It was created with the objective of filling the calendar of smaller teams, as the Campeonato Gaúcho runs only in the first months of the year, leaving many smaller teams of the state without games to play on the rest of the year, thus, the Copa FGF is considered a competition that values local Gaúcho football, because the greatest clubs in the state, Grêmio and Internacional, usually play the cup with their academy teams, opening up the possibility of smaller clubs of the state win the title.

The Copa FGF usually receive a different name in each edition, honoring important people related to football in Rio Grande do Sul.

The 2014 edition is called Copa Fernandão, in posthumous tribute to former Internacional footballer who died in June of the same year.

However, the Copa FGF winner also qualifies for this cup, having the opportunity to qualify for the Campeonato Brasileiro Série D. Having been established in 2004, the Copa FGF has been played by dozens of different clubs in the state of Rio Grande do Sul.

Seven clubs are officially recognized to have been the Copa FGF champions, of which four teams have two titles each: Internacional, Juventude, Lajeadense and Novo Hamburgo.