Name variations of soccer leagues, cups and tournaments Whether you’re just getting into the beautiful game or have followed your favorite club for years, certain soccer competition names can get confusing. Although most American sports leagues and tournaments are usually just known by one name, there are plenty of global competitions that are polyonymous. Sponsorship agreements sometimes cause these name changes. For instance, England’s EFL Cup, sometimes also called the League Cup, has also been labeled the Coca-Cola Cup, Worthington Cup, Carling Cup, Milk Cup, Capital One Cup, and finally the Carabao Cup over the last 40 years. However, sponsorship change is not the only reason for confusion. Sports fans, in general, tend to come up with nicknames for things. Whether it’s for certain players, coaches, or competitions, we sometimes refer to things in a way that seems to just make more sense to us. Also, leagues and governing bodies (like the FA in England) can change the official names to leagues/cup tournaments as well. This is perhaps most notable in Brazil, as their top division has officially changed names multiple times over the years. Listed below are soccer competitions that can be known by multiple names: England English Premier League (England’s top division) – Premier League, EPL, Barclays Premier League, BPL FA Cup (England’s primary cup competition) – Emirates FA Cup, Football Association Challenge Cup Carabao Cup (England’s secondary cup competition) – League Cup, EFL Cup English Football League Championship (England’s second division) – EFL Championship, The Championship, Sky Bet Championship Spain La Liga (Spain’s top division) – Campeonato Nacional de Liga de Primera División, La Liga Santander Copa del Rey (Spain’s primary cup competition) – Campeonato de España–Copa de Su Majestad el Rey, La Copa France Ligue 1 (France’s top division) – Ligue 1 Uber Eats Coupe de France (France’s primary cup competition) – Coupe Charles Simon Portugal Primeira Liga (Portugal’s top division) – Liga NOS Belgium Belgian First Division A (Belgium’s top division) – Jupiler Pro League, Belgian Pro League Sweden Allsvenskan (Sweden’s top division) – Fotbollsallsvenskan Scotland Scottish League Cup (Scotland’s secondary cup competition) – Betfred Cup Mexico Liga MX (Mexico’s top division) – Liga BBVA MX Brazil Campeonato Brasileiro Serie A (Brazil’s top division) – Brasileirão, Brazilian Championship A Series Argentina Primera Division (Argentina’s top division) – Liga Profesional de Fútbol Colombia Categoría Primera A (Colombia’s top division) – Liga BetPlay Dimayor Copa Colombia (Colombia’s primary cup competition) – Copa BetPlay Dimayor Ecuador Liga Pro Banco Pichincha (Ecuador’s top division) – Liga Pro, Serie A Copa Ecuador (Ecuador’s primary cup competition) – Copa FEF Ecuador Paraguay Primera División (Paraguay’s top division) – Copa de Primera TIGO-Visión Banco, División Profesional de la Asociación Paraguaya de Fútbol Peru Liga 1 (Peru’s top division) – Peruvian Primera División, Liga 1 Betsson Venezuela Primera División (Venezuela’s top division) – Liga Venezolana
Whether you’re just getting into the beautiful game or have followed your favorite club for years, certain soccer competition names can get confusing. Although most American sports leagues and tournaments are usually just known by one name, there are plenty of global competitions that are polyonymous. Sponsorship agreements sometimes cause these name changes. For instance, England’s EFL Cup, sometimes also called the League Cup, has also been labeled the Coca-Cola Cup, Worthington Cup, Carling Cup, Milk Cup, Capital One Cup, and finally the Carabao Cup over the last 40 years. However, sponsorship change is not the only reason for confusion. Sports fans, in general, tend to come up with nicknames for things. Whether it’s for certain players, coaches, or competitions, we sometimes refer to things in a way that seems to just make more sense to us. Also, leagues and governing bodies (like the FA in England) can change the official names to leagues/cup tournaments as well. This is perhap...