The Inter-Cities Fairs Cup, sometimes referred to as the European Fairs Cup, Fairs Cities' Cup, or simply as the Fairs Cup, was a European football competition played between 1955 and 1971. It is often considered the predecessor to the UEFA Cup. The competition was the idea of FIFA vice-president and executive committee member Ernst Thommen, Italian Football Federation president and FIFA executive committee member Ottorino Barassi, and the English Football Association general secretary, Stanley Rous, who later became an executive committee member and vice-president of UEFA (1958–1961) and president of FIFA (1961–1974). As the name suggests, the competition was set up to promote international trade fairs. Friendly games were regularly held between teams from cities holding trade fairs and it was from these games that the competition evolved. Initially, the competition was only open to cities that hosted trade fairs, and where the cities' clubs finished in their national league had no relevance. Early competitions also featured a "one city, one team" rule, with some teams selected from multiple clubs.
The London XI was a football team that represented the city of London in the 1955–58 Inter-Cities Fairs Cup.
The Croatian Football Super Cup is a football match between the winners of the Croatian national top league and football cup. The Super Cup is always held at the beginning of a new football season, and is only held when different clubs win the two most important competitions in the previous season.
The second Inter-Cities Fairs Cup took place between 1958 and 1960 and was won by Barcelona for the second consecutive time in a two-legged final against Birmingham City. Once again, a number of countries sent a representative team for one of their main cities, although London sent Chelsea instead. The Copenhagen XI was made up mostly of BK Frem players, and played in their colours.
The third Inter-Cities Fairs Cup was the first to be played over a single season, namely the 1960–61 season. Birmingham City once again reached the final, but lost again over two legs, this time to Roma. Once again, a number of countries sent a representative team for one of their main cities.
The 1963–64 season of the European Cup Winners' Cup club football tournament was won by Sporting CP in a replayed final victory against MTK Budapest.
The 1964–65 season of the European Cup Winners' Cup club football tournament was won by West Ham United in a final at Wembley Stadium against 1860 Munich. West Ham's Bobby Moore captained a side that also included Geoff Hurst and Martin Peters just one season before all three went on to star in England's World-Cup-winning side of 1966. As a result of their CWC success, Bobby Moore became the only captain to climb the Wembley steps to be presented with three different trophies in three successive seasons.
The fourth Inter-Cities Fairs Cup was played over the 1961–62 season. There were five representative teams for some major European cities, three of which lost out in the first round. The final was the first European final to be contested between two clubs from the same country, namely Spain. Valencia beat Barcelona 7–3 over two legs, and also reached the next two finals in the competition.
The 1978–79 season of the European Cup Winners' Cup was won by FC Barcelona in the final in Basel against Fortuna Düsseldorf. It was the first of four occasions that the Spanish club won the tournament.
The fifth Inter-Cities Fairs Cup was played over the 1962–63 season. There were five representative teams for some major European cities, four of which lost out in the first round. Valencia defeated Dinamo Zagreb over two legs to defend their title.
The sixth Inter-Cities Fairs Cup was played over the 1963–64 season. The competition was won by Zaragoza in a one-off final at Camp Nou in Barcelona against fellow Spaniards and defending champions Valencia. There was only one representative city team, from Copenhagen, with established sides filling all the other slots.
The 1964–65 Inter-Cities Fairs Cup was the seventh Inter-Cities Fairs Cup. The competition was won by Ferencváros, who beat Juventus in the final at the Italians' home ground, the Stadio Comunale in Turin. It was only the second time that a Spanish side had not won the competition, and the first of two occasions it went to Eastern Europe.
The eighth Inter-Cities Fairs Cup was played over the 1965–66 season. The competition was won by Barcelona over two legs in an all-Spanish final against Zaragoza. It was the sixth and final time that a Spanish side won the competition, and Barcelona's third title.
The ninth Inter-Cities Fairs Cup was played over the 1966–67 season. The competition was won by Dinamo Zagreb over two legs in the final against Leeds United. For the first time in the history of the cup, replays were scrapped, with sides going through thanks to scoring more away goals, or by tossing a coin after extra time if the sides could not be separated. Dinamo benefitted from both in the early rounds.
The 1969–70 Inter-Cities Fairs Cup was the 12th Inter-Cities Fairs Cup. The competition was won by Arsenal over two legs in the final against Anderlecht. It was the first of Arsenal's two European trophies, the other being the European Cup Winners' Cup in 1993–94.
The thirteenth and final Inter-Cities Fairs Cup was played over the 1970–71 season. The competition was won by Leeds United for the second time, over two legs, in the final against Juventus. It was the first time the competition final had been won on the away goals rule. The competition was abolished and replaced the next season by the UEFA Cup. The Inter-Cities Fairs trophy was finally won in a play-off between the first and last competition winners: CF Barcelona and Leeds United, respectively.
The 1958 Inter-Cities Fairs Cup Final was the final of the first Inter-Cities Fairs Cup. It was played on 5 March and 1 May 1958 between London XI of England and Barcelona XI. Barcelona XI won the tie 8–2 on aggregate.
The second round of the 2000–01 UEFA Cup began on 23 October 2000. The round included 48 winners from the first round.
Birmingham City Football Club is an English professional football club based in Birmingham. The club's involvement in European competition dates back to the 1950s.
The 1955–60 Central European International Cup was the final edition of the Central European International Cup. It was replaced by the European Nations Championship. Yugoslavia took part for the first time.
Barcelona XI 
London XI 
Evaristo 
