 | |
| Organiser(s) | UEFA (from 1995) |
|---|---|
| Founded | 1961; 64 years ago (1961) |
| Abolished | 2008; 17 years ago (2008) |
| Region | Europe |
| Teams | 50 |
| Related competitions | UEFA Cup (merged with) |
| Last champions |  Braga(1st title) |
| Most championships |  Hamburger SVSchalke 04VfB Stuttgart Villarreal(2 titles each) |
TheUEFA Intertoto Cup (fromLatin:inter, "between" andGerman:toto, "betting pool"),[1] originally called theInternational Football Cup, was a summerfootball competition between Europeanclubs. The competition was discontinued after the2008 tournament.[2]
The tournament was founded in 1961–62, but was only taken over byUEFA in 1995. Initially, the tournament ended with a single champion, who received the Intertoto Cup. Starting in 1967, the tournament ended with a number of group winners (7 to 14 winners), who received cash prizes. When UEFA took on the tournament, it became a qualifier for theUEFA Cup, with 2 to 11 Intertoto winners advancing to the second qualifying round of the UEFA Cup.
Any club who wished to participate had to apply for entry, with the highest placed clubs (by league position in their domestic league) at the end of the season entering the competition. The club did not have to be ranked directly below the clubs which had qualified for another UEFA competition; if the club which was in that position did not apply, they would not be eligible to compete, with the place instead going to the club which did apply.[3]
The cup billed itself as providing both an opportunity for clubs who otherwise would not get the chance to enter the UEFA Cup and as an opportunity for sportslotteries (orpools) to continue during the summer.[4] This reflects its background, which was as a tournament solely for football pools. In 1995, the tournament came under official UEFA sanctioning[5] and UEFA Cup qualification places were granted. Initially, two were provided; this was increased to three after one year, but in 2006, it was again increased to the final total of 11.
The Intertoto Cup was the idea ofMalmö FF chairmanEric Persson and the laterFIFA vice-president and founder of theInter-Cities Fairs Cup, Ernst B. Thommen, and the Austrian coachKarl Rappan, who coached theSwitzerland national team at the1938 FIFA World Cup and at the1954 World Cup.[4] The "Cup for the Cupless" was also heavily promoted by the Swiss newspaperSport. It derived its name fromToto, theGerman term forfootball pools.
Thommen, who had set up football betting pools in Switzerland in 1932, had a major interest in having purposeful matches played in the summer break. UEFA were initially disinclined to support the tournament, finding its betting background distasteful; nevertheless they permitted the new tournament but refrained from getting officially involved.[4] Clubs which qualified for one of the official continental competitions, such as theEuropean Champions Cups andCup Winners' Cup, were not allowed to participate.
The first tournament was held in 1961 as the International Football Cup (IFC). Initially the Cup had a group stage, which led to knock-out matches culminating in a final. By 1967, it had become difficult to organize the games,[5] and so the knock-out rounds and the final were scrapped, leaving the tournament without a single winner. Instead, group winners received prizes ofCHF10,000-15,000.
By 1995, UEFA had reconsidered their opinion, took official control of the tournament and changed its format. Initially, two winners were given a place in the UEFA Cup. The success of one of the first winners,Bordeaux, in reaching thefinal of the1995–96 UEFA Cup encouraged UEFA to add a third UEFA Cup place in 1996.[5]
Many clubs disliked the competition and saw it as disruptive in the preparation for the new season. As a consequence, they did not nominate themselves for participation even if entitled. In particular, following its 1995 relaunch, clubs in England were sceptical about the competition; after initially being offered three places in the cup, all Englishtop division teams rejected the chance to take part.[6] Following the threat of bans of English teams from all UEFA competitions,[6] three English clubs were entered but fielded weakened teams. UEFA's punishment was to dock England a fourth UEFA Cup qualification place in1995–96 "due to the conduct ofTottenham andWimbledon in last season's Intertoto Cup".[7]
In following years, UEFA made it possible for nations to forfeit Intertoto places. For example, in 1998, Scotland, San Marino and Moldova forfeited their places, and England, Portugal, and Greece forfeited one of their two,Crystal Palace being the sole English entrant despite finishing bottom of the Premier League.[8] Other clubs have built upon their success in the UEFA Intertoto Cup, following it up with great campaigns in the UEFA Cup. Furthermore, UEFA rejected this assertion that the tournament is disruptive. They point out that in the 2004–05 season, two of the three 2004 Intertoto Cup winners went on to qualify directly for theChampions League (Schalke and Lille) whilst the 3rd one qualified by winning its 3rd qualifying round (Villarreal).[5]
Following the election of new UEFA presidentMichel Platini, Intertoto Cup was abolished in 2008, as part of changes that were made for UEFA Cup/Champions League system. Instead of teams qualifying for the Intertoto Cup, they would now qualify directly for the qualifying stages of theUEFA Europa League, which was expanded to four rounds to accommodate them. TheUEFA Europa Conference League was introduced in 2021 as a third-tier European tournament.[9]
When the competition was taken over by UEFA in 1995, the format was both a group stage and a knock-out stage; 60 teams were split into 12 groups of five with the 16 best teams then contesting the knock-out stage withtwo-legged ties at each stage, the two winning finalists qualifying for the UEFA Cup. In 1996 and 1997, just the 12 group winners entered the knock-out round, with now three finalists advancing. Nations were allocated places according to theirUEFA coefficients, much as with other UEFA tournaments.
