Irish League Cup
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| Founded | 1987 |
|---|---|
| Region | Northern Ireland |
| Number of teams | 40 |
| Current champions |
Ballymena United (2016–17) |
| Most successful club(s) | Linfield (9 wins) |
 2016–17
|
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The Northern Ireland Football League Cup, also known as the Irish League Cup, is a national football knock-out cup competition in Northern Ireland open to the 40 Northern Ireland Football League clubs. It is the third-highest rated competition in domestic Northern Irish football after the NIFL Premiership and Irish Cup. It should not be confused with the Irish League Floodlit Cup which ran from 1987–88 to 1997–98 initially under the sponsorship of Budweiser and latterly Coca-Cola. Unlike the Irish Cup, the competition does not have a berth for UEFA Europa League qualification, however the winners qualify for the next season's all-Ireland Setanta Sports Cup. The cup is operated by the Northern Ireland Football League, who in 2013 took over the administration from the Irish Football Association (IFA) for the 2013–14 season onwards, after which the cup was renamed as the Northern Ireland Football League (NIFL) Cup.
During the 2015–16 season, it was known as the JBE League Cup for sponsorship purposes, the competition's previous sponsors include WASP Solutions (2013–14 and 2014–15),Irn Bru (2011–12 and 2012–13),Co-operative Insurance (2001–02 to 2010–11), Coca-Cola (1998–99 to 2000–01), Wilkinson Sword (1991–92 to 1997–98), and Roadferry Freight (1986–87 to 1990–91).
Ballymena United are the current holders, after they defeated Carrick Rangers 2–0 in the 2017 final to win the competition for the first time.
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