UEFA Cup Winners' Cup

Lore & Background

The first tournament was held in 1960–61, organised by UEFA from the start. From 1972 onwards, the winner progressed to play the winner of the European Cup in the European Super Cup. The tournament ran for 39 seasons, with the final edition in 1998–99, after which it was discontinued. Since its abolition, the UEFA Super Cup place previously reserved for the Cup Winners' Cup winner has been taken by the winner of the UEFA Cup (now the UEFA Europa League).

In Their Own Story

The rain in Rotterdam turned the De Kuip pitch into a slick, treacherous canvas, mirroring the high stakes inside the tunnel. On one side stood Cruyff's Barcelona, statuesque and dripping with European pedigree; on the other, a United side hungry to prove they belonged among the giants. When the whistle blew, the match erupted into a chaotic, gripping battle of wills. Mark Hughes, eyes locked on the net, unleashed a fire that had been smouldering for years, dismantling the Spanish defence with ruthless efficiency. As the final whistle confirmed a 2-1 victory, the roar from the travelling support echoed through the stadium—a sound that signalled United's return to the European elite and cemented the 1991 Cup Winners' Cup as the catalyst for everything that followed.

Reader's Guide

Throughout its 39-year history, the Cup Winners' Cup was always a straight knock-out tournament with two-legged home and away ties until the single match final at a neutral venue, except for the two-legged final in the first year. The away goals rule applied when aggregate scores were tied. The format was identical to the original European Champions' Cup with 32 teams contesting four knock-out rounds prior to the final, usually from September to May. Following the influx of new UEFA member nations during the 1990s, a regular August preliminary round was added to reduce the number of entrants to 32. Entry was restricted to one club per UEFA member association, except to allow the current Cup Winners' Cup holders to enter alongside their nation's new domestic cup winners to defend their title (though no club ever managed to do this). If the holders also qualified for the European Champions' Cup, they defaulted on their place in the Cup Winners' Cup and no other team replaced them. If a domestic cup holder also won the Cup Winners' Cup in the same season, the domestic cup runner-up took that association's berth. When a club completed a domestic league and cup double, that club entered the European Cup/UEFA Champions League and their place in the Cup Winners' Cup was taken by the domestic cup runners-up.

Did You Know?

• The inaugural Cup Winners' Cup in 1960–61 was contested by just 10 clubs, with Fiorentina winning the two-legged final against Rangers.
• No club ever managed to retain the Cup Winners' Cup, although eight times a winning side followed up their victories with a losing appearance in the following season's final.
• In the 1985–86 season, English clubs were banned from European competition due to the Heysel Stadium disaster, preventing Manchester United and Everton from competing in the Cup Winners' Cup.
• The Cup Winners' Cup trophy is a property of UEFA and was not assigned to any club, though clubs could have replicas made. There were various versions of the trophy awarded throughout its history.