| Founded | 1955;70 years ago (1955) |
|---|---|
| Abolished | 1971;54 years ago (1971) |
| Region | Europe |
| Number of teams | 12 (first edition) 64 (last edition) |
| Related competitions | UEFA Cup (successor) |
| Last champions |  Leeds United(2nd title) |
| Most successful club(s) |  Barcelona(3 titles) |
TheInter-Cities Fairs Cup, most commonly referred to as theFairs Cup and sometimes as theEuropean Fairs Cup orFairs Cities' Cup,[1][2][3] was a Europeanfootballtournament that was played between 1955 and 1971.
The tournament was created to promote internationaltrade 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 theLondon XI, made up of players from clubs inLondon, who made the final of the1955–1958 season.
The tournament was played until 1971, when it wassuperseded by theUEFA Cup.[4][5]
After the1970–71 Inter-Cities Fairs Cup, the tournament was replaced with theUEFA Cup.[5] Because the Fairs Cup trophy had not been won by any clubpermanently, 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.[5]
| Year | Champion | Score | Runner-up | Venue | City | Attend. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1971 | Barcelona | 2–1 | Leeds United | Camp Nou | Barcelona | 45,000 |
| Club | Winners | Runners-up | Winning years | Runner-up years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Barcelona | 3 | 1 | 1958,1960,1966 | 1962 |
| Valencia | 2 | 1 | 1962,1963 | 1964 |
| Leeds United | 2 | 1 | 1968,1971 | 1967 |
| Zaragoza | 1 | 1 | 1964 | 1966 |
 Ferencváros | 1 | 1 | 1965 | 1968 |
 Dinamo Zagreb | 1 | 1 | 1967 | 1963 |
 Roma | 1 | 0 | 1961 | |
| Newcastle United | 1 | 0 | 1969 | |
| Arsenal | 1 | 0 | 1970 | |
| Birmingham City | 0 | 2 | 1960,1961 | |
| Juventus | 0 | 2 | 1965,1971 | |
| London XI | 0 | 1 | 1958 | |
| Újpest | 0 | 1 | 1969 | |
 Anderlecht | 0 | 1 | 1970 |
| Nation | Winners | Runners-up | Total |
|---|---|---|---|
| Spain | 6 | 3 | 9 |
| England | 4 | 4 | 8 |
| Italy | 1 | 2 | 3 |
| Hungary | 1 | 2 | 3 |
| Yugoslavia | 1 | 1 | 2 |
| Belgium | 0 | 1 | 1 |