The group stage was scrapped for the 1998 tournament, which became a straight knock-out tournament, with clubs from more successful nations entering at a later stage. This arrangement lasted until 2005.
From the 2006 tournament, the format for the Cup changed. There were three rounds instead of the previous five, and the 11 winning teams from the third round went through to the second qualifying round of the UEFA Cup.[10] The clubs which were furthest in the UEFA Cup would each be awarded with a trophy.[11] The first club that received that trophy (a plaque) wasNewcastle United.[12]
Only one team from each national association was allowed to enter. However, if one or more nations did not take up their place, the possibility was left open for nations to have a second entrant. Seedings and entry were determined by each association.[10] Teams from the weakest federations entered at the first round stage, while those from mid-level federations entered in the second round, and those from the strongest federations entered in the third round.
The results shown are theaggregate total over two legs unless otherwise noted.
| Season | Winners | Runners-up | Results | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1961–62 |  Ajax | Feyenoord | 4–2* | ||
| 1962–63 |  Inter Bratislava |  Padova | 1–0* | ||
| 1963–64 | Inter Bratislava |  Polonia Bytom | 1–0* | ||
| 1964–65 | Polonia Bytom |  SC Leipzig | 5–4 | ||
| 1965–66 | 1. FC Lokomotive Leipzig |  IFK Norrköping | 4–1 | ||
| 1966–67 | Eintracht Frankfurt | Inter Bratislava | 4–3 | ||
| * – Single match finals | |||||
During this time there were no competition winners, as only group stages were contested. The outright winners (determined by their best champions) are marked inbold.
| Year | Group A1 | Group A2 | Group A3 | Group A4 | Group A5 | Group A6 | Group B1 | Group B2 | Group B3 | Group B4 | Group B5 | Group B6 | Group B7 | Group B8 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1967 |  Lugano | Feyenoord |  Lille |  Lierse | – | – | Hannover 96 | Zagłębie Sosnowiec | Polonia Bytom | Gothenburg | Ruch Chorzów | Košice |  KB | Fortuna Düsseldorf |
| 1968 | Nuremberg | Ajax | Sporting | Feyenoord |  Español | ADO Den Haag | Karl-Marx-Stadt | Empor Rostock | Slovan Bratislava | Košice | Lokomotíva Košice | Odra Opole | Eintracht Braunschweig | Legia Warsaw |
| 1970 | Slovan Bratislava | Hamburger SV | Union Teplice | MVV | Košice | – | Eintracht Braunschweig | Slavia Prague | Marseille | Öster | Wisła Kraków |  Austria Salzburg | Baník Ostrava | Polonia Bytom |
The results shown are theaggregate total over two legs.Listed are each year's three teams (two in 1995) that won the final matches, qualifying them for the UEFA Cup.
Listed are all 11 teams that won the Intertoto Cup, qualifying for the UEFA Cup. The outright winners (determined by the best performance in the UEFA Cup) are marked inbold.
From 2006 onwards, the final round was no longer termed as the "Final", but instead simply as the "Third Round". In addition, there were 11 winners, compared to three under the old system. The clubs which progressed furthest in theUEFA Cup were awarded with a trophy (plaque).
