England's European Success 1963-2023 Quiz

Answer: One

Fulham's record in European football began relatively late, as their first experience of European competition only came in 2002, when they qualified for the UEFA Intertoto Cup, the early season competition that provided three places in that season's UEFA Cup. Fulham entered in the second round, and played teams from Finland, Greece and France en route to one of the competition's three finals, where they played Italian side Bologna over two legs. Following a 2-2 draw in the first leg away from home, they won the second leg 3-1 to win the tie 5-3 on aggregate, securing one of the three places available to Intertoto Cup winners, as well as their first European trophy as one of the three Intertoto winners that season, alongside Spanish club Malaga and German side VfB Stuttgart. Fulham eventually reached the third round of the UEFA Cup that season, being eliminated by Hertha Berlin.

Since Fulham's victory in the Intertoto Cup they had two more European seasons. A seventh place finish in the Premier League in 2008-09 put them into the third qualifying round of the following season's UEFA Europa League (the new name for the UEFA Cup), which saw them reach their second European final in a campaign that included a famous 4-1 home win over Italian giants Juventus, and ultimately ended with an extra time defeat to Atletico Madrid in the final. Fulham also qualified for the Europa League in 2011-12, eventually being eliminated in the group phase of the competition.

Answer: One

Everton first reached European competition in the 1962-63 season when they qualified for the Inter-Cities Fairs Cup, losing in the first round to Dunfermline Athletic. Following that, they made successive European appearances over the following four seasons, and then another four during the 1970s - the club's success saw them appear in the European Cup and the European Cup Winners' Cup, as well as the Fairs Cup and its successor, the UEFA Cup. Their first European campaign of the 1980s came in the 1984-85 season in the Cup Winners' Cup, when they made serene progress to the final, which included a famous win over two legs in the semi-final against Bayern Munich. Playing Rapid Vienna in the final, Everton secured their first European trophy with a 3-1 victory, the same season as they won the Football League title. However, the ban on English clubs competing in Europe after that season's Heysel Stadium disaster meant that Everton were prevented from playing in the 1985-86 European Cup, or facing the European Cup winners Juventus in the Super Cup.

Since the club's victory in the 1985 Cup Winners' Cup final had a total of seven European seasons - the first was a return to the Cup Winners' Cup in 1995, while the rest have been in the UEFA Cup and its successor, the Europa League. The club qualified for the 2005-06 Champions League, being eliminated in the qualifying stages to drop into the UEFA Cup. In their seven European campaigns since 1995, the furthest the club has managed to progress was the last 16, being beaten at this stage of the 2007-08 UEFA Cup by Fiorentina and the 2014-15 Europa League by Dynamo Kyiv.

Answer: One

Ipswich's first foray into Europe came following their league title win in 1962, after they which they entered the European Cup, falling in the second round to AC Milan. However, it was during the 1970s and the club's most successful period that saw them regular entrants into European competition, qualifying in nine out of ten seasons between 1973-74 and 1982-83. One of these, in 1978-79, was in the Cup Winners' Cup, after their FA Cup victory in 1978, but the remainder saw them enter the UEFA Cup through regular top six finishes. This period saw the club achieve famous results, including knocking out former European champions Real Madrid and Feyenoord, and twice in successive seasons matching Spanish giants Barcelona, only to lose on penalties and then away goals.

The crowning glory for Ipswich during this period came in the 1980-81 UEFA Cup, for which they qualified after a third place finish in the league. Convincing wins against clubs from Greece, Czechoslovakia and Poland in the first three rounds saw them against French side Saint-Etienne in the quarter-final, winning 7-2 on aggregate, before a 2-0 aggregate victory in the semi-final against Cologne put them into their first European final, playing Dutch team AZ Alkmaar. In the first leg, Ipswich secured a 3-0 home victory to take to the Netherlands, only for them to almost throw the result away, losing the second leg 4-2, but winning the tie 5-4 to gain their first European trophy. After that, Ipswich had just three further European campaigns - the following season as holders, and in then two successive seasons from 2001-02.

Answer: One

Leeds United's first European campaign came in the 1965-66 season via the Inter-Cities Fairs Cup, which saw them reach the semi-final. The club's success in the league during the late 1960s, never finishing lower than fourth between 1965 and 1968, saw them qualify for the competition in four successive seasons, reaching the final in 1967, where they lost to Dinamo Zagreb of Yugoslavia, before getting to the final again the following season. In that year's competition, they played in successive rounds against Scottish clubs Hibernian, Rangers and Dundee, before facing Fenecvaros of Hungary in the final that they won 1-0 on aggregate, to become the first English winners of the competition.

