In the article “Russian Cup records” we will tell you about the main triumphants, record holders of the prestigious soccer competition in Russia.
In the new season, the Russian Football Cup is being held for the second time in a row in a new format – with the “Way of the RPL” and “Way of the Regions”, as well as with an original innovation – the “Double Elimination” system, which allows some participants of the playoffs to get a second chance after a defeat, which the cup format did not assume before.
The intrigue in the 2023/24 season will be at a high level, as several players are seriously in contention for the trophy. Zenit have a trio of capital city giants – CSKA, Spartak and Lokomotiv – breathing down their necks, as well as Krasnodar, who have already shown that they can be a very successful cup fighter.
However, in this article we will talk not about future battles in the Russian Cup, but about its already accomplished triumphants. Which teams have won the tournament more often than others? Which coaches have achieved record-breaking success? To which cities has the trophy been sent more often than others? The answers to these questions are below.
“Railroaders” – at the head of the “train”!
Lokomotiv Moscow is the most successful participant of the Russian Cup in the history of this tournament. The club, which at the start of its activity was considered the “fifth wheel” in Moscow soccer, earned the fame of a successful cup fighter, and then – showed that in the championship is able to surprise the experts. However, it was in the Russian Cup that the “Railroaders” were more successful than the rest, and by this point they had already won nine trophies.
Loko won the national cup for the first time back in 1996, defeating Spartak 3-2 in an extravaganza. The “Railroaders” then repeated their success in 1997, 2000, 2001, 2007, 2007, 2015, 2017, 2019 and 2021, setting a record bar.
The closest thing to “Loko” came CSKA. “Army men”, who became the first winner of the Cup of Russia in the new format in 2023, reached the mark of 8 trophies in history. And the new triumph, if it happens before Lokomotiv gets the cup at least once more, will allow CSKA to equal the historical record holder.
By the way, CSKA has two other record-breaking achievements in the history of the Russian Cup – the Army Men have played in the finals of the tournament more often than other participants (12 times), and also have, together with Lokomotiv, the longest series of consecutive years in which they have won the trophy (two years in a row).
The third and fourth places in the historical ranking of Russian Cup winners are shared by Spartak and Zenit, who have won the trophy 4 times each. The rest of the country’s clubs have managed to achieve no more than one victory.
“Palych” is the Cup King of Russia
Speaking about the coaches who won the Cup of Russia with their wards more often than others, first of all, we should mention Yuriy Semin, who holds the record for the number of triumphs.
“Palych” led his teams to victory 6 times. Although saying “teams”, it should be understood that we are talking about different versions of the Lokomotiv Moscow lineup. It was at this club that Semin earned his reputation as a winning coach.
Valery Gazzaev, who has led CSKA Moscow to victory four times, is second in the number of Russian Cup victories among coaches, and Oleg Romantsev rounds out the Top 3 with 3 trophies to his credit.
Moscow is beyond competition!
Of the most successful cities whose representatives have won the Russian Cup, Moscow is the undisputed leader. The trophy was sent to the capital in 23 out of 31 cases. St. Petersburg welcomed the winner of the trophy four times, and the trophy also visited Kazan, Rostov-on-Don, Grozny and the Leningrad Region (where it was delivered by sensational Tosno).
Individual records
And who of the players most often won the Cup of Russia? There is no single leader in this list, but there are five players who know each other well and have won the trophy 7 times in their careers. These are former CSKA Moscow teammates Igor Akinfeev, Elvir Rahimic, brothers Alexey and Vasily Berezutsky, and Sergei Ignashevich. It is noteworthy that the last of this list – Ignashevich – won the trophy with two teams – CSKA (6 titles) and Lokomotiv (1). The rest of the players have achieved success exclusively with the “Army Men”.
Handymen
There have been three instances in the history of the Russian Cup when its participants achieved victories both as a player and then as a coach. Here are the names of these “jack of all trades”: Igor Cherevchenko, Dmitry Parfenov and Sergey Semak.
Cherevchenko won the trophy as a player with Lokomotiv, and then – as coach of the Railroaders – repeated the cup success. Parfenov won the cup as a player, playing for Spartak, and as a coach – leading the already mentioned above sensational Tosno from the Leningrad region.
Finally, Sergei Semak won the tournament as a player while playing for CSKA, and as a coach he lifted the trophy while working at Zenit.
Winning “Mascot”
In the history of the Russian Cup, there has only been one player who has managed to win the trophy with three different teams. This is Timofey Margasov, now playing for Sochi.
Previously, however, this experienced defender became the winner of the national cup tournament, defending the colors of Rostov (2014), Lokomotiv (2017) and Tosno (2018). Truly a winning “mascot” for these teams!
