The Atlantic Cup is a pre/mid-season football tournament held in Algarve, Portugal for European football clubs from national leagues which do not operate in the winter months. It therefore consists mainly of teams from Scandinavia, Northern and Central Europe.
It was founded in 2011 by former Arsenal, Benfica and Sweden midfielder, Stefan Schwarz and ex-Millwall goalkeeper Brian Horne.
Television coverage was originally provided by Eurosport and Eurosport 2.
This was the first edition of The Atlantic Cup, contested by two Danish and two Swedish teams. IF Elfsborg won the competition.
This was the second edition, contested by six teams from five countries. FC Midtjylland won the competition beating Dinamo Zagreb 1âÂÂ0 in the final.
This was the third edition, contested by three teams. S.C. Farense and SV Mattersburg also played but theirs matches were not taken account to the final standings. Rapid Wien won the competition.
This was the fourth edition of, contested by 8 teams from 6 countries. Television coverage was provided by Eurosport and Eurosport 2. The Danish team Copenhagen won the tournament, finishing the competition only with victories and without conceding a goal. The Swedish team ÃÂrebro SK finished in second place, also with victories only, but with a lower goal-difference than Copenhagen.
The 2016 edition had the same format as the 2015 Atlantic Cup. The winner of Group A (FK Jablonec) did not contest the final due to the schedule of its flight back home. They were replaced in the final by Group A runner-up, ÃÂrebro SK. FC Zenit Saint Petersburg won the competition after a penalty-shootout.
The 2017 edition was disputed in the same format as 2016 Atlantic Cup was.
The 2018 edition was disputed in the same format as 2017 Atlantic Cup.
Due to Rijeka's domestic schedule commitments, they departed Portugal early and were replaced by Stade Nyonnais, an invited team. As per tournament rules and regulations, they played in the 7th/8th place play-off match.
Nine teams from 7 countries participated in the 2019 edition.
The 2020 edition returned to the two-group format, last seen in 2018.
The 2022 tournament was originally intended to follow the two-group format. However, AIK Stockholm was forced to withdraw due to COVID, forcing a format change and welcoming Copenhagen into the tournament.
The 2023 tournament was held 2âÂÂ10 February 2023 with 10 teams competing.
The 2024 tournament was held from 30 JanuaryâÂÂ10 February 2024 with 11 teams competing.
The 2025 tournament was held from 30 JanuaryâÂÂ10 February 2025 with 7 teams competing.
The 2026 tournament was held from 25 JanuaryâÂÂ6 February 2026 with 9 teams competing.