Definition The 1990 Intertoto Cup refers to the annual summer football competition held in 1990, officially known then as the International Football Cup. It was one of the editions of the tournament that preceded UEFA's direct organization of the competition, which began in 1995.
Overview The 1990 Intertoto Cup was a club football tournament for European teams that took place during the summer break of the 1990 calendar year. At this time, the competition was not directly run by UEFA and did not offer qualification for the UEFA Champions League or UEFA Cup. Its primary purpose was to provide matches for football pools (betting syndicates) during the off-season and offer clubs additional competitive play and revenue. The tournament did not feature an overall winner or a final knockout stage; instead, it concluded with various group winners.
Etymology/Origin The name "Intertoto" is a portmanteau of "international" and "toto," with "toto" being a common term for football pools or sports lotteries in many European countries. The competition originated in 1961 as the International Football Cup, founded by Karl Rappan and the Swiss Football Pool, to fill the summer lull in football fixtures for betting purposes. It gained the moniker "Intertoto Cup" due to its connection with these international football pools.
Characteristics The 1990 Intertoto Cup featured a format consisting solely of group stages. No knockout rounds or overall championship matches were played, meaning there was no single tournament winner.
- Participants: Typically involved clubs that had not qualified for the more prestigious UEFA competitions (European Cup/Champions League or UEFA Cup) in the preceding season.
- Structure: For the 1990 edition, the tournament was contested by 44 clubs, divided into 11 groups of four teams each. Teams within each group played each other home and away.
- Group Winners (1990):
- Group 1: FC Luzern (Switzerland)
- Group 2: Slovan Bratislava (Czechoslovakia)
- Group 3: Lausanne Sports (Switzerland)
- Group 4: Odense BK (Denmark)
- Group 5: GKS Katowice (Poland)
- Group 6: Örebro SK (Sweden)
- Group 7: FC Tirol Innsbruck (Austria)
- Group 8: Malmö FF (Sweden)
- Group 9: IK Brage (Sweden)
- Group 10: Union Cheb (Czechoslovakia)
- Group 11: Górnik Zabrze (Poland)
- Significance: While it did not offer direct qualification to other European tournaments at the time, participation provided clubs with pre-season match practice, international exposure, and financial incentives from gate receipts and prize money.
Related Topics
- UEFA Intertoto Cup
- International Football Cup
- UEFA Cup (predecessor to UEFA Europa League)
- UEFA Champions League (predecessor to European Cup)
- European club football competitions