| Nation | Winners | Runners-up |
|---|---|---|
| France | 12 | 5 |
| Germany | 8 | 4 |
| Spain | 5 | 4 |
| Italy | 4 | 2 |
 England | 4 | 1 |
| Portugal | 1 | 1 |
| Denmark | 1 | 0 |
| Austria | 0 | 3 |
| Czech Republic | 0 | 2 |
 Russia | 0 | 2 |
| Belgium | 0 | 1 |
 Croatia | 0 | 1 |
| Netherlands | 0 | 1 |
 Poland | 0 | 1 |
 Romania | 0 | 1 |
| Sweden | 0 | 1 |
| Switzerland | 0 | 1 |
 Yugoslavia[c] | 0 | 1 |
| Nation | Winners | Runners-up | Winning and group champion clubs | Runner-up and group runners-up clubs | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Czechoslovakia | 62 | 34 | Slovan Bratislava (8), Banik Ostrava (7), Bohemians Prague (6), Slavia Prague (6), Inter Bratislava (4), Košice (4), Nitra (3), Sparta Prague (3), Spartak Trnava (3), Union Teplice (3), Zbrojovka Brno (3), Jednota Trencin (2), Lokomotiva Kosice (2), DAC Dunajská Streda, Dukla Banská Bystrica, Cheb, Sigma Olomouc, Tatran Prešov, Třinec, Vítkovice, Žilina | Slavia Prague (5), Bohemians Prague (3), Cheb (3), Inter Bratislava (3), Nitra (2), Sigma Olomouc (2), Sparta Prague (2), Spartak Trnava (2), Zbrojovka Brno (2), Žilina (2), DAC Dunajská Streda, Dukla Prague, Jednota Trencin, Košice, Slovan Bratislava, Tatran Prešov, Union Teplice, Vítkovice |
| Germany | 50 | 46 | Eintracht Braunschweig (7), Hamburg (5), Hertha BSC (5), Bayer Uerdingen (4), Werder Bremen (4), Duisburg (3), Fortuna Düsseldorf (3), Hannover 96 (3), Kaiserslautern (3), Karlsruhe (3), Stuttgart (3), Schalke 04 (2), Dynamo Dresden, Eintracht Frankfurt, Nuremberg, SpVgg Fürth, Stuttgarter Kickers | Duisburg (5), Kaiserslautern (5), Werder Bremen (5), Arminia Bielefeld (3), Bayer Leverkusen (3), Hertha BSC (3), Bochum (2), Fortuna Düsseldorf (2), Hannover 96 (2), Karlsruhe (2), Saarbrücken (2), 1860 Münich, Bayer Uerdingen, Borussia Dortmund, Eintracht Braunschweig, Eintracht Frankfurt, Hallescher, Hamburg, Kickers Offenbach, Lokomotive Leipzig, Schalke 04, Stuttgarter Kickers, Wolfsburg |
| Sweden | 46 | 28 | Malmö FF (10), IFK Göteborg (8), Öster (5), AIK (4), Halmstad (3) IFK Norrköping (3), Atvidaberg (2), Elfsborg (2), Hammarby (2), Örebro (2), Brage, Djurgården, GAIS, Örgryte, Trelleborg | Malmö FF (8), Atvidaberg (2), IFK Göteborg (2), IFK Norrköping (2), Kalmar (2), Örgryte (2), Öster (2), Djurgården, Häcken, Halmstad, Hammarby, Helsingborg, Landskrona, Örebro, Trelleborg |
| Poland | 25 | 27 | Pogoń Szczecin (3), Polonia Bytom (3), Wisla Kraków (3), Lech Poznań (2), Odra Opole (2), ROW Rybnik (2), Widzew Łódź (2), Zaglebie Sosnowiec (2), Górnik Zabrze, Katowice, Legia Warsaw, Ruch Chorzów, Szombierki Bytom | Zaglebie Sosnowiec (4), Górnik Zabrze (2), Gwardia Warsaw (2), Katowice (2), Legia Warsaw (2), Polonia Bytom (2), Ruch Chorzów (2), Szombierki Bytom (2), Wisla Kraków (2), Lech Poznań, LKS Łódź, Odra Opole, Pogoń Szczecin, ROW Rybnik, Widzew Łódź, Zawisza Bydgoszcz |
| Switzerland | 22 | 15 | Grasshopper (6), Young Boys (5), Zürich (4), Luzern (2), Neuchâtel Xamax (2), Lausanne Sports, Lugano, Servette | Grasshopper (4), Lausanne Sports (2), Zürich (2), Aarau, Basel, Grenchen, Lugano, Sion, St. Gallen, Young Boys |
| Denmark | 21 | 30 | AGF (3), Lyngby (3), AaB (2), B 1903 (2), Brøndby (2), Frem (2), Odense (2), Copenhagen, Ikast, KB, Næstved, Silkeborg | Odense (7), AGF (4), KB (4), Vejle (4), Brøndby (2), Esbjerg (2), Lyngby (2), Næstved (2), Frem, Hvidovre, Silkeborg |
| Austria | 20 | 32 | Wacker/Tirol Innsbruck (4), Rapid Vienna (3), Salzburg (3), Ried, Sturm Graz, Austria Vienna (2), VÖEST Linz (2), Admira, First Vienna, GAK, Ried, Sturm Graz, Wiener Sportclub | Sturm Graz (5), Wacker/Tirol Innsbruck (5), LASK Linz (4), Admira (3), Austria Vienna (3), First Vienna (3), Salzburg (3), VÖEST Linz (2), Austria Klagenfurt, Pasching, Rapid Vienna, Wiener Sportclub |
