1979–80 UEFA Cup — 9th season of Europe's secondary club football tournament organised by UEFA
The 1979–80 UEFA Cup produced the first all-German final in UEFA history, won by Eintracht Frankfurt on away goals.
Key Facts
- Tournament edition
- 9th season of the UEFA Cup
- Winner
- Eintracht Frankfurt
- Final aggregate score
- 3–3 (won on away goals)
- Final venues
- Bökelbergstadion & Waldstadion, West Germany
- Semi-finalists from one nation
- All 4 semi-finalists were West German clubs
- Last edition with invitation allocation
- 64 spots allocated by invitation method
By the Numbers
Location
Cause → Event → Consequence
West German clubs entered the 1979–80 UEFA Cup in strong form, and the tournament's 64-place allocation was still determined by the invitation method inherited from the Inter-Cities Fairs Cup, a system that would be replaced in subsequent seasons by UEFA country rankings based on recent performance.
Eintracht Frankfurt defeated defending champions and fellow West German club Borussia Mönchengladbach in a historic all-German final, the first in UEFA history, with all four semi-finalists coming from West Germany — the only such instance in any UEFA club competition. Frankfurt claimed the trophy on the away goals rule after a 3–3 aggregate draw.
The competition marked the end of the invitation-based spot allocation system; from 1980 onward, UEFA country rankings determined how many clubs each nation could enter. The all-German semi-final sweep and final remained a unique occurrence in UEFA club competition history.