Chinese FA Cup

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The Chinese FA Cup, shortened as CFA Cup and also known as Yanjing Beer Chinese FA Cup for sponsorship reasons, is a KO stage tournament organized by the Chinese Football Association.

This competition was created back in 1956 but has been operating under the current format since 1995. There was, however, a long pause between 2007 and 2011, where the Chinese FA took care of other responsibilities, such as preparing for the 2008 Summer Olympics. The tournament has been played without complication since 2012.

The CFA Cup gives 26 amateur teams a chance to play against professional sides. The number of teams involved in the competition has changed over time, with the 2019 edition counting up to 102 teams fighting for the award.

The Chinese FA Cup is played through nine rounds. The qualifying stage sees amateur teams playing for one of the 27 available spots against professional teams, in accordance to their geographical region. The first round sees 27 teams from the qualifying round facing five amateur sides that earned byes. The clashes en route to the ultimate final are a one-leg tie affair, while the final match is a two-legged tie. The winner of the competition earns a spot in the AFC Champions League.

Did you know? Three teams share the honor of winning more Chinese FA Cup titles: Shandong Luneng, Beijing Guoan and Shanghai Shenhua. All these teams entered the second decade of the 21st century with five trophies.