| France | 19 | 9 | Marseille (3), Auxerre (2), Lens (2), Lille (2), Bastia, Bordeaux, Guingamp, Lyon, Montpellier, Paris Saint-Germain, Rennes, Saint-Étienne, Strasbourg, Troyes | Auxerre, Bordeaux, Caen, Lille, Metz, Montpellier, RCF Paris, Rennes, Saint-Étienne |
| East Germany | 12 | 9 | Carl Zeiss Jena (3), Chemnitz/Karl-Marx-Stadt (2), Rot-Weiss Erfurt (2), Wismut Aue (2), Empor Rostock, Lokomotive Leipzig, Union Berlin | Lokomotive Leipzig (3), Carl Zeiss Jena (2), Chemnitz/Karl-Marx-Stadt (2), Dynamo Dresden, Magdeburg |
 | Hungary | 9 | 12 | Tatabánya (2), Újpest (2), Videoton (2), Békéscsaba, MTK, Siófok | Vác (3), Honvéd (2), Videoton (2), Győr, MTK, Pécsi, Siófok, Zalaegerszegi |
| Netherlands | 9 | 11 | Feyenoord (3), Ajax (2), Twente (2), ADO Den Haag, MVV | ADO Den Haag (3), Armsterdam, Feyenoord, Groningen, Heerenveen, NAC Breda, PSV, Twente, Utrecht |
| Spain | 8 | 5 | Villarreal (2), Atlético Madrid, Celta de Vigo, Deportivo La Coruña, Español, Málaga, Valencia | Villarreal (2), Atlético Madrid, Deportivo La Coruña, Valencia |
| Belgium | 7 | 15 | Standard Liège (5), Lierse, Molenbeek | Standard Liège (8), Gent (2), Anderlecht, Beveren, Liège, Molenbeek, Royal Antwerp |
| Italy | 6 | 3 | Bologna, Juventus, Napoli, Perugia, Sampdoria, Udinese | Bologna, Brescia, Padova |
| England | 6 | 1 | Aston Villa (2), Blackburn Rovers, Fulham, Newcastle United, West Ham United | Newcastle United |
 | Israel | 5 | 6 | Maccabi Netanya (4), Maccabi Haifa (1) | Maccabi Haifa (2), Bnei Sakhnin, Hapoel Be’er Sheva, Hapoel Tel Aviv, Maccabi Petah Tikva |
| Portugal | 5 | 6 | Belenenses, Braga, CUF, Leiria, Sporting | Vitória Guimarães (2), Belenenses, CUF, Leiria, Vitória Setúbal |
 | Bulgaria | 4 | 13 | Etar Veliko Tarnovo, Lokomotiv Gorna Oryahovitsa, Pirin Blagoevgrad, Slavia Sofia | Pirin Blagoevgrad (3), Slavia Sofia (3), Chernomorets Burgas (2), Lokomotiv Sofia (2), Cherno More Varna, Marek Dupnitsa, Spartak Varna |
 | Yugoslavia | 4 | 6 | Budućnost, Čelik Zenica, Sloboda Tuzla, Vojvodina | Vojvodina (3), Olimpija Ljubljana, Rad, Sloboda Tuzla |
| Romania | 2 | 5 | Oţelul Galaţi, Vaslui | Rapid Bucureşti (2), CFR Cluj, Farul Constanţa, Gloria Bistriţa |
 | Norway | 1 | 7 | Rosenborg | Bryne (2), Lillestrøm (2), Vålerenga (2), Viking |
| Czech Republic | 1 | 4 | Slavia Prague | Sigma Olomouc (2), Slavia Prague, Slovan Liberec |
 | Turkey | 1 | 2 | Kayserispor | Sivasspor, Trabzonspor |
 | Slovakia | 1 | 1 | Slovan Bratislava | Slovan Bratislava |
 | Cyprus | 1 | Ethnikos Achna | ||
 | Kazakhstan | 1 | Tobol Kostanay | ||
 | Slovenia | 1 | Maribor | ||
| Russia | 5 | FC Moscow, Rotor Volgograd, Rubin Kazan, Saturn, Zenit St. Petersburg | ||
 | Greece | 3 | Larissa, OFI Crete, Panionios | ||
 | Ukraine | 3 | Chornomorets Odesa, Dnipro Dnipropetrovsk, Tavriya Simferopol | ||
 | Moldova | 2 | Dacia Chişinău, Tiraspol | ||
 | Azerbaijan | 1 | Neftchi Baku | ||
| Croatia | 1 | Segesta | ||
| FR Yugoslavia | 1 | Vojvodina | ||
 | Latvia | 1 | Riga | ||
 | Lithuania | 1 | Vėtra | ||
 | Scotland | 1 | Hibernian | ||
 | Serbia | 1 | Hajduk Kula | ||
The clubs which qualify for ... the UEFA Cup and which subsequently go furthest in the competition each receive a UEFA Intertoto Cup trophy
Media related toUEFA Intertoto Cup at Wikimedia Commons| Global |
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See also:International women's club football | |||||||||
