Mitropa Cup


1927|1928|1929|1930|1931|1932|1933|1934|1935|1936|1937|1938|1939|1940

1927-1939 rankings and club name information|1927-1939 trivia|1927-1940 topscorers


The first major international cup for club teams, an idea of the Austrian Hugo Meisl. (The Challenge Cup, played between 1897 and 1911 and open to teams from the Habsburg Empire, can be seen as a fore-runner.)

The decision to organise an international club competition was taken on July 16 and 17, 1927 in Venice, Italy, and the first matches were played on August 14 of the same year.

More or less simultaneously, a competition for national teams was introduced, the Coupe Internationale européenne (known in English as International Cup; the sixth and final edition was played for the Dr. Gerö Cup), which can be considered a predecessor of the European Championship.

In the first two seasons, two teams each from Hungary, Austria, Czechoslovakia and Yugoslavia entered; in 1929 the Yugoslav sides were replaced by Italian ones. After an initial discussion to reorganise the competition into a league (an idea eventually rejected due to scheduling problems), participation was extended in 1934 to four entrants of each of the four countries; in 1936 four teams from Switzerland were admitted (all eliminated in a preliminary round), and in 1937 clubs from Romania, Switzerland and Yugoslavia entered the competition, with no country having more than 3 entrants; after the Anschluß of Austria to Germany in 1938, no clubs from there entered and the other three major countries entered four teams again. The last edition, in 1939, only had 8 teams again (two of the big three and one each from Romania and Yugoslavia). An edition in 1940 was started but abandoned due to World War II.

Austria, Italy, Hungary, and Czechoslovakia were undoubtedly the strongest countries in continental Europe in the late twenties and thirties, and the first to introduce professional football on the continent (Austria 1924, Czechoslovakia 1925, Hungary 1926). The Cup therefore carried a prestige only comparable with the Champions' Cup of later decades.

After the second World War, the cup was resumed (including unofficial editions in 1951 and 1958), but never reached its former status again, mainly because of the advent of the Champions' Cup and other European club competitions. Vasas of Budapest deserve some mention for winning it six times between 1956 and 1983. In the eighties entrance for a while was given to the second division champions of the participating countries, which led to Milan AC picking up the trophy in 1982. By then, the tournament had lost all credibility and tended to be hosted by mediocre Italian sides in an attempt to embellish their palmares. After this went wrong for Foggia in 1992, it has not been played any more - only partially due to the violent conflicts in former Yugoslavia.

Since 1991 an Amateur-Mitropacup is being played in the border region of Austria, Hungary and Slovakia.


Palmares

1927 AC Sparta Praha
1928 Ferencvárosi FC
1929 Újpesti FC
1930 SK Rapid (Wien)
1931 First Vienna FC
1932 AGC Bologna
1933 FK Austria (Wien)
1934 AGC Bologna
1935 AC Sparta Praha
1936 FK Austria (Wien)
1937 Ferencvárosi FC
1938 SK Slavia Praha
1939 Újpesti FC
1940   final not played [*]

[*] FC Rapid Bucuresti and Ferencvárosi FC had qualified for the final, but Ferencvárosi FC
    refused to play; no decision on the destiny of the trophy was taken as the organising
    committee was disbanded due to World War II; otherwise, it might have declared FC Rapid
    Bucuresti default winners.

1951 [Zentropa Cup] SK Rapid (Wien)
1955 Vörös Lobogo
1956 Vasas (Budapest)
1957 Vasas (Budapest)
1958 [Donau Cup] Crvena zvezda Beograd
1959 Honvéd SE (Budapest)
1960 Hungary (every country had six entrants; results were added)
1961 Bologna FC
1962 Vasas (Budapest)
1963 MTK (Budapest)
1964 Spartak Sokolovo Praha
1965 Vasas (Budapest)
1966 AC Fiorentina
1967 Spartak Trnava
1968 Crvena zvezda Beograd
1969 Internacional Bratislava
1970 Vasas (Budapest)
1971 Celik Zenica
1972 Celik Zenica
1973 Tatabányai Bányász
1974 Tatabányai Bányász
1975 Wacker Innsbruck
1976 Wacker Innsbruck
1977 Vojvodina Novi Sad
1978 Partizan Beograd
1980 Udinese
1981 Tatran Presov
1982 Milan AC
1983 Vasas (Budapest)
1984 SC Eisenstadt
1985 Iskra Bugojno
1986 Pisa
1987 Ascoli
1988 Pisa
1989 Baník Ostrava
1990 Bari
1991 Torino
1992 Borac Banja Luka

