Inter-Cities Fairs Cup

The Inter-Cities Fairs Cup

The Inter-Cities Fairs Cup, also called the Fairs Cup, was a fun football competition in Europe. It started in 1955 and ended in 1971. The idea was to help cities that had big trade fairs.

Teams from cities with trade fairs played against each other. In the early years, only one team from each city could join. For example, London sometimes used players from many clubs and called their team the London XI.

Later, teams could join based on how well they finished in their own leagues. The winner got a special trophy called the Noel Beard Trophy.

The Fairs Cup was managed by leaders from FIFA until 1971. Then it was replaced by the UEFA Cup. Even though it was a very important competition, it is not officially listed as a big tournament by FIFA or UEFA.

Some Fun Facts

• The first final was between Barcelona and the London XI. Barcelona won!
• Spanish teams, like Barcelona, Valencia CF, and Zaragoza, won many times.
• English teams such as Leeds United, Newcastle United, and Arsenal also won.

Cities That Played

The competition had teams from many cities across Europe, including:

• Barcelona
• Basel
• Birmingham
• Copenhagen
• Frankfurt
• Vienna
• Cologne
• Lausanne
• Leipzig
• London
• Milan
• Zagreb

A Special Match

After the last Fairs Cup in 1970–71, a special match was played to decide who would keep the trophy forever. FC Barcelona played against Leeds United. Barcelona won 2–1!