{{Short description|Liberian football competition}} {{Infobox football tournament | founded = 1974 | number of teams = 30 (2024) | region = Liberia | current champions = [[Paynesville FC|Paynesville]] (1st title) | most successful club = [[Mighty Barrolle]] (8 titles) }} '''The Liberian Football Association Cup''', commonly known as the '''LFA Cup''' and currently known as the '''PetroTrade Cup''' due to sponsorship reasons,<ref>{{Cite web |date=25 March 2022 |title=Liberia: Tony FC Reach First-Ever Knockout Cup Final |url=https://www.liberianobserver.com/liberia-tony-fc-reach-first-ever-knockout-cup-final |access-date=1 April 2022 |website=[[Liberian Observer]]}}</ref> is an annual [[Single-elimination tournament|knockout]] cup competition in [[Football in Liberia|Liberian football]]. The LFA Cup is run by and named after the [[Liberia Football Association]] and usually refers to the Liberian men's tournament, although an '''LFA Women's Cup''' is also held.
The LFA Cup was first held in 1974 with [[Mighty Barrolle]] being crowned the first champions. Entry is open to all teams who compete in the [[Liberian First Division|Liberian First]] and [[Liberian Second Division League|Second Divisions]]. The reigning champion is [[LISCR FC]], who defeated [[Tony FC]] in the 2022 final.
==Format== The competition is a [[knockout tournament]] with pairings for each round drawn at random. There are no [[Single-elimination tournament#Seeding|seeds]] and the draw for each round is not made until after the scheduled dates for the previous round. The draw also determines which teams will play at home. Each tie is played as a single leg. If a match is drawn, there is a 30-minute overtime, and penalty shoot-outs if needed.
===Draw=== The draw for each of the rounds is [[seed (sports)|unseeded]] and is held at the LFA Headquarters.
===Eligible teams=== All clubs in the [[Liberian Premier League]] and [[Liberian Second Division League|Second Division League]] are automatically eligible.
===African qualification===
The LFA Cup winners qualify for the following season's [[CAF Confederation Cup]]. This African place applies even if the team is relegated or is not in the Liberian top flight. However, if the LFA Cup winning team has also qualified for the following season's [[CAF Champions League|Champions League]], then the losing LFA Cup finalist is given the Confederation Cup place instead. LFA Cup winners enter the Confederation Cup at the Qualifiers Stage.
The LFA Cup winners also qualify for the single-match [[Liberian Super Cup|LFA Super Cup]] against the [[Liberian Premier League]] Champions.
==Venues== Matches in the LFA Cup are usually played at the home ground of one of the two teams. The team who plays at home is decided when the matches are drawn. There is no seeding system in place within rounds other than when teams enter the competition, therefore the home team is simply the first team drawn out for each fixture. Occasionally games may have to be moved to other grounds due to other events taking place, security reasons or a ground not being suitable to host popular teams.
The '''LFA Cup Final''' is usually held at the [[Antoinette Tubman Stadium]]
==Sponsorship== The LFA Cup doesn't have sponsors at this moment.
==LFA Cup winners== Five clubs have won consecutive LFA Cups on more than one occasion: '''Cedar United''' (1976, 1977), [[Mighty Barrolle]] (1983, 1984, 1985, 1986), [[Liberia Petroleum Refining Company Oilers|LPRC Oilers]] (1988, 1989 and 1999, 2000), [[Invincible Eleven]] (1997, 1998)and [[Liberia Ship Corporate Registry Football Club|LISCR FC]] (2003, 2004).
Seven clubs have won the LFA Cup as part of a [[Double (association football)|League and Cup double]], namely [[Mighty Barrolle]] (1974, 1986, 1995), [[Invincible Eleven]] (1987, 1997, 1998), [[National Port Authority Anchors|NPA Anchors]] (1994), [[Junior Professional Football Club|Junior Professionals]] (1996), [[Liberia Petroleum Refining Company Oilers|LPRCOilers]] (1999, 2005), [[Monrovia Black Star Football Club|Monrovia Black Stars]] (2008) and [[Barrack Young Controllers Football Club|Barrack Young Controllers]] (2013). Mighty Barrolle and Invincible Eleven share the record of three doubles. Mighty Barrolle have won a double in each of three separate decades (1970s, 1980s, 1990s). Invincible Eleven's three doubles between 1987-1998 highlight their dominance of Liberian football at the time.
