A Cup is a representation of a certain number of courses in the Mario Kart series. In Super Mario Kart, a Cup consisted of five courses, whereas in the later games the number was reduced to four (due to the single tracks being longer). When racing the Grand Prix mode, players race through all the tracks from a Cup. Cups are usually named after items from the Mario series, for example the Mushroom Cup and the Star Cup. Those names, however, have nothing to do with the courses they represent. Consequently, though Cup names happen to reappear throughout the series, they usually stand for different tracks.
In Mario Smash Football, a Cup consists of a number of matches against varying enemies. Each cup has more enemies than the last, and thus, there are more rounds played. The table system is used. Player score three points when winning, one point when losing by a Golden Goal, and zero points when losing. In the end, the player with the most points wins. The Bowser Cup features semifinals and finals after the regular phase is over. The unlockable Super Cups are the same as the original cups, but with no Rookie setting available and return matches.