The First Fairs Cup Finally Ends

OTD E0182 — 01 May 1958: CF Barcelona beat London XI 6-0 in the second leg of the Inter-Cities Fairs Cup final to win the first edition 8-2 on aggregate — nearly three years after the competition began. This episode traces the bizarre birth of the Fairs Cup in the postwar trade-fair world, the city selection rule, the long 1955-58 format, London XI’s all-star oddity, Barcelona’s unusual city-representative identity in the tournament, and how this unofficial but influential cup helped pave the road toward the UEFA Cup and Europa League.

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