Irish Cup
The Irish Football Association Challenge Cup, commonly referred to as the Irish Cup (currently known as the Clearer Water Irish Cup for sponsorship purposes) is the primary football knock-out cup competition in Northern Ireland. Inaugurated in 1881, it is the fourth-oldest national cup competition in the world. Prior to the break-away from the Irish Football Association by clubs from what would become the Irish Free State in 1921, the Irish Cup was the national cup competition for the whole of Ireland.
| Organising body | Irish Football Association |
|---|---|
| Founded | 1881 |
| Region | Northern Ireland (since 1921) Ireland (1881–1921) |
| Number of teams | 128 (2022–23) |
| International cup(s) | UEFA Europa Conference League |
| Current champions | Crusaders (2022–23) |
| Most successful club(s) | Linfield (44 titles) |
| Television broadcasters | BBC Sport (highlights & 3 live games including final) |
| Website | Irish Cup |
| 2023–24 | |
Since 3 October 2023, the cup has been sponsored by Clearer Water. It was previously sponsored by Nationwide Building Society, Bass Ireland Ltd, JJB Sports, Tennent's Lager and Sadler's Peaky Blinder and Samuel Gelston's Irish Whiskey. 128 clubs entered the 2022-23 competition.
Crusaders are the current holders, after they defeated Ballymena United 4–0 in the 2023 final to win the competition for a 6th time and 2nd consecutive season.