King Alexander's Cup

The King Alexander's Cup (Romanian: Cupa Regelui Alexandru) or Friendship Cup was an international football competition contested by the national teams of Romania and Yugoslavia. The tournament was named after Alexander I, the King of Yugoslavia and was organized to celebrate the wedding of King Alexander I of Yugoslavia with the Princess Maria of Romania, the event being announced by the Romanian newspaper, Ecoul Sportiv on 28 May 1922: "On the occasion of the marriage of His Majesty King Alexander I with Her Royal Highness Princess Maria of Romania, His Majesty was pleased to donate a cup that will bear his name, to encourage the progress of the football-association sport in his country and in the country of his wife. This cup will be a challenge and will go definitely to the country which will win it three times in a row or five times in total."^[1] The 1936, 1937 and 1939 editions were called King Carol's Cup, after Carol II of Romania and the last edition was called King Mihai Cup named after Mihai of Romania.^[2] Between 1937 and 1938, the regular Friendship Cup played between Romania and Yugoslavia was extended to include Czechoslovakia for a mini tournament called Eduard Benes' Cup named after Edvard Beneš, the president of Czechoslovakia.^[3]

King Alexander's Cup
(Friendship Cup)

Founded	1922
Abolished	1940
Region	Europe (UEFA)
Number of teams	2
Last champions	Romania (5th title)
Most successful team(s)	Yugoslavia (6 titles)

Results

1922

Main article: 1922 King Alexander's Cup

8 June 1922

14:00 (UTC+1)

Yugoslavia	1–2	Romania
Šifer 35' (pen.)	Report	Rónay 41' (pen.) Guga 61'

Stadion S.K. Jugoslavija, Belgrade, Kingdom of Yugoslavia

Attendance: 5,000

Referee: Heinrich Retschury (Austria)^[4]

1923

10 June 1923

18:00 (UTC+2)

Romania	1–2	Yugoslavia
Rónay 47'	Report	Vinek 23', 39'

Stadionul F.S.S.R., Bucharest, Romania

Attendance: 10,000

Referee: Heinrich Retschury (Austria)^[5]

1926

3 October 1926

15:00 (UTC+1)

Yugoslavia	2–3	Romania
Percl 47', 49'	Report	Semler 19' Wetzer 65' Guga 69'

Stadion Concordije, Zagreb, Kingdom of Yugoslavia

Attendance: 5,000

Referee: Ladislav Štépanovský (Czechoslovakia)^[6]

1927

10 May 1927

17:30 (UTC+2)

Romania	0–3	Yugoslavia
	Report	Luburić 6' Giler 23' Bonačić 25'

Stadionul Oficiul Naţional de Educaţie Fizică, Bucharest, Romania

Attendance: 15,000

Referee: Gerő Ferenc (Hungary)^[7]

1928

6 May 1928

16:30 (UTC+1)

Yugoslavia	3–1	Romania
Sotirović 7', 42' Marjanović 26'	Report	Possak 85'

Stadion S.K. Jugoslavija, Belgrade, Kingdom of Yugoslavia

Attendance: 5,000

Referee: Mihály Ivanicsics (Hungary)^[8]

1929

10 May 1929

18:00 (UTC+2)

Romania	2–3	Yugoslavia
Subășeanu 20' Boros 35'	Report	Pavelić 27' Lemešić 60' Hitrec 62'

Stadionul Oficiul Naţional de Educaţie Fizică, Bucharest, Romania

Attendance: 15,000

Referee: Eugen Braun (Austria)^[9]

1930

4 May 1930

16:00 (UTC+1)

Yugoslavia	2–1	Romania
Premerl 12' Bonačić 32'	Report	Deșu 72'

Stadion S.K. Jugoslavija, Belgrade, Kingdom of Yugoslavia

Attendance: 8,000

Referee: Ladislav Štépanovský (Czechoslovakia)^[10]

As the King Carol's Cup^[11]

1936

10 May 1936

17:00 (UTC+3)

Romania	3–2	Yugoslavia
Bodola 21', 46', 51'	Report	Vujadinović 32' Tomašević 67'

Stadionul Oficiul Naţional de Educaţie Fizică, Bucharest, Romania

Attendance: 30,000

Referee: John Langenus (Belgium)^[12]

1937

6 September 1937

17:00 (UTC+1)

Yugoslavia	2–1	Romania
Vujadinović 20' Lešnik 28'	Report	Baratky 62'