Leeds reached the quarter-final of the Fairs Cup the following season, and were one of England's representatives in the last edition of the competition in 1970-71. Having got past Liverpool in the semi-final, in the final they played Juventus, and became the final winners of the trophy thanks to their 2-2 draw in the first leg away from home that, combined with a 1-1 draw in the second leg, meant they won on away goals, and became the only English side to win the competition more than once. In addition to appearing in the Fairs Cup, Leeds also made appearances in the European Cup/Champions League, reaching the final in 1975; the Cup Winners' Cup, getting to the 1973 final; and the UEFA Cup, where their best placing was to get to the semi-final in 2000. Leeds last played in Europe in the 2002-03 UEFA Cup.

Answer: Two

Newcastle first entered European competition in the 1968-69 season, when their tenth place league finish the year before got them into the Inter-Cities Fairs Cup. At this time, only one club per city was permitted to enter the Fairs Cup, which made a number of clubs finishing above Newcastle ineligible to qualify. Newcastle played a number of major European powers, including Dutch side Feyenoord and Sporting Lisbon of Portugal, en route to their first European final, which saw them against Ujpest of Hungary, winning the tie 6-2 on aggregate to become only the second English club (after West Ham United) to win a European trophy in their first ever European campaign. Newcastle qualified for the Fairs Cup in the following two seasons, and played in the UEFA Cup in 1977-78, after which it was almost two decades before they returned to European action.

Newcastle's relative success in the mid to late 1990s saw them return to continental action in several competitions - they played two seasons in the UEFA Cup, qualified for the Champions League for the first time, and were England's last representatives in the Cup Winners' Cup. Into the 21st century they continued this run during the first decade, additionally appearing three times in the Intertoto Cup, UEFA's summer competition that offered a route into the UEFA Cup. In 2006, this competition underwent a change in format, with eleven teams getting through instead of just three. Newcastle's victory over Norwegian club Lillestrom ensured they were one of those eleven teams entering the UEFA Cup from the Intertoto. UEFA also stated that, of the eleven qualifiers, the team going furthest in the UEFA Cup would be crowned Intertoto Cup winners. Newcastle were the only one to qualify for the knock-out stage, and were thus crowned as 2006 Intertoto Cup winners.

Answer: Two

Arsenal first made an appearance in European football in the 1963-64 Inter-City Fairs Cup competition, when they reached the third round. However, it wasn't until the end of the 1960s that the club began to qualify regularly, starting with the 1969-70 Fairs Cup - this saw Arsenal get past a number of major European sides, including Sporting Lisbon and Ajax, to reach their first European final where, against Belgian club Anderlecht, and following a 3-1 defeat in the first leg in Belgium, they won the second leg 3-0 at home; to win 4-3 on aggregate and secure their first European trophy, the third time in succession that an English club had won the Fairs Cup. The following season, Arsenal reached the quarter-final, losing out to Cologne, while in the 71-72 season they made their debut in the European Cup.

Following this period, Arsenal had another intense four year period between 1978 and 1982 where they were European regulars, which included reaching the 1980 European Cup Winners' Cup final, losing to Valencia. However, it was only from the 1990s that Arsenal became genuine regular qualifiers, getting into Europe year-on-year. In the 1993-94 season, having won the FA Cup the previous year, they got through to the final of the Cup Winners' Cup for a second time, playing Italian club Parma and winning 1-0 to claim their second European trophy. After that, Arsenal reached four more European finals - another Cup Winners' Cup, two UEFA Cup/Europa League finals, and the final of the Champions League - but did not secure another victory.

Answer: Two

Tottenham made their first entry into Europe in the 1961-62 European Cup, following their league title win the previous season, getting as far as the semi-final. This was the first of three successive European campaigns, with the second coming in the 1962-63 European Cup Winners' Cup, which saw the club go one better than the previous season and reach the final, where they came up against holders Atletico Madrid, becoming the second English team, and the first club side to reach a European final - the first English side in a final was a representative London XI side that reached the 1958 Fairs Cup final. Tottenham ultimately beat Atletico Madrid 5-1 in the 1963 Cup Winners' Cup final to become the first English team to win a European trophy. Tottenham played in the following season's competition as holders, and again following their 1967 FA Cup win.

