Inter-Cities Fairs Cup

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The tournament was played until 1971, when it was superseded by the UEFA Cup.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

Ed.SeasonChampionRunner-upVenueCityAttend.  1955–58  Barcelona XI   London XI     Stamford Bridge  London  45,466  Camp Nou  Barcelona 70,000     1958–60  Barcelona   Birmingham City   St Andrew's  Birmingham  40,524  Camp Nou  Barcelona 70,000      1960–61  Roma   Birmingham City   St Andrew's  Birmingham  21,000   Stadio Olimpico  Rome  60,000      1961–62  Valencia   Barcelona   Mestalla Stadium  Valencia  65,000   Camp Nou  Barcelona  60,000      1962–63  Valencia   Dinamo Zagreb   Stadion Maksimir  Zagreb  40,000   Mestalla Stadium  Valencia  55,000      1963–64   Zaragoza   Valencia   Camp Nou  Barcelona  50,000   1964–65   Ferencváros   Juventus    Stadio Comunale  Turin  40,000   1965–66  Barcelona   Zaragoza   Camp Nou  Barcelona  50,000   La Romareda  Zaragoza  33,000      1966–67  Dinamo Zagreb   Leeds United   Stadion Maksimir  Zagreb  32,000   Elland Road  Leeds  35,604      1967–68  Leeds United   Ferencváros    Elland Road  Leeds  25,268   Népstadion  Budapest  76,000      1968–69  Newcastle United   Újpest    St James' Park  Newcastle  60,000   Megyeri út  Budapest  37,000      1969–70  Arsenal   Anderlecht    Constant Vanden Stock  Anderlecht  37,000   Highbury  London  51,612      1970–71  Leeds United   Juventus    Stadio Comunale  Turin  58,555   Elland Road  Leeds  42,483   
Notes

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.

YearChampionScoreRunner-upVenueCityAttend. 1971   Barcelona     Leeds United  Camp Nou  Barcelona  45,000

Performances
By club
ClubWinnersRunners-upWinning yearsRunner-up years Barcelona311958, 1960, 19661962 Valencia211962, 19631964 Leeds United211968, 19711967 Zaragoza1119641966 Ferencváros1119651968  Dinamo Zagreb1119671963 Roma101961 Newcastle United101969 Arsenal101970 Birmingham City021960, 1961 Juventus021965, 1971 London XI011958 Újpest011969 Anderlecht011970

By nation
 Nation Winners Runners-up Total  6 3 9  4 4 8  1 2 3  1 2 3  1 1 2  0 1 1

All-time top goalscorers
RankPlayerGoalsClub(s)1 Waldo31 Valencia2 Peter Lorimer20 Leeds United3 Flórián Albert19 Ferencváros Ferenc Bene Újpest José Antonio Zaldúa Barcelona6 Pedro Manfredini18 Roma7 Evaristo17 Barcelona8 Vicente Guillot16 Valencia9 Marcelino15 Zaragoza10 Héctor Núñez14 Valencia

Top scorers by season
SeasonPlayer(s)GoalsClub(s)1955–58 Evaristo4 Barcelona Justo Tejada Peter Murphy Birmingham City Cliff Holton London XI Norbert Eschmann Lausanne-Sport1958–60 Bora Kostić6 Belgrade XI1960–61 Pedro Manfredini12 Roma1961–62 Waldo9 Valencia1962–63 Francisco Lojacono6 Roma Pedro Manfredini Waldo Valencia1963–64 Waldo6 Valencia1964–65 Bobby Charlton8 Manchester United Denis Law1965–66 José Antonio Zaldúa8 Barcelona1966–67 Flórián Albert8 Ferencváros1967–68 Peter Lorimer8 Leeds United1968–69 Antal Dunai10 Újpest1969–70 Paul Van Himst10 Anderlecht1970–71 Pietro Anastasi10 Juventus
Source: rsssf.com

References

Bibliography

Other websites

Inter-Cities Fairs Cup at the RSSSF


Category:1955 establishments in Europe
Category:1970s disestablishments in Europe