What is the Audi Cup?
What is the Audi Cup?
Audi is a brand known to many as a car designer and manufacturer. However, the company does occasionally branch out into other industries to spread its name and garner more attention. One such example is the Audi Cup, a prestigious pre-season football tournament that has become an integral part of European football.
What is the Audi Cup?
The Audi Cup is a pre-season football tournament in Europe. It’s a relatively young cup that was founded in 2009 to commemorate Audi’s centenary year. The cup takes place every two years with the next coming up in 2019. So far, a total of five Audi Cup tournaments have taken place with Bayern Munich, Barcelona and Atletico Madrid taking the crown. Currently, Bayern Munich has a total of three wins, with two consecutive wins from 2013 till 2015. The tournament features only four teams. As the host of the tournament, Bayern is a permanent participant and the other teams are chosen based on their strength. One of the four teams is usually a lower-quality team than the other three, but is still recognised and has promise. The matches are played across two days. The matches are played in a regular format and will go to penalties if the match ends as a draw. The winner of the tournament does receive a cup to celebrate their win. Although there is a prize and prestige on the line, the matches are considered friendly between the teams and it’s a highlight of the year for football fans.
Past Audi Cups
The first Audi Cup in 2009 took place at the end of July. A total of 10 goals were scored and there was a total of 252,000 attendants. Bayern Munich and Manchester United fought in the finals, with the game coming down to a 7-6 penalty shoot-out to Bayern Munich. 2011 saw the Audi Cup increase in attendance slightly. Barcelona and Bayern Munich played in the finals, with the score going 2-0 to Barcelona. 2013 again saw Bayern Munich in the finals against Manchester City, but the German term pulled ahead with a victory of 2-1. 2015 was yet another year of victory for Bayern Munich, overcoming Real Madrid in a 1-0 game. The latest Audi Cup in 2017 was the first year where Bayern Munich wasn’t in the finals. In fact, they lost their first game 3-0 to Liverpool in the semi-finals. The finals ended in penalties, with Atletico Madrid pulling ahead 5-4.
What teams have participated so far?
Currently, the teams that have participated in the Audi Cup are as follows:
• Bayern Munich
• Barcelona
• Atletico Madrid
• Real Madrid
• Manchester United
• Manchester City
• Liverpool
• Milan
• Boca Juniors
• Internacional
• Tottenham Hotspur
• Napoli
• Sao Paulo
Who are the top goal scorers?
So far, Thomas Muller and Thiago of Bayern Munich are the top goal scorers with 3 apiece. Brazil Leandro Damião, Edin Džeko, Stephan El Shaarawy, Zlatan Ibrahimovic, Robert Lewandowski and Mario Mandžukic all have two goals. With the next Audi Cup taking place in 2019, many fans of both football and Audi are looking forward to the action which is expected to take place in summer during late July or early August.