In the first edition to the UEFA Cup in 1971-72, Tottenham were one of four English clubs that qualified, and were one of two that reached the final, where they played Wolverhampton Wanderers, the first time a UEFA competition had featured two finalists from the same country. Tottenham ultimately won 3-2 on aggregate to become the first winners of the new trophy. They won the UEFA Cup for a second time in the 1983-84 season, defeating former European Cup winners Feyenoord and Bayern Munich along the way to beating Belgian side Anderlecht in a penalty shoot-out in the final. In addition to their three victories in European finals, Tottenham reached a further two finals - the 1974 UEFA Cup final against Feyenoord, and the 2019 Champions League final against Liverpool.

Answer: Two

Nottingham Forest's first entry into European football was as far back as the 1961-62 season, when they were one of three English clubs invited to take part in that year's Inter-Cities Fairs Cup - at the time, entry to the competition was by invitation, and it was only after 1964 that league position determined the participants. Forest lost in the first round to Valencia while, in their second appearance in the 1967-68 competition they lost out to FC Zurich in the second round. It was a decade until they returned to European competition, this time entering the European Cup in the 1978-79 season, having won the Football League title the season before. The club somewhat unexpectedly beat holders Liverpool in the first round, and got past AEK Athens, Grasshopper and Cologne to reach their first European final, in which they beat Swedish club Malmo 1-0 to become European champions.

The club's victory in the European Cup allowed them to play in the European Super Cup, the two-legged tie played between the winners of the European Cup and the European Cup Winners' Cup. In this, they faced off against the 1979 Cup Winners' Cup winners Barcelona. A 1-0 victory at home in the first leg was followed up in the away leg by a 1-1 draw, giving Forest their second European trophy in less than a year. This was then followed by a second successive appearance in the final of the European Cup, which they retained with a 1-0 victory over Hamburg. After that, the club has had just four more European seasons, with their best performance coming in the 1983-84 UEFA Cup, in which they were beaten in the semi-final by Belgian club Anderlecht.

Answer: Three

West Ham's first European season came as a result of their winning the 1964 FA Cup, which qualified them for the 1964-65 European Cup Winners' Cup. This proved a successful campaign, and led to the club becoming the first English side to win a European trophy in its debut European season thanks to a 2-0 victory at Wembley Stadium in the final against German side TSV 1860 Munich. West Ham's victory saw them enter the following season as holders, and eventually get to the semi-final, where they lost to Borussia Dortmund. The club had more seasons in Europe following further FA Cup wins, but it wasn't until 1999 that they finally qualified for European competition through their league position, when a fifth place finish meant they entered the UEFA Intertoto Cup. Victories over FC Jokerit from Finland, and Dutch side Heerenveen, got West Ham to one of the competition's three finals, where they faced FC Metz. Despite losing the first leg at home, the team gained a 3-1 victory in the away leg to win the tie 3-2 on aggregate, and securing a place in that season's UEFA Cup.

West Ham continued to have intermittent participation in Europe during the first two decades of the 21st century, until 2021 and 2022 when they secured successive European seasons, with the second of these providing them with a further final appearance thanks to their smooth progression through the second edition of the Europa Conference League. The club became the first in the short history of the competition to win all six group games, and only failed to win once in the knockout stages en route to the final against Italian side Fiorentina. With extra-time looming a last minute winner saw West Ham triumph 2-1 to secure what was classed as their first major trophy since 1980. The 2023 Conference League was in fact the club's fourth European final as, in addition to their three victories, they also reached the Cup Winners Cup final for a second time in 1976, where they were defeated by Anderlecht.

Answer: Three

While Aston Villa are often considered one of England's major clubs, their journey into European football started relatively late, with their first foray coming in the 1975-76 UEFA Cup, which they qualified for through winning the previous season's League Cup. They played two seasons in three in the UEFA Cup during the late 1970s, but then did not qualify for Europe again until 1981-82 when, after winning their first league title in seventy years, they entered the European Cup for the first time. The club had a measured progress through the competition, with their only blip coming in the second round against Dynamo Berlin of East Germany, which they got through on away goals. This led to their reaching the final where, despite the early setback of losing their first choice goalkeeper in the ninth minute, they beat German side Bayern Munich 1-0. Villa's victory saw them reach the 1982 Super Cup, in which they played the winners of the Cup Winners' Cup, Barcelona, over two legs. Despite a 1-0 defeat away, the team won the second leg 3-0 to secure a 3-1 aggregate victory for their second European trophy in eight months.

