The Lower Rhine Cup (German: Niederrheinpokal) is a German football club Cup competition open to teams from the Lower Rhine region of the state of North Rhine-Westphalia. The competition is one of the 21 regional cup competitions of German football and acts as a qualifier for the following seasons' German Cup.[1]
 | |
| Founded | 1980 |
|---|---|
| Region | Lower Rhine, North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany |
| Qualifier for | DFB-Pokal |
| Current champions | Rot-Weiss Essen (2022–23) |
| Most successful club(s) | Rot-Weiss Essen (10 titles) |
The competition is sponsored by the Diebels brewery and carries the official name Diebels Niederrheinpokal. It is operated by the Lower Rhine Football Association, the FVN.[2]
Modus
Clubs from fully professional leagues are not permitted to enter the competition, meaning, no teams from the Fußball-Bundesliga and the 2nd Bundesliga can compete.[2]
All clubs from the Lower Rhine playing in the 3. Liga (III), Regionalliga West (IV) and Oberliga Niederrhein (V) are directly qualified for the first round, the remaining places in the first round are filled with the teams who qualified from local cup competitions, the Kreispokale.[2]
Since the establishment of the 3. Liga in 2008, reserve teams can not take part in the German Cup or the Lower Rhine Cup anymore.
Winners
The past winners of the competition:[3]
| Club | Wins | Years |
|---|---|---|
| Rot-Weiss Essen | 10 | 1995, 2002, 2004, 2008, 2011, 2012, 2015, 2016, 2020, 2023 |
| Wuppertaler SV | 7 | 1981, 1985, 1999, 2000, 2005, 2007, 2021 |
| FC Remscheid | 3 | 1990, 1991, 1994 |
| Rot-Weiß Oberhausen | 3 | 1996, 1998, 2018 |
| MSV Duisburg | 3 | 1989, 2014, 2017 |
| Schwarz-Weiß Essen | 2 | 1987, 2010 |
| SSVg. Velbert | 2 | 2003, 2006 |
| KFC Uerdingen 05 | 2 | 2001, 2019 |
| Sportfreunde Baumberg | 1 | 2013 |
| VfB Speldorf | 1 | 2009 |
| Borussia Mönchengladbach Amateure | 1 | 1997 |
| SV Viktoria Goch | 1 | 1986 |
| 1. FC Bocholt | 1 | 1983 |
| Bayer 05 Uerdingen Amateure | 1 | 1982 |
| SV Straelen | 1 | 2022 |
- No cup held or winner known for 1984, 1988, 1992 and 1993. In 1992 Wuppertaler SV und Fortuna Düsseldorf Amateure both qualified for the first round of the German Cup through the Lower Rhine Cup.
References
- Deutschlands Fußball in Zahlen, (in German) An annual publication with tables and results from the Bundesliga to Verbandsliga/Landesliga, publisher: DSFS
External links
- Fussball.de: Lower Rhine Cup (in German)
- Diebels Niederrheinpokal (in German) FVN website