What is "league cup"

n. (context soccer English) A single-elimination tournament for which entry is restricted only to teams in the top national league or leagues.

The League Cup was a knock-out competition for British rugby league football clubs between 1971 and 1996.

It was initially for professional clubs with the exception of two amateur teams who were finalists of the BARLA National Cup. However, in the latter seasons the cup was expanded to include leading amateur and French teams, the latter as a precursor to their inclusion in the Challenge Cup. The rounds were played during the early part of the season, with the final taking place usually in January. The tournament was regarded as much less prestigious than the Challenge Cup, and it was abandoned when Rugby League moved to be a summer sport.

Although officially called the League Cup, the name of the competition was always referred to by its sponsorship name. The initial sponsors were the tobacco manufacturer John Player & Sons with Regal taking over in 1989 until the competitions end. Over the years, the competition was known as the Player's №6 Trophy (1971–77), the John Player Trophy (1977–83) and the John Player Special Trophy (1983–89), before finally becoming the Regal Trophy in 1989.

In association football, a League Cup or Secondary Cup generally signifies a cup competition for which entry is restricted only to teams in a particular league. The first national association football tournament to be called "League Cup" was held in Scotland in 1946–47 and was entitled the Scottish League Cup. However, in the Republic of Ireland the now defunct League of Ireland Shield was the first national league-only tournament of its kind; this was subsequently replaced by the League of Ireland Cup in 1983.

The creation of a League Cup marked the difference from the Association Cup or Big Cup, which is generally also open to teams from multiple leagues, often as far down as regional amateur leagues, and who are also members of the country's football association.

The creation of a tournament of this kind exclusively for the top national-level league teams, in addition to the two main domestic association football tournaments of the league and association cup, also created a new national footballing achievement called the domestic " treble". The first national league treble of this kind was won by Shamrock Rovers of the Republic of Ireland in 1925.

League cups were generally introduced after the Second World War - for example, the Football League Cup in England in 1960 - although in other countries they were created following a rise in the number of floodlit stadiums, allowing regular midweek matches.

In certain countries, the League Cup had, or in some cases still has, group stages in the early stages. These often opened the season before the main league season began.