Although the club qualified for Europe in both 1982-83 and 1983-84, it was another seven seasons before they reached European competition again, when they were one of two English sides to make the first foray after the ban on English clubs was lifted. The club were regular competitors in the UEFA Cup throughout the 1990s without success. It was only in 2001, when Villa entered the Intertoto Cup, that another European trophy was secured. Entering in the third round, they got past Slaven Belupo of Croatia and French side Rennes to reach the final and play Basel. their 5-2 aggregate victory saw them as one of the three Intertoto winners that year, and secured for them a place in the 2001-02 UEFA Cup. The 2001 Intertoto triumph was one of Villa's four entries into the competition during the 2000s, while their success in the league during that decade also saw them qualify three years running for the UEFA Cup / Europa League.

Answer: Three

Manchester City's first European campaign came when they won the 1967-68 Football League title, and entered the following season's European Cup. While this saw them eliminated in the first round, the season ended with them winning the FA Cup to secure entry into the 1969-70 Cup Winners' Cup, which proved to be more successful as, having gotten past teams from Spain, Belgium and Portugal, they reached the semi-final against German side Schalke. Although losing the first leg 1-0, City secured a 5-1 victory in the second to go through to their first European final 5-2 on aggregate. In the final, against Gornik Zabrze of Poland, City ended up 2-1 winners to win the Cup Winners' Cup, their first European trophy, which also secured their entry into the competition the following season. This saw them reach the semi-final again, only to be defeated by Chelsea.

Manchester City were regular European qualifiers during the 1970s, playing in the UEFA Cup four times, with their best result coming when they reached the quarter-final in 1978-79. However, after this, it was 25 years before they played European football again, gaining entry into the 2003-04 UEFA Cup. It was the start of the 2010s that saw the club become European regulars, qualifying for either the Champions League or the Europa League every season from 2010-11 onwards. In 2021, Manchester City reached their first European final since 1970 when they got to their first Champions League final, losing to Chelsea. However, two years later, having beaten four previous winners along the way, they secured their second European trophy when they won the Champions League for the first time, defeating Italian side Inter 1-0 in the final. This got them into the UEFA Super Cup game in 2023 against Europa League winners Sevilla, who they also defeated to secure a third European trophy.

Answer: Three

Liverpool first made their way into Europe in the 1964-65 season, when they made their debut in the European Cup following their league championship win the previous season. This first effort saw them reach the semi-final, losing to eventual champions Inter. The following season, having won the FA Cup, they entered the European Cup Winners' Cup, which saw them reach their first final, losing for the second season running to the competition winners, this time Borussia Dortmund. Liverpool's continuing success in domestic football, in terms of league position, led to them appearing in one European competition or another every season. But, it was only in the 1972-73 season that they finally broke their trophy duck when, in that season's UEFA Cup, they won the competition, beating Borussia Moenchengladbach in the final. They won the UEFA Cup again in 1976, beating Club Brugge, before achieving European football's ultimate prize the following season, beating Moenchengladbach once again, this time in the European Cup final.

Liverpool's victory in the European Cup meant they reached the 1977 European Super Cup, where they played the Cup Winners' Cup winners Hamburg, winning 7-1 on aggregate to gain another European trophy. The period of the late 1970s and early 1980s was one of sustained success in Europe for the club, winning an additional three European Cup titles. However, the period following the English ban saw their fortunes changed, as other clubs had surpassed them domestically. From their return to European competition in 1991-92 until 2000-01, their best performance was a Cup Winners' Cup semi-final in 1997. However, in 2001 they won their third UEFA Cup and second Super Cup, while four years later they won a fifth European Cup. Liverpool were England's most successful club in Europe during those 60 odd years, having won the European Cup six times, the UEFA Cup three times and four Super Cups, plus reaching six more European finals.

Answer: Four

In 1955, Chelsea were all set to be England's first representatives in European competition, when, as reigning league champions, they were one of the clubs invited to take part in the inaugural European Cup. However, they were denied entry when the Football League refused permission for them to participate. As a result, it was the second edition of the Inter-Cities Fairs Cup that saw the club make its European debut. Qualifying for the competition three times during the 1960s, Chelsea reached the semi-final in 1966, when they were defeated by Barcelona. This period was a relatively successful one for Chelsea, which saw them enter the 1970-71 European Cup Winners' Cup, ultimately getting past clubs including the holders, Manchester City, to play former European champions