Cup Winners' Cup, an all-English 'whim'

Rise and fall of one of Europe's most important competitions.

The British never liked that it was the Real Madridor at least Latin clubs, to dominate the competition of the (old) Champions Cup. UK teams, clubs and fans, on the other hand, have always preferred to, and considered their FA Cupcompared to the championship. Both as a matter of tradition, considering that the first edition was held in 1872, and because all teams from every division can enter. Without forgetting that the finalists, every year, play for the title in the London stadium of Wembley.

To make their National Cup also outside the English borders, in 1960 the historic Cup Winners Cup. But the success of the 'new' competition only came many years later. This was because, following the proposal put forward by the British federations, there was no immediate support from Uefa and indeed, the first edition was run by a committee representing participants. Only ten teams entered, but for a simple reason. In other countries, the championship has always counted more than the national cup. But in this case, it was a competition that could give additional lustre even to those clubs that were already emblazoned. A matter of time, then. And the clubs understood this.

From the year following the first edition, there were twenty-three teams entered in the Cup Winners' Cup, the following year twenty-four and then stabilised at 32. Moreover, thanks to the support of Uefa, this competition became so important that it was second only to the Champions Cup, even one step above the Uefa Cup. The success over the coming years, also due to the high proceeds from the tournament, led the organisation to further revolutionise the competition. At the beginning of the 1990s, in fact, a merger was decided that still persists today.
The Cup Winners' Cup and the Uefa Cup. A single tournament at European level, simply called the European Cup Winners' Cup, which then mutated into the current Europa League. A union that put an end to over thirty years of the Cup Winners' Cup.