Inter-Cities Fairs Cup
| Founded | 1955 |
|---|---|
| Abolished | 1971 |
| Region | Europe |
| Number of teams | 12 (first edition) 64 (last edition) |
| Related competitions | UEFA Cup (successor) |
| Last champions |  Leeds United(2nd title) |
| Most successful club(s) |  Barcelona(3 titles) |
The Inter-Cities Fairs Cup, most commonly referred to as the Fairs Cup and sometimes as the European Fairs Cup or Fairs Cities' Cup, was a European football tournament that was played between 1955 and 1971.
The tournament was created to promote international trade fairs. During early seasons of the tournament, only cities that hosted fairs could enter, and the tournament had a "one city, one team" rule, with some teams made up of players from multiple clubs in a city. One notable example is the London XI, made up of players from clubs in London, who made the final of the 1955–1958 season.
The tournament was played until 1971, when it was superseded by the UEFA Cup.
Finals
- Keys
- Notes
- ↑ FC Barcelona participated in this first edition of the tournament representing the city of Barcelona, under the name "Barcelona XI", and using, not the colours of the club, but the colours of the city.
Trophy play-off match
After the 1970–71 Inter-Cities Fairs Cup, the tournament was replaced with the UEFA Cup. Because the Fairs Cup trophy had not been won by any club permanently, a play-off match was organised to decide who would keep the original trophy. It was played on 22 September 1971, between the first Fairs Cup winners, Barcelona, and the last winners, Leeds United.
| Year | Champion | Score | Runner-up | Venue | City | Attend. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1971 | Barcelona | 2–1 | Leeds United | Camp Nou | Barcelona | 45,000 |
Performances
By club
| Club | Winners | Runners-up | Winning years | Runner-up years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Barcelona |
3 | 1 | 1958, 1960, 1966 | 1962 |
| Valencia |
2 | 1 | 1962, 1963 | 1964 |
| Leeds United |
2 | 1 | 1968, 1971 | 1967 |
| Zaragoza |
1 | 1 | 1964 | 1966 |
 Ferencváros |
1 | 1 | 1965 | 1968 |
 Dinamo Zagreb |
1 | 1 | 1967 | 1963 |
 Roma |
1 | 0 | 1961 | |
| Newcastle United |
1 | 0 | 1969 | |
| Arsenal |
1 | 0 | 1970 | |
| Birmingham City |
0 | 2 | 1960, 1961 | |
| Juventus |
0 | 2 | 1965, 1971 | |
| London XI |
0 | 1 | 1958 | |
| Újpest |
0 | 1 | 1969 | |
 Anderlecht |
0 | 1 | 1970 |
By nation
| Nation | Winners | Runners-up | Total |
|---|---|---|---|
| Spain |
6 | 3 | 9 |
| England |
4 | 4 | 8 |
| Italy |
1 | 2 | 3 |
| Hungary |
1 | 2 | 3 |
| Yugoslavia |
1 | 1 | 2 |
| Belgium |
0 | 1 | 1 |
All-time top goalscorers
| Rank | Player | Goals | Club(s) |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 |  Waldo |
31 | Valencia |
| 2 |  Peter Lorimer |
20 | Leeds United |
| 3 | Flórián Albert |
19 | Ferencváros |
| Ferenc Bene |
Újpest | ||
| José Antonio Zaldúa |
Barcelona | ||
| 6 |  Pedro Manfredini |
18 | Roma |
| 7 | Evaristo |
17 | Barcelona |
| 8 | Vicente Guillot |
16 | Valencia |
| 9 | Marcelino |
15 | Zaragoza |
| 10 |  Héctor Núñez |
14 | Valencia |
Top scorers by season
- Source: rsssf.com
References
- ↑ "British Cup next season". Glasgow Herald. 19 March 1970. p. 6. Archived from the original on 23 December 2015. Retrieved 14 September 2015.
- ↑ "German International". Heinz Moeller-Verlag. March 17, 1971. Archived from the original on May 17, 2023. Retrieved April 14, 2022 – via Google Books.
- ↑ Prole, David Robert (March 17, 1964). "Football in London". R. Hale. Archived from the original on May 17, 2023. Retrieved April 14, 2022 – via Google Books.
- ↑ Vieli (2014, p. 44)
- 1 2 3 Vieli, André, ed. (May 2009). "Origins of the UEFA Cup" (PDF). UEFA direct. No. 85. Nyon: Union des Associations Européennes de Football (UEFA). pp. 10–11. Archived (PDF) from the original on 8 April 2022.
- ↑ "Cara y cruz de los ingleses" Archived 2016-03-04 at the Wayback Machine at Mundo Deportivo, p.1 – 2 May 1958
Bibliography
- Vieli, André (2014). UEFA: 60 years at the heart of football (PDF). Nyon: Union des Associations Européennes de Football. p. 45. doi:10.22005/bcu.175315. Archived (PDF) from the original on 3 August 2021.
Other websites
- Inter-Cities Fairs Cup at the RSSSF