FA Cup Winners

Brief History of the Ghana Football Association (FA) Cup

Asante Kotoko – holders of the FA Cup, 2016-2017 champions (9th title)

The Ghana FA Cup competition, now known as the MTN FA Cup for sponsorship reasons, is the elite knock out competition of the Ghana Football Association (GFA). The competition was first held in the season 1957/1958, then known as the Aspro Cup where Asante Kotoko beat Accra Hearts of Oak 4-2 at the final to be crowned champions of the maiden edition.

The knockout competition is played between the clubs of the Ghana Premier League, the Division One League, the Division Two and Three Leagues. However, the upset driven competition took eight years intermission between the seasons 2002 and 2010.

Accra Hearts of Oak is the most successful club in the history of the competition, having won the title for ten times (10), last in 2000 when they beat Okwahu United 2-0 in the final. Kumasi Asante Kotoko follows closely with 9 titles, last won it in 2017 at the time of writing, after beating Hearts of Oak 3-1 in the final at the Tamale sports stadium.

Ghana FA Cup previous Winners list

Season            Winners                                                  Runners-Up

1958               Asante Kotoko (Kumasi)         4-2 Hearts of Oak (Accra)     (Aspro Cup)

1959                Cornerstones (Kumasi)                  Great Ashantis (Kumasi)

1960                 Asante Kotoko (Kumasi)             2-0 Hearts of Oak (Accra)

1961/62           Real Republicans (Accra)   0-0 1-1 2-1 Asante Kotoko (Kumasi)

1962/63           Real Republicans (Accra)       1-1 2-0 Cornerstones (Kumasi)

1963/64            Real Republicans (Accra)           3-0 Great Ashantis (Kumasi)

1965               Real Republicans (Accra)       1-1  1-1 Cornerstones (Kumasi)           (shared)

1966                competition abandoned

1967                 Not played

1968                 Mysterious Dwarfs (Cape Coast)     1-0 Mighty Eagles (Ho)

1969/70           Not played

1970/71         Abandoned at semi-final stage

1972              Not played

1973    Hearts of Oak (Accra)          2-2 2-0 Akotex (Akosombo)               (Note: the first match was followed by penalty shoot-out which ended 4-4)

1974        Hearts of Oak (Accra)              2-1 All Blacks (Swedru)

1975        Great Olympics (Accra)             1-0 Brong-Ahofu United (Sunyani)

1976        Asante Kotoko (Kumasi)             2-1 Eleven Wise (Sekondi)

1977       Not played

1978         Asante Kotoko (Kumasi)       7-0  Gold Stars (Tarkwa)

1979          Hearts of Oak (Accra)              1-0  Eleven Wise (Sekondi)

1980          Not played

1981         Hearts of Oak (Accra)              2-0 Real Tamale United

1982          Eleven Wise (Sekondi)             2-1 Hasaacas (Sekondi)

1983        Great Olympics (Accra)           1-0 Tano Bafoakwa (Sunyani)

1984       Asante Kotoko (Kumasi)          1-0 Goldfields (Obuasi)

1985        Hasaacas (Sekondi)                 2-0 Asante Kotoko (Kumasi)

1986        Okwahu United (Nkawkaw)    2-0 Real Tamale United (Tamale)

1987      Not played

1988      Not played

1989    Hearts of Oak (Accra)       2-0 Cornerstones (Kumasi)    

1989/90 Hearts of Oak (Accra)         2-4 Asante Kotoko (Kumasi)          (Hearts won on successful protest)

1990/91   Not played

1991/92          Voradep (Ho)            2-2 Neoplan Stars (Kumasi)          (3-2 pen)

1992/93           Goldfields (Obuasi)                4-3 Mysterious Dwarfs (Cape Coast)

1993/94           Hearts of Oak (Accra)              2-1 Mysterious Dwarfs (Cape Coast)

1994/95           Great Olympics (Accra)             1-0 Hearts of Oak (Accra)

1995/96          Hearts of Oak (Accra)          0-0 1-0 Ghapoha (Tema)                  (there was no penalty shoot-out after the first match due to floodlights failure)

1996/97           Ghapoha (Tema)                     1-0 Okwahu United (Nkawkaw)

1997/98           Asante Kotoko (Kumasi)             1-0 Real Tamale United

1999            Hearts of Oak (Accra)              3-1 Great Olympics

2000            Hearts of Oak (Accra)              2-0 Okwahu United (Nkawkaw)

2001                   Asante Kotoko (Kumasi)             1-0 King Faisal (Kumasi)        a.e.t

2002-2010         Not played

2010/11            Nania FC (Legon)                   1-0  Asante Kotoko (Kumasi)      a.e.t

2011/12            New Edubiase FC                    1-0  Ashanti Gold FC (Obuasi)

2012/13            Medeama SC (Tarkwa)          1-0  Asante Kotoko (Kumasi)        

2013/14            Asante Kotoko (Kumasi)             2-1 Inter-Allies FC (Accra)         a.e.t

2014/15            Medeama SC (Tarkwa)                2-1 Asante Kotoko (Kumasi)        

2015/16            Bechem United                      2-1 Okwahu United (Nkawkaw)

2016/17            Asante Kotoko (Kumasi)             3-1 Hearts of Oak (Accra)

2018/2019       Suspended

2019/2020      Suspended due to the Novel Coronavirus (Covid-19) Pandemic

2020/2021 Accra Hearts of Oak (8)0-0(7) Asahti Gold SC (Accra)-Hearts of Oak won on penalty shoot-outs after the 120 Minutes (8-7)

2021/2022 Accra Hearts of Oak SC 2-1 Bechem United (Hearts of Oak won their 12th title – the most in history)

2022/2023: Dreams FC beat King Faisal (2-0) at Dr. Kwame Kyei Sports Stadium in Kumasi.

Compiled by GSP1 Media Team