Global InformationPrince of Asturias Cup information
| Organising body | Royal Spanish Football Federation |
|---|---|
| Founded | 1915 |
| Abolished | 1926 |
| Region | Spain |
| Number of teams | 2 to 8 teams |
| Last champions |  Catalonia |
| Most successful club(s) | Catalonia (3 titles) |
The Prince of Asturias Cup (Spanish: La Copa Príncipe de Asturias, Catalan: Copa Príncep d'Astúries) was an inter-regional football competition contested by the regional selections of Spain – selections of players from clubs from the region in question, meaning that players did not need to be native to the region. The tournament was created in 1913 by the FECF (Federación Española de Clubs de Football), a forerunner of the RFEF, in honor of the donator of the trophy, don Alfonso, Prince of Asturias, the first-born son of King Alfonso XIII and Prince of Asturias.[1] After that, there have been seven tournaments for the Prince of Asturias Cup under the umbrella of the national committee of the RFEF (Spanish FA), the first of which was organized in 1915.[2]
The first editions (1914 to 1918) of the competition were held in Madrid and the registration of the regional federations was voluntary. At the end of the fourth edition, the competition was stopped due to a lack of interest, and the trophy was awarded to the Centro federation for winning two editions (1917 & 1918). In July 1922 it was agreed to introduce a new trophy called the Interregional Championship, which would be held on the road and with the mandatory participation of all regional federations associated with the Spanish FA. The high economic costs of travel again led to the disappearance of the competition, with a final tournament being played in 1926 with the aim of awarding ownership of the second trophy in dispute, and the champion was Catalonia.[3]
The Prince of Asturias Cup is among the oldest Spanish football competitions along with the Copa de la Coronación and the Copa del Rey. Notable figures of this tournament are Santiago Bernabéu, Pichichi, Ricardo Zamora, Josep Samitier and Paulino Alcántara.
- ^ Cite error: The named reference
rules1913was invoked but never defined (see the help page). - ^ "Spain - Copa Príncipe de Asturias/Campeonato Interregional". RSSSF. 22 January 2015. Archived from the original on 5 June 2022. Retrieved 5 June 2022.
- ^ Vicente Martínez Calatrava (17 August 2009). "La Copa Príncipe de Asturias" [The Prince of Asturias Cup] (in Spanish). CIHEFE. Archived from the original on 14 April 2019. Retrieved 5 June 2022.