europa conference league vs europa league

However, after the establishment of the UEFA Champions League to replace the European Cup in 1992, the CWC began to lose standing in the sport. It was regarded for many years by UEFA as their second most prestigious tournament after the European Cup. Other teams to experience success in the CWC multiple times were Anderlecht Chelsea FC, AC Milan and Dynamo Kyiv with two wins each.

The Blaugrana also finished as runners-up twice. Entry was restricted to one team per member nation.įC Barcelona were the most successful team in the competition’s history, with 4 victories between 19. The tournament at its pomp would consist of 32 teams remaining after the qualifying rounds, who would then battle it out in 4 knock-out rounds prior to the final. By 1968, the success of the CWC was such that all UEFA member nations had set up domestic cup competitions in order to participate. The only two-legged final was the inaugural edition. The format was that of a straight knock-out tournament with two legs – home and away – from qualifying rounds all the way to the single-game final. The UEFA backing undoubtedly brought some pull as well. The reception to the first edition was overwhelmingly positive from both fans and the media, and all clubs eligible to qualify for the second chose to do so. UEFA eventually took over responsibility for organizing the tournament in 1961, leading to the number of teams (23) doubling for the second year. England, Scotland, Spain and Germany.įiorentina won the inaugural CWC, beating Rangers in a two-legged final. It should also be noted that many member nations of the association had not established domestic cups yet, and amongst those that had cup competitions, few took them seriously i.e. UEFA then had 32 member nations, yet only ten teams participated in the’60/61 CWC tournament. This lack of UEFA designation ensured there was little enthusiasm for the inaugural tournament by bigger clubs eligible to qualify for it. The introductory tournament was organized in the 1960/61 season by the Mitropa Cup Committee.Īs you may have noticed, the Mitropa Cup Committee isn’t UEFA. The journalists eventually got their wish, but not as they wanted initially. Prominent European sports journalists, having witnessed the pull of the media via Hanot and the European Cup, began lobbying for the creation of a pan-European Cup competition for the domestic cup winners of individual nations. The Copa Latina: A False Dawn for Continental Football in Europe As years went by, these tournaments began to grow popular amongst fans and the media.

The idea for the European Cup had come from the then-editor of longstanding French sports newspaper L’Équipe, Gabriel Hanot. In 1955, the European Cup (now UCL) was established by UEFA, and the Inter-Cities Fairs Cup (Now UEL) by FIFA. This article examines the history of the previous continental competitions and the format of the new one. The UEFA Conference League has interlinked bits and pieces of both these tournaments in its creation. Whilst the UEFA Intertoto Cup is less well regarded/remembered by history it provided a platform to qualify for the then-UEFA Cup for clubs who missed out on European places in their respective leagues, as well as failing to win the domestic cups. The CWC often served as an avenue for a big club to get its hands on silverware in an otherwise average season, or for a small club to go on a fairytale run and win it all. The finalization of the Conference League and the subsequent news around it reawakened memories of hearing about UEFA Cup Winners’ Cup games from the last century. The top five leagues will also be represented in the Conference League, albeit less so than in the UCL and UEL. These teams will qualify via elimination from Champions League and Europa League qualifying league position and winning domestic cup competitions. This tournament is designed to give teams from nations smaller in size and lower in UEFA coefficient rankings the opportunity to compete regularly against others from around the continent. Commencing at the start of the 2021/22 season, The Europa Conference League is the fruit borne from the years of discussion. The Union of European Football Associations (UEFA), European football’s administrative body, have had talks regarding establishing a third continental competition since late 2015.

Europa conference league vs europa league