1971–72 UEFA Cup — inaugural season of Europe's secondary club football tournament organised by UEFA
The 1971–72 UEFA Cup was the inaugural season of UEFA's secondary club competition, won by Tottenham Hotspur over Wolverhampton Wanderers in the first all-English European final.
Key Facts
- Tournament edition
- Inaugural (1st) UEFA Cup season
- Winner
- Tottenham Hotspur
- Aggregate final score
- 3–2 (Tottenham over Wolverhampton)
- Final venues
- Molineux, Wolverhampton & White Hart Lane, London
- First all-English European final
- Not repeated until 2008 UEFA Champions League final
- Tottenham's European titles
- 2nd title (first was 1963 Cup Winners' Cup)
By the Numbers
Location
Cause → Event → Consequence
The Inter-Cities Fairs Cup, an independent club competition running from 1955 to 1971 and managed by a committee of FIFA executives, was wound down and its structure transferred to UEFA. This gave UEFA administrative control over a third club competition to sit below the European Cup and Cup Winners' Cup.
The 1971–72 UEFA Cup adopted the format of the former Fairs Cup and ran as UEFA's new secondary club tournament. The two-legged final was contested entirely in England between Tottenham Hotspur and Wolverhampton Wanderers, with Tottenham winning 3–2 on aggregate across Molineux Stadium and White Hart Lane.
Tottenham Hotspur became the first UEFA Cup holders, claiming their second European title nine years after the 1963 Cup Winners' Cup. The all-English final was a historic first for European club football, a configuration not seen again until the 2008 UEFA Champions League final between Manchester United and Chelsea.