Eusébio Cup logo
| |
| Organising body | Benfica |
|---|---|
| Founded | 2008 |
| Number of teams | 2 |
| Current champions |  Benfica(4th title) |
| Most successful club(s) | Benfica (4 titles) |
| Television broadcasters | BTV |
The Eusébio Cup is a pre-season friendly football match hosted by Portuguese club S.L. Benfica since 2008. It has been played mostly at their home stadium, Estádio da Luz, with the two exceptions being the 2015 and 2018 editions (played at Estadio BBVA and Estádio Algarve, respectively).
The two-team competition is named after Portuguese international and former Benfica player Eusébio,[1][2] who presented the trophy to the winning team until 2013, before his death in January 2014. There were plans to extend the number of participants to four,[3] a move that Eusébio himself was in favor of,[4] but no changes were ever made in that regard.
The cup's first edition was won by Inter Milan, with the other winners being Benfica (2009, 2011, 2012, 2022), Tottenham (2010), São Paulo (2013), Ajax (2014), Monterrey (2015), Torino (2016) – in a match that also served to honour the memory of the Grande Torino team who died in the Superga air disaster[5] – and Lyon (2018). No invited team, also including runners-up AC Milan, Arsenal, Real Madrid and Newcastle United, has participated in more than one edition.
The invitational match has been played in late July and early August, and it was played annually and without interruption until 2016.[6] Despite two tries,[7][8] there was no edition in 2017. A year later, the Eusébio Cup returned as part of the 2018 International Champions Cup,[6] only to be revived in 2022, in Lisbon.[9] The match was not played in 2023 and will return in 2024, with Feyenoord as invited team.[10]
The Eusébio Cup trophy is made out of glass and bears the name of the match and its winners. Moreover, it features a figure of Eusébio, on the top, performing his trademark shooting technique. The figure is similar to Eusébio's statue outside Estádio da Luz. The trophy is symbolic because it is dedicated to Eusébio, who is considered one of the greatest footballers of all time, and Benfica's greatest.
The following is a list of television channels who broadcast the matches for Portugal.
| Year | Broadcaster | Ref. |
|---|---|---|
| 2008–2009 | SIC | |
| 2010 | Benfica TV | |
| 2011 | TVI | [11] |
| 2012 | RTP | [12] |
| 2013–2016 | Benfica TV | |
| 2018 | Sport TV | |
| 2022 | Benfica TV |
| Benfica | 0–0 |  Inter Milan |
|---|---|---|
| Report | ||
| Penalties | ||
  |
4–5 |
Balotelli Stanković Ibrahimović Burdisso Cambiasso |
Attendance: 54,001
Referee: Bruno Paixão
| Benfica | 1–1 | Milan |
|---|---|---|
|
Report | |
| Penalties | ||
|
|
5–4 |
Ronaldinho Jankulovski Thiago Silva Borriello Pato Zambrotta Antonini |
Attendance: 62,342
Referee: João Ferreira
| Benfica | 0–1 |  Tottenham Hotspur |
|---|---|---|
| Report |
|
Attendance: 30,215
Referee: Pedro Proença
| Benfica | 2–1 | Arsenal |
|---|---|---|
 60' |
Report |
|
Attendance: 40,833
Referee: Duarte Gomes
| Benfica | 5–2 |  Real Madrid |
|---|---|---|
22' 53', 85' 58' |
Report |
|
Attendance: 35,476
Referee: Bruno Paixão
| Benfica | 0–2 |  São Paulo |
|---|---|---|
| Report |
63' |
Attendance: 30,638
Referee: Duarte Gomes
| Benfica | 0–1 |  Ajax |
|---|---|---|
| Report |
|
Attendance: 25,240
Referee: Hugo Miguel
Monterrey  | 3–0 | Benfica |
|---|---|---|
58' (pen.) 81' |
Report |
Attendance: 51,000
Referee: Francisco Chacón
| Benfica | 1–1 | Torino |
|---|---|---|
| Report |
|
|
| Penalties | ||
|
|
5–6 |
Aramu Boyé Martínez López Silva |
Attendance: 45,818
Referee: Fábio Veríssimo
v Chapecoense
| 22 July 2017 | Benfica | Cancelled | Chapecoense | Estádio da Luz, Lisbon |
| 19:45 WEST | ||||
| Note: The Brazilian Football Confederation did not authorize Chapecoense's participation due to the overlapping dates with Brazilian competitions.[13] | ||||
v
Rangers
| 6 October 2017 | Benfica | Cancelled | Rangers | Tim Hortons Field, Hamilton |
| 19:00 EST | ||||
| Note: The match was cancelled due to Elite Soccer Entertainment not being able to meet the contractual obligations and the commitments established with both clubs.[14] | ||||
| Benfica | 2–3 |  Lyon |
|---|---|---|
64' (o.g.) |
Report |
45' 83' |
Attendance: 17,510
Referee: Hélder Malheiro
| Benfica | 3–2 | Newcastle United |
|---|---|---|
32' 89' |
Report |
|
Attendance: 49,081[15]
Referee: Nuno Almeida
| Benfica | v | Feyenoord |
|---|---|---|
| Team | Winners | Runners-up | Year(s) won | Year(s) runners-up |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Benfica
|
4 | 7 | 2009, 2011, 2012, 2022 | 2008, 2010, 2013, 2014, 2015, 2016, 2018 |
| Inter Milan
|
1 | — | 2008 | — |
| Tottenham Hotspur
|
1 | — | 2010 | — |
| São Paulo
|
1 | — | 2013 | — |
| Ajax
|
1 | — | 2014 | — |
| Monterrey
|
1 | — | 2015 | — |
| Torino
|
1 | — | 2016 | — |
| Lyon
|
1 | — | 2018 | — |
| Milan
|
— | 1 | — | 2009 |
| Arsenal
|
— | 1 | — | 2011 |
| Real Madrid
|
— | 1 | — | 2012 |
| Newcastle United
|
— | 1 | — | 2022 |