Stadion Beogradski S.K., Belgrade, Kingdom of Yugoslavia

Attendance: 12,000

Referee: Gustav Krist (Czechoslovakia)^[13]

1939

7 May 1939

17:00 (UTC+3)

Romania	1–0	Yugoslavia
Dobay 89'	Report

Stadionul Oficiul Naţional de Educaţie Fizică, Bucharest, Romania

Attendance: 25,000

Referee: Giuseppe Scarpi (Italy)^[14]

As the King Mihai Cup

1940

22 September 1940

15:30 (UTC+1)

Yugoslavia	1–2	Romania
Petrović 17'	Report	Popescu I 41' Bogdan 51'

Stadion Beogradski S.K., Belgrade, Kingdom of Yugoslavia

Attendance: 12,000

Referee: Generoso Dattilo (Italy)^[15]

General statistics

Team	Pld	W	D	L	GF	GA	Dif
Yugoslavia	11	6	0	5	20	17	+3
Romania	11	5	0	6	17	20	–3

All-time top scorers

	Player	Team	Goals
1	Iuliu Bodola	Romania	3
2	Ferenc Rónay	Romania	2
	Aurel Guga	Romania
	Vladimir Vinek	Yugoslavia
	Antun Bonačić	Yugoslavia
	Adolf Percl	Yugoslavia
	Kuzman Sotirović	Yugoslavia
	Đorđe Vujadinović	Yugoslavia

1937–38 Eduard Benes Cup

An extended version of the regular Friendship Cup played between Romania and Yugoslavia.^[16]

Results

Source:^[17]

18 April 1937

16:30 (+3:00)

Romania	1–1	Czechoslovakia
Bodola 63'	Report	Nejedlý 81'

Stadionul Regele Carol II, Bucharest, Romania

Attendance: 40,000

Referee: Rinaldo Barlassina (Italy)

3 October 1937

15:15 (+1:00)

Czechoslovakia	5–4	Yugoslavia
Rulc 5' Říha 26' Senecký 43' Nejedlý 48' Sobotka 79'	Report	Pleše 18', 50' Valjarević 60' Burgr 71' (o.g.)

Stadion Letná, Prague, Czechoslovakia

Attendance: 18,000

Referee: Alfred Birlem (Germany)

8 May 1938

17:00 (+3:00)

Romania	0–1	Yugoslavia
	Report	Matošić 28'

Stadionul ONEF, Bucharest, Romania

Attendance: 25,000

Referee: Paul Von Herczka (Hungary)

28 August 1938

16:00 (+1:00)

Yugoslavia	1–3	Czechoslovakia
Sipos 56'	Report	Bradáč 19' Bican 41' Senecký 69'

Stadion Concordije, Zagreb, Yugoslavia

Attendance: 10,000

Referee: Hans Wuthrich (Switzerland)

6 September 1938

16:00 (+1:00)

Yugoslavia	1–1	Romania
Petrović 42'	Report	Bindea 69'

Beogradski SK Stadium, Belgrade, Yugoslavia

Attendance: 8,000

Referee: Peco Bauwens (Germany)

4 December 1938

14:00 (+1:00)

Czechoslovakia	6–2	Romania
Bican 28', 49', 61', 81' Ludl 38' Kopecký 78'	Report	Barátky 25' Bodola 26'

Stadion Letná, Prague, Czechoslovakia

Attendance: 13,000

Referee: Generoso Dattilo (Italy)

Final Table

Rank	Team	Pld	W	D	L	GF	GA	GD	Pts
1	Czechoslovakia	4	3	1	0	15	8	+7	7
2	Yugoslavia	4	1	1	2	7	9	-2	3
3	Romania	4	0	2	2	4	9	-5	2

1937–38 Eduard Benes Cup
Czechoslovakia First title

Statistics

Goalscorers

There were 26 goals scored in 6 matches, for an average of 4.33 goals per match.

5 goals

• Josef Bican

2 goals

• Karel Senecký
• Oldřich Nejedlý
• Branko Pleše
• Iuliu Bodola

1 goal

• Jan Říha
• Jiří Sobotka
• Josef Ludl
• Oldřich Rulc
• Vlastimil Kopecký
• Vojtěch Bradáč
• Aleksandar Petrović
• Svetislav Valjarević
• Vilim Sipos
• Frane Matošić
• Iuliu Barátky
• Silviu Bindea

1 own goal

• Jaroslav Burgr (against Yugoslavia)