Italia Azzurra

Coppa Italia

Founded	1922
Region	Italy
Number of teams	78
Current champions	Roma
Most successful club	Juventus Roma (9 titles each)
Website	Official Coppa Italia Site
Coppa Italia 2008-09

The Coppa Italia (Italy Cup, officially known as TIM Cup because of its sponsorship) is an Italian football annual cup competition. Its first edition was held in 1922, but the second champions were not crowned until 1936. Roma and Juventus lead the way with nine wins. Roma has been to the most finals: 15 (Torino follows with 14). The holder can wear a "tricolore" cockade, like the roundels that appear on military aircraft, and obtains a UEFA Cup spot for the next season. Clubs that have won the competition 10 times are awarded a silver star, similarly to those who receive a gold star for winning the Scudetto 10 times. As of yet, no team has accomplished this feat though Juventus and Roma would do so with their next victory.

The tournament is known for its low attendances, mainly because most teams consider the tournament of low importance and do not field their best line-up. While some top clubs may average over 50,000 for league games, often these same clubs will attract crowds of only around 30,000 for Coppa Italia matches. Interestingly, most domestic cups elsewhere in Europe attract large crowds. It is often only the final where the UEFA Cup spot is up for grabs, that larger crowds will attend the games.

The 2007–08 Coppa Italia final was played, like the three previous editions, between Internazionale and Roma. The match was held in Rome on May 24, 2008 and ended with a 2-1 win for Roma.