Central European International Cup

European International Cup of Nations
Founded1927
Abolished1960; 64 years ago (1960)
RegionCentral Europe & South Europe (UEFA)
Number of teams5 (1927–1953)
6 (1955–1960)
Last champions Czechoslovakia (1st title)
Most successful team(s) Italy (2 titles)

The European International Cup of Nations was an international football competition held by certain national teams from Central Europe & South Europe between 1927 and 1960.[1] There were competitions for professional and amateur teams. Participating nations were: Italy, Austria, Czechoslovakia, Hungary, Switzerland, Poland, Romania, and (in the final competition) Yugoslavia. Poland and Romania only competed in the amateur competition.

Played as a league on a home and away basis, it was contested six times and each single tournament usually took more than two years to complete. The last two tournaments lasted five years. It was discontinued in 1960, when the European Football Championship started. Winners of the competition included the Austrian Wunderteam of the early 1930s, the Italy team that also won two World Cups in the 1930s, the Golden Team of Hungary and the Czechoslovakia team that later finished as World Cup runners up in 1962.

  1. ^ Leo Schidrowitz "Internationaler Cup", Vienna 1954