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| Organising body | UEFA (from 2001) |
|---|---|
| Founded | 1961 |
| Abolished | 2008 |
| Region | Europe |
| Number of teams | 50 |
| Related competitions | UEFA Cup (merged with) |
| Last champions |  Braga(1st title) |
| Most successful club(s) |  Hamburger SV Schalke 04 VfB Stuttgart Villarreal(2 titles each) |
The UEFA Intertoto Cup (from Latin: inter, "between" and German: toto, "betting pool"),[1] originally called the International Football Cup, was a summer football competition between European clubs. The competition was discontinued after the 2008 tournament.[2]
The tournament was founded in 1961–62, but was only taken over by UEFA in 1995. Initially, the tournament ended with a single champion, who received the Intertoto Cup. Starting in 1967, the tournament ended with a number of group winners (7 to 14 winners, see below), who received cash prizes. When UEFA took on the tournament, it became a qualifier for the UEFA Cup, with 2 to 11 Intertoto winners (see below) advancing to the second qualifying round of the UEFA Cup.
Any club who wished to participate had to apply for entry, with the highest placed clubs (by league position in their domestic league) at the end of the season entering the competition. The club did not have to be ranked directly below the clubs which had qualified for another UEFA competition; if the club which was in that position did not apply, they would not be eligible to compete, with the place instead going to the club which did apply. [3]
The cup billed itself as providing both an opportunity for clubs who otherwise would not get the chance to enter the UEFA Cup and as an opportunity for sports lotteries (or pools) to continue during the summer.[4] This reflects its background, which was as a tournament solely for football pools. In 1995, the tournament came under official UEFA sanctioning[5] and UEFA Cup qualification places were granted. Initially, two were provided; this was increased to three after one year; but in 2006, it was again increased to the final total of 11.
- ^ Most precisely, from Fußball-Toto (football pool); cf. Hesse-Lichtenberger, Ulrich (2005). Flutlicht und Schatten: die Geschichte des Europapokals (in German). Bielefeld: Verlag Die Werkstatt. p. 183. ISBN 38-95-33474-X.
- ^ Chaplin, Mark (1 December 2007). "Champions League changes agreed". UEFA. Archived from the original on 24 February 2011. Retrieved 14 February 2011.
- ^ "Associations are entitled to enter only top-division clubs that, in principle,finish their domestic championship in a position immediately below those thatqualify for the UEFA Cup, and that have indicated their willingness to takepart in the UEFA Intertoto Cup. In principle, and where applicable, clubs maytake part in the UEFA Intertoto Cup if they finish their domestic championshipin the following positions:a) Associations entitled to two participants:Clubs ranked 12th or higherb) Associations entitled to one participant:Clubs ranked 8th or higher" Regulations of the Intertoto Cup 2004, Article 1.4: https://web.archive.org/web/20070109232534/https://www.eurocups.ru/docs/Intertoto2004.pdf
- ^ Elbech, Søren Florin. "Background on the Intertoto Cup". Archived from the original on 1 June 2017. Retrieved 7 June 2006.
- ^ "UEFA Intertoto Cup history". UEFA. Archived from the original on 3 May 2006. Retrieved 7 June 2006.