==LFA Cup winners and finalists== *1974 : '''[[Mighty Barrolle]]''' (Monrovia) *1975 : ''not played'' *1976 : '''Cedar United''' (Monrovia) *1977 : '''Cedar United''' (Monrovia) *1978 : '''Mighty Barrolle''' (Monrovia) *1979 : ''not played'' *1980 : ''not played'' *1981 : '''Mighty Barrolle''' (Monrovia) *1982 : '''[[Saint Joseph Warriors Football Club|Saint Joseph Warriors]]''' *1983 : '''Mighty Barrolle''' (Monrovia) *1984 : '''Mighty Barrolle''' (Monrovia) *1985 : '''Mighty Barrolle''' (Monrovia) *1986 : '''Mighty Barrolle''' (Monrovia) *1987 : '''[[Invincible Eleven]]''' (Monrovia) *1988 : '''[[Liberia Petroleum Refining Company Oilers|LPRC Oilers]]''' (Monrovia) *1989 : '''LPRC Oilers''' (Monrovia) *1990 : ''not played'' *1991 : '''Invincible Eleven''' (Monrovia) *1992 : '''[[National Port Authority Anchors|NPA Anchors]]''' (Monrovia) 3–1 Invincible Eleven *1993 : '''LPRC Oilers''' (Monrovia) *1994 : '''[[Monrovia Club Breweries]]''' (Monrovia) *1995 : '''Mighty Barrolle''' (Monrovia) *1996 : '''[[Junior Professional Football Club|Junior Professional]]''' (Monrovia) *1997 : '''Invincible Eleven''' (Monrovia) *1998 : '''Invincible Eleven''' (Monrovia) 1–2 1–0 [[Junior Professional Football Club|Junior Professional]] *1999 : '''LPRC Oilers''' (Monrovia) *2000 : '''LPRC Oilers''' (Monrovia) *2001 : ''not known'' *2002 : '''[[Mighty Blue Angels FC|Mighty Blue Angels]]''' (Unific. Town) bt [[Mark Professionals]] *2003 : '''[[Liberia Ship Corporate Registry Football Club|LISCR]]''' *2004 : '''[[LISCR FC|LISCR]]''' 2–0 Bassa Defender <ref>{{Cite web |title=Liberia 2004 |website=[[RSSSF]] |url=https://www.rsssf.org/tablesl/liber04.html |date=22 August 2004}}</ref> *2005 : '''LPRC Oilers''' (Monrovia) *2006 : '''NPA Anchors''' (Monrovia) 2–2 (aet), {{pso|3–2}} Mighty Barrolle (Monrovia) <ref>{{Cite web |title=NPA Wins Knockout Championship |url=http://www.liberiansoccer.com/NPA_Wins_Knockout_Championship20061018.htm |publisher=[[liberiansoccer.com]] |date=20 October 2006 |url-status=dead |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20090107151830/http://liberiansoccer.com/NPA_Wins_Knockout_Championship20061018.htm |archivedate=7 January 2009 }}</ref> *2007 : '''Saint Joseph Warriors''' bt [[LISCR FC|LISCR]] *2008 : '''[[Monrovia Black Star Football Club|Monrovia Black Star]]''' (Monrovia) 4–1 Mighty Barrolle *2009 : '''[[Barrack Young Controllers Football Club|Barrack Young Controllers]]''' 1–0 LPRC Oilers (Monrovia) <ref>{{Cite web |title=Liberia Cups 2009 |url=http://www.rsssf.com/tablesl/libercup09.html |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090414080657/http://www.rsssf.com/tablesl/libercup09.html |url-status=dead |archive-date=April 14, 2009 |publisher=[[rsssf.com]] |date=21 October 2009}}</ref> *2010 : '''Aries''' 4–3 Monrovia Black Star<ref>{{Cite web |title=Liberia Cups 2010 |url=http://www.soccerking.co.uk/libcup2010.htm |publisher=[[soccerking.co.uk]] |date=16 May 2010}}</ref> *2010–11 : '''Invincible Eleven''' 1–0 Barrack Young Controllers<ref>{{Cite web |title=IE Thrashed BYC In Cellcom Knock-Out |url=http://liberiansoccer.com/IE_Thrashed_BYC_In_Cellcom_Knock-Out200199188177166155144133212121.htm |publisher=[[liberiansoccer.com]] |date=12 April 2011 |url-status=dead |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20131004213834/http://liberiansoccer.com/IE_Thrashed_BYC_In_Cellcom_Knock-Out200199188177166155144133212121.htm |archivedate=4 October 2013 }}</ref> *2012 : '''Barrack Young Controllers II''' (reserve side) 1–0 [[Watanga Football Club|Watanga FC]]<ref>{{Cite web |title=BYC II Crowns champions of LFA Knock-out Competition |url=http://www.frontpageafricaonline.com/news/49-football/4372-byc-ii-crowns-champions-of-lfa-knock-out-competition-dumps-watanga-1-0-in-finals.pdf |publisher=[[frontpageafricaonline.com]] |date=7 October 2012 |url-status=dead |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20131004214035/http://www.frontpageafricaonline.com/news/49-football/4372-byc-ii-crowns-champions-of-lfa-knock-out-competition-dumps-watanga-1-0-in-finals.pdf |archivedate=4 October 2013 }}</ref> *2013 : '''Barrack Young Controllers''' 6–0 [[Fatu Football Club|Fatu FC]]<ref>{{Cite web |title=BYC I on the radial -After sweeping all |url=http://www.liberiaentertainment.com/2013/07/19/byc-i-on-the-radial-after-sweeping-all/ |publisher=[[liberiaentertainment.com]] |date=19 July 2013}}</ref> *2013–14 : '''[[FC Fassell]]''' 1–0 NPA Anchors (Monrovia) <ref>{{Cite web |title=FC Fassell is the LFA Knock-out Champions |url=http://www.liberiansoccer.com/FC_FASSELL_IS_LFA_KNOCKOUT_CHAMPIONS2019181711615141131211.htm |publisher=[[liberiansoccer.com]] |date=18 March 2014 |url-status=dead |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20150219021657/http://www.liberiansoccer.com/FC_FASSELL_IS_LFA_KNOCKOUT_CHAMPIONS2019181711615141131211.htm |archivedate=19 February 2015 }}</ref> *2015 : '''Barrack Young Controllers II''' (reserve side) 0–0 (aet), {{pso|3–2}} Monrovia Club Breweries<ref>{{Cite web |title=BYC II Wins Liberia FA Cup |url=http://www.bushchicken.com/byc-ii-wins-liberia-fa-cup/ |publisher=[[bushchicken.com]] |date=28 September 2015 |access-date=28 September 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190518093708/https://www.bushchicken.com/byc-ii-wins-liberia-fa-cup/ |archive-date=18 May 2019 |url-status=dead }}</ref> *2016 : '''Monrovia Breweries''' 2–0 (awarded) Mighty Barrolle (Monrovia) *2017 : '''[[LISCR FC|LISCR]]''' 3–0 [[ELWA United]] *2018 : '''Barrack Young Controllers''' 4–0 [[LISCR FC|LISCR]] *2019 : '''[[LISCR FC|LISCR]]''' 2–0 '''Barrack Young Controllers''' *2019–20 : Abandoned *2020–21 : '''Monrovia Club Breweries''' 2–1 [[Watanga FC|Watanga]] *2021–22 : '''[[LISCR FC|LISCR]]''' 2–2 (aet), {{pso|4–2}} [[Tony FC|Tony]] *2022–23 : '''[[LISCR FC|LISCR]]''' 2–0 [[Watanga FC|Watanga]] *2023–24 : '''Paynesville''' 1–0 Invincible Eleven *2024–25 : '''[[Black Man Warrior FC|Black Man Warrior]]''' 1–1 {{pso|3–1}} [[LISCR FC|LISCR]]
==See also== *[[Liberia national football team]]
==References== {{reflist|2}}
==External links== *[https://www.rsssf.org/tablesl/libercuphist.html Liberia – List of Cup Winners] at [[RSSSF]] *[https://web.archive.org/web/20060220014841/http://www.liberiansoccer.com/home.htm Liberiansoccer.com – "the official home of Liberian football" – "FIFA approved" – current official standings provided] (archived)
{{Football in Liberia}} {{National football Cups (CAF region)}}
[[Category:Men's football competitions in Liberia|FA Cup]] [[Category:Men's national association football cups in Africa|Liberia]] [[Category:1974 establishments in Liberia]] [[Category:Recurring sporting events established in 1974]]