Challenge Cup - Round 1 (Preliminary round)
Challenge Cup Returns as Season 53 Gets Underway
The Challenge Cup opens its doors for another season, bringing together last season’s national cup winners and league runners-up for what is traditionally one of the most unpredictable international competitions. Some clubs arrive with trophy cabinets overflowing, others are still searching for their first serious international run, and the Round of 128 has already produced a few pairings worthy of much later stages.
A handful of fortunate clubs can watch the opening night from the sidelines after receiving byes, but for everyone else the road begins immediately. And while several established powers have been handed matches they will be strongly expected to win, there are enough heavyweight collisions scattered through the draw to guarantee that some notable names will disappear at the first hurdle.
The standout tie may well be Fight United Elite’s meeting with Sørby IF. The Croatian side arrive as reigning Champions Cup winners, having lifted that trophy for the second time last season, and they also won their fifth national cup in Season 52. That makes their presence in the Challenge Cup rather intimidating. Sørby, however, are hardly inexperienced international passengers: they have reached the Challenge Cup final before and have also been Champions Cup semi-finalists. One very accomplished side will therefore have to survive a dangerous opening assignment.
This has the look of another match that would not seem out of place several rounds from now. Elegant Elephants have won three Bundesliga titles and took their second national cup last season, while Olympique de Saubusse bring eight French championships and three previous international semi-final-or-better runs to the table. Saubusse have even reached a Challenge Cup final before. Neither side received much help from the draw.
There may be more silverware on display here than in almost any other first-round tie. Bella FC are former Challenge Cup finalists and Champions Cup semi-finalists, but Deportivo Chiloe’s domestic record is enormous: twenty league championships and twelve national cups, including the Season 52 cup. Chiloe currently sit top of their league as well. Bella’s current ninth place makes them the less convincing of the two on present form, although their international pedigree makes this far from a comfortable opening match.
Current form meets international pedigree in a fascinating contest. Petrolul are leading the Divizia Nationala, while Il Circolino sit second in Serie A and possess considerably more historical experience, including five domestic championships, three national cups and a previous Challenge Cup final appearance. Petrolul have themselves reached the Round of 16 three times at international level, so this could be one of the more evenly poised matches of the round.
Two clubs with serious ambitions have been drawn together immediately. FC Albisrieden have collected twenty Swiss championships and have reached the quarter-finals of both international competitions, while Royal Pari were national champions as recently as Season 51, won the Season 52 national cup and have previously reached a Challenge Cup final. Albisrieden are currently second domestically, but Royal Pari have enough history to make this a dangerous first-round obstacle.
Few opening-round matches can match this one for experience. Slovenia Dreamteam have twenty-three league titles, seventeen national cups and a Champions Cup trophy, while Brian Boitano's have six league championships and six national cups of their own. Between them they have made more than sixty appearances in the two senior international competitions. Neither has ever won the Challenge Cup, however, and one of them will not get remotely close this season.
Former Champions Cup winners Borsholm-Skibstrup IF return to international action after collecting another Danish cup last season. Their opponent is hardly an ideal first-round draw: Futbolo Klubas Ekranas have won two A lyga championships, finished last season strongly enough to qualify for this competition and currently lead their domestic league. Borsholm's superior international record makes them the more decorated side, but Ekranas may be arriving in the better shape.
Dundonald Bluebell’s fourteen league championships make them one of the most decorated clubs in the field, and they currently sit second in the Premier League. Szeged, meanwhile, arrive as Season 52 national cup winners and have six cups and three league titles overall. Neither club has previously gone beyond the Round of 32 in the Challenge Cup, so this draw offers one of them an early opportunity to build towards a deeper run.
A First-Round Minefield
Elsewhere, several major names will be expected to make short work of their opening assignments. Gravediggers face Celtic, YooSin 태권도 meet BLλCK MESA and Lazio_1900 take on Atlético SCOT, while the vastly experienced RC Victoria Moravia begin against AfelSpor. Those matches may require something special from the underdogs if the round is to produce a genuine shock.
But that is exactly what the Challenge Cup has always offered: established champions, domestic cup specialists and ambitious runners-up all thrown into the same knockout bracket from day one. With former international winners already facing experienced opposition, Season 53 may not need long to produce its first casualty.
