted annually in different cities across Europe.

Format and Hosting

If the score is level after normal time, two 15-minute extra time periods are played; if the tie remains unresolved, the winner is determined by a penalty shootout. In the history of the UEFA Super Cup, only four finals have been decided by penalties, and the only golden goal was scored in the 2000 match between Galatasaray and Real Madrid.

The hosting process has undergone significant change throughout the tournament’s history. Matches held at the Stade Louis II in Monaco between 1998 and 2012 were moved to different European cities starting in 2013. Since then, the final has been hosted in Prague (2013), Cardiff (2014), Tbilisi (2015), Trondheim (2016), Skopje (2017), Tallinn (2018), Istanbul (2019), Budapest (2020), Belfast (2021), Helsinki (2022), Piraeus (2023), Warsaw (2024), and Udine (2025). The 2025 final will be held at the Stadio Friuli in Udine, Italy, between Paris Saint-Germain and Tottenham Hotspur.

Paris Saint-Germain won 4-3 on penalties. Paris Saint-Germain defeated Tottenham Hotspur 4-3 on penalties after a 2-2 draw in normal time, becoming the first French club to win the UEFA Super Cup.

Galatasaray’s 2000 Victory

One of the most important international achievements in Turkish football history took place on 25 August 2000 at the Stade Louis II in Monaco. Galatasaray, the first Turkish club to win the UEFA Cup in the previous season, faced Real Madrid, the reigning UEFA Champions League champions, in the 2000 UEFA Super Cup Final.

Under the management of head coach Mircea Lucescu, Galatasaray fielded a team featuring experienced players such as Gheorghe Hagi and Gheorghe Popescu, along with new signing Mário Jardel. Galatasaray took the lead in the 41st minute through a penalty scored by Jardel. Real Madrid equalised in the 79th minute via a penalty by Raúl, forcing the match into extra time. In the 103rd minute, Jardel scored the winning golden goal from a cross by Fatih Akyel, securing the trophy for Galatasaray. As a result, Galatasaray became the only Turkish team to have won both the UEFA Cup and the UEFA Super Cup.

Winners and Statistics

A total of 25 different clubs have won the UEFA Super Cup. Spanish clubs have claimed the trophy 17 times, making Spain the most successful nation in the competition’s history. Real Madrid, having won the trophy in 2002, 2014, 2016, 2017, 2022, and 2024, is the most successful club with six titles. AC Milan and Barcelona have each won it five times, while Liverpool has won it four times. Galatasaray is the only Turkish club to have won the trophy. In the 2024 final, Real Madrid defeated Atalanta 2-0 to increase their title count to six.