A Tournament Frozen in Time: The Wonderful Randomness of the European Cup Winners Cup

The Wonderful Randomness of the European Cup Winners’ Cup is a homage to the awkward sibling of the European Champions’ Cup and the UEFA Cup. All three major European club competitions had very distinct personalities, almost like three markedly different children. While the European Champions’ Cup was for the high achievers and the UEFA Cup was where the cool kids often hung out, the Cup Winners’ Cup threw its own uniquely eccentric shapes. The random nature of domestic cup success was what gained entry to the tournament and this brought a richer diversity of competitor than its more celebrated counterparts. A trophy which eluded the clutches of European royalty such as Real Madrid, Liverpool and Inter Milan, it remains the only European honour of both Paris Saint-Germain and Manchester City, despite their contemporary financial advantages. The tournament which immortalised the likes of Magdeburg and Dinamo Tbilisi, it gave English football its first ever European glory. This is the story of the European Cup Winners’ Cup.