Clubwise list of winners

Prewar (1927-39)

FK Austria (Wien)         2
AGC Bologna               2
Ferencvárosi FC           2
AC Sparta Praha           2
Újpesti FC                2

First Vienna FC           1
SK Rapid (Wien)           1
SK Slavia Praha           1

Total (1927-92)

Vasas (Budapest)          6

Bologna FC                3
AC Sparta Praha           3 (includes Spartak Sokolovo)

FK Austria (Wien)         2
Celik Zenica              2
Ferencvárosi TC           2
MTK                       2 (includes Vörös Lobogo)
Pisa                      2
Tatabányai Bányász        2
Újpesti TE                2
Wacker Innsbruck          2

Ascoli                    1
Baník Ostrava             1
Bari                      1
Borac Banja Luka          1
Crvena zvezda Beograd     1
SC Eisenstadt             1
AC Fiorentina             1
First Vienna FC           1
Honvéd SE                 1
Internacional Bratislava  1
Iskra Bugojno             1
Milan AC                  1
Partizan Beograd          1
SK Rapid (Wien)           1
SK Slavia Praha           1
Spartak Trnava            1
Tatran Presov             1
Torino                    1
Udinese                   1
Vojvodina Novi Sad        1

Countrywise list of winners

Prewar (1927-39)

Austria                   4
Hungary                   4

Czechoslovakia            3

Italy                     2

Total (1927-92)

Hungary                  16

Italy                    11

Czechoslovakia            8

Austria                   7
Yugoslavia                7  [*]

[*] this includes Borac Banja Luka's win in 1992; Banja Luka is in Bosnia-Herzegovina,
    which proclaimed independence several weeks before the 1992 tournament and gained
    admission to the United Nations one week before Borac claimed the trophy, but as
    the club remained under the ("remainder of") Yugoslavia league structure in the
    1992/93 season (they entered the inaugural championship of the "Republik Srpska"
    in the 1995/96 season) it would appear reasonable to include their win under
    Yugoslavia.

Finals:

1927    AC Sparta Praha     6-2 SK Rapid (Wien)
        SK Rapid (Wien)     2-1 AC Sparta Praha
1928    Ferencvárosi FC     7-1 SK Rapid (Wien)
        SK Rapid (Wien)     5-3 Ferencvárosi FC
1929    Újpesti FC          5-1 SK Slavia Praha
        SK Slavia Praha     2-2 Újpesti FC
1930    AC Sparta Praha     0-2 SK Rapid (Wien)
        SK Rapid (Wien)     2-3 AC Sparta Praha
1931    First Vienna FC     3-2 Wiener AC
        Wiener AC           1-2 First Vienna FC
1932    AGC Bologna by default (see file for details)
1933    AS Ambrosiana Inter 2-1 FK Austria (Wien)
        FK Austria (Wien)   3-1 AS Ambrosiana Inter
1934    SK Admira (Wien)    3-2 AGC Bologna
        AGC Bologna         5-1 SK Admira (Wien)
1935    Ferencvárosi FC     2-1 AC Sparta Praha
        AC Sparta Praha     3-0 Ferencvárosi FC
1936    FK Austria (Wien)   0-0 AC Sparta Praha
        AC Sparta Praha     0-1 FK Austria (Wien)
1937    Ferencvárosi FC     4-2 SS Lazio
        SS Lazio            4-5 Ferencvárosi FC
1938    SK Slavia Praha     2-2 Ferencvárosi FC
        Ferencvárosi FC     0-2 SK Slavia Praha
1939    Ferencvárosi FC     1-4 Újpesti FC
        Újpesti FC          2-2 Ferencvárosi FC
1940      competition abandoned

1951    SK Rapid (Wien)     3-2 SC Wacker (Wien)

1955    Vörös Lobogo        6-0 UDA Praha
        UDA Praha           1-2 Vörös Lobogo
1956    SK Rapid (Wien)     3-3 Vasas (Budapest)  
        Vasas (Budapest)    1-1 SK Rapid (Wien) 
        Vasas (Budapest)    9-2 SK Rapid (Wien) 
1957    Vasas (Budapest)    4-0 Vojvodina Novi Sad
        Vojvodina Novi Sad  2-1 Vasas (Budapest)    
1958    Crvena zvezda       4-1 Rudá hvezda Brno         
        Rudá hvezda Brno    2-3 Crvena zvezda Beograd
1959    Honvéd (Budapest)   4-3 MTK (Budapest)
        MTK (Budapest)      2-2 Honvéd (Budapest) 
1960      only countrywise ranking was compiled from club results
1961    Slovan Nitra        2-2 Bologna FC
        Bologna FC          3-0 Slovan Nitra
1962    Vasas (Budapest)    5-1 Bologna FC
        Bologna FC          2-1 Vasas (Budapest)
1963    MTK (Budapest)      2-1 Vasas (Budapest)
        Vasas (Budapest)    1-1 MTK (Budapest)
1964    Slovan Bratislava   0-0 Spartak Sokolovo Praha
        Spartak Sokolovo    2-0 Slovan Bratislava
1965    Vasas (Budapest)    1-0 AC Fiorentina
1966    AC Fiorentina       1-0 Jednota Trencin
1967    Újpesti Dózsa SC    3-2 Spartak Trnava
        Spartak Trnava      3-1 Újpesti Dózsa SC
1968    Spartak Trnava      1-0 Crvena zvezda Beograd
        Crvena zvezda       4-1 Spartak Trnava
1969    Inter Bratislava    4-1 Sklo Union Teplice
        Sklo Union Teplice  0-0 Internacional Bratislava
1970    Inter Bratislava    2-1 Vasas (Budapest)
        Vasas (Budapest)    4-1 Internacional Bratislava
1971    Celik Zenica        3-1 SV Austria Salzburg
1972    AC Fiorentina       0-0 Celik Zenica
        Celik Zenica        1-0 AC Fiorentina
1973    Celik Zenica        1-2 Tatabányai Bányász
        Tatabányai Bányász  2-1 Celik Zenica
1974    ZVL Zilina          2-3 Tatabányai Bányász
        Tatabányai Bányász  2-0 ZVL Zilina
1975    Wacker Innsbruck    3-1 Honvéd (Budapest)
        Honvéd (Budapest)   1-2 Wacker Innsbruck  
1976    Wacker Innsbruck    3-1 Velez Mostar
        Velez Mostar        1-3 Wacker Innsbruck  
1977    tournament won by Vojvodina Novi Sad; second Vasas (Budapest)
1978    Partizan Beograd    1-0 Honvéd (Budapest)
1979      not played
1980    tournament won by Udinese Calcio;   second Celik Zenica
1981    tournament won by Tatran Presov;    second Csepel SC (Budapest)
1982    tournament won by Milan AC;         second TJ Vítkovice
1983    tournament won by Vasas (Budapest); second ZVL Zilina
1984    tournament won by SC Eisenstadt;    second FK Pristina
1985    tournament won by Iskra Bugojno;    second BC Atalanta (Bergamo)
1986    SC Pisa            2-0 Debreceni VSC
1987    Ascoli Calcio      1-0 Bohemians Praha
1988    SC Pisa            3-0 Váci Izzo
1989    Baník Ostrava      2-1 Bologna FC
        Bologna FC         1-2 Baník Ostrava
1990    AS Bari            1-0 Genoa 1893
1991    Torino Calcio      2-1 SC Pisa                 [aet]
1992    Borac Banja Luka   1-1 Budapesti VSC           [aet, 5-3 pen]

Additionally, a "Mitropa Super Cup" was contested in 1989 between the winners
of 1988 and 1989:

1989    Baník Ostrava      3-0 SC Pisa  
        SC Pisa            3-1 Baník Ostrava           [aet]

About this document

Sources: [AYU], [FRF 93], [HeJ 91], [LoP 90], [soc 3 15,16]

Prepared and maintained by Karel Stokkermans for the Rec.Sport.Soccer Statistics Foundation

Author: Karel Stokkermans (karel@rsssf.com)
Last updated: 1 Jun 2018

(C) Copyright Karel Stokkermans and RSSSF 1995/2018
You are free to copy this document in whole or part provided that proper acknowledgement is given to the author. All rights reserved.