Ajax won the European Cup for the third consecutive time, earning permanent possession of the trophy under the rules of the competition.
Key Facts
- Tournament edition
- 18th season of the European Cup
- Winner
- Ajax
- Runner-up
- Juventus
- Consecutive Ajax wins
- 3
- Consecutive Dutch team wins
- 4
- Participating clubs
- 30
By the Numbers
Location
Cause → Event → Consequence
Ajax entered the 1972–73 European Cup as two-time defending champions. The field shrank from 33 to 30 clubs because the reigning European champions also held their domestic title, and neither Albania nor Northern Ireland submitted their league champions.
Ajax defeated Juventus in the final held at Red Star Stadium in Belgrade, claiming the European Cup for the third consecutive season. This also marked the fourth straight year that a Dutch club had won the tournament.
By winning the cup for a third time, Ajax were entitled under competition rules to keep a full-size replica of the trophy permanently. The victory cemented Dutch football's dominance in European club competition during the early 1970s.