The 2019 UEFA Super Cup was the 44th edition of the UEFA Super Cup, an annual football match organised by UEFA and contested by the reigning champions of the two main European club competitions, the UEFA Champions League and the UEFA Europa League. The match featured two English sides, Liverpool, the winners of the 2018–19 UEFA Champions League, and Chelsea, the winners of the 2018–19 UEFA Europa League. The match was played at Vodafone Park in Istanbul, Turkey on 14 August 2019. The match was the first all-English UEFA Super Cup, and the eighth overall Super Cup to feature two teams from the same country. For the first time, the video assistant referee (VAR) system was used in the competition.
Liverpool won the match 5–4 on penalties following a 2–2 draw after extra time for their fourth UEFA Super Cup title. As winners, Liverpool were rewarded £4 million in prize money.
Teams
Venue
This was the first UEFA Super Cup held in Turkey, and the third time a UEFA club competition final was held in the country, after the 2005 UEFA Champions League Final at the Atatürk Olympic Stadium and the 2009 UEFA Cup Final at the Şükrü Saracoğlu Stadium, both also in Istanbul.
The stadium is the home ground of Turkish club Beşiktaş. UEFA regulations regarding naming rights of non-tournament sponsors required that the stadium be referred to as Beşiktaş Park in all UEFA materials.
Host selection
For the first time ever, an open bidding process was launched on 9 December 2016 by UEFA to select the venues of the club competition finals (UEFA Champions League, UEFA Europa League, UEFA Women's Champions League, and UEFA Super Cup). Associations had until 27 January 2017 to express interest, and bid dossiers had to be submitted by 6 June 2017.
UEFA announced on 3 February 2017 that nine associations expressed interest in hosting, and confirmed on 7 June 2017 that seven associations submitted bids for the 2019 UEFA Super Cup:
The following associations expressed interest in hosting but eventually did not submit bids: Hungary: Groupama Arena, Budapest Scotland: Hampden Park, Glasgow
The bid evaluation report was published by UEFA on 14 September 2017. Vodafone Park was selected as the venue by the UEFA Executive Committee on 20 September 2017.
Background
The match was the first UEFA Super Cup to feature two English teams, after all-English finals in both of UEFA's seasonal tournaments; Liverpool beat Tottenham Hotspur in the Champions League and Chelsea beat Arsenal in the Europa League. The match was the eighth overall Super Cup to feature two teams from the same country, previously achieved five times by Spanish teams (2006, 2014, 2015, 2016 and 2018) and twice by Italian teams (1990 and 1993). This also ensured that it would be the first Super Cup to be won by an English team since Liverpool in 2005.
This was the eleventh meeting between both clubs in UEFA competition. Liverpool and Chelsea were drawn against each other in five successive Champions League seasons between 2004–05 and 2008–09. Chelsea had won three of these meetings (including one after extra time) to Liverpool's two, with the other five ending in draws (including one decided on penalties in Liverpool's favour). Each side had advanced against the other two times apiece, with the other tie coming in the 2005–06 UEFA Champions League group stage as Liverpool's unique qualifying situation that season did not grant them association protection.
The teams have met twice previously in domestic cup finals, which Chelsea have triumphed on both occasions. First was in the 2005 Football League Cup Final, played outside England at the Millennium Stadium in Wales while Wembley Stadium was being rebuilt, where they won 3–2 after extra time, and more recently in the 2012 FA Cup Final at Wembley, winning 2–1. They both also contested the English super cup, the FA Community Shield, in 2006 and Liverpool won 2–1 on that occasion at Cardiff's Millennium Stadium.