Understanding Major Trophies in Football: What Truly Counts?

In football, the label of a 'major trophy' is given to silverware that holds significant prestige and competitive importance for clubs. With numerous leagues, domestic cups, super cups, tiered contests, and friendly tournaments, teams have many opportunities to win trophies. Yet, no official standard exists to declare which trophies are truly "major." Instead, fans and tradition shape these views.

Here, we explore what makes a trophy major in the world of football.

Major Trophies Across Key Regions

• Premier League: The toughest and most esteemed title in English club football.
• FA Cup: The oldest national knockout competition globally, founded in 1871.
• EFL Cup (League Cup / Carabao Cup): A secondary knockout involving all 92 EFL and Premier League clubs, its status is debated. Despite featuring top clubs, it is seen as less prestigious but remains notable due to its Wembley final and European qualification reward.

• UEFA Champions League: The highest honor in club football, contested by champions and elite sides across Europe.
• UEFA Europa League: The second-tier continental tournament, long regarded as a significant prize.
• UEFA Conference League: Introduced in 2021 as the third-tier European cup, it has stirred debate about its standing. While big clubs like Chelsea and Roma have won it, it is not placed alongside the Champions or Europa Leagues.

• MLS Cup: The postseason playoff title seen by many Americans as the league championship.
• Supporters' Shield: Awarded to the team with the best regular-season record in MLS.
• U.S. Open Cup: The oldest ongoing competition in the U.S., dating back to 1914, open to teams across all levels.
• CONCACAF Champions Cup: The premier continental club competition offering a path to the FIFA Club World Cup.

The MLS Cup and CONCACAF Champions Cup stand out as the major honors in North America, while the others hold more local significance.

Trophies Generally Not Viewed as Major and Reasons Why

• Community Shield (England) and equivalents: Season-opening matches between league champions and cup winners, considered curtain-raisers rather than full competitions.
• Super Cups (including UEFA Super Cup): Single-match events, not season-long contests.
• Other domestic super cups: Such as the Trophée des Champions, DFL-Supercup, and Supercopa.
• Pre-season and invitational tournaments: Friendlies, summer cups, and testimonial matches without competitive weight.
• Youth, reserve, and regional trophies: Competitions not involving senior first-team squads at full strength.

Across Europe, some prestigious clubs take part in less valued trophies. The FIFA Club World Cup and European Super Cup provoke debate; often, the argument is that only winners of major tournaments like the Champions League or Europa League qualify, yet not everyone recognizes holders like Chelsea as world champions despite their technical title through 2029.

The Community Shield and similar Super Cups serve as season openers before real competition begins.

Pre-season and invitational tournaments lack competitive seriousness, and youth competitions do not reflect senior-level challenges.

A Unique Perspective: The Sextuple Achievements

Looking at Barcelona's 2009 and Bayern Munich's 2020 sextuples offers insight. Both clubs won every domestic trophy, both European trophies, and the Club World Cup in one calendar stretch. While the super cups alone might not be major on their own, when combined into this flawless sweep, they symbolize total dominance.

This rare achievement isn't just six separate trophies but a single statement of supremacy where each trophy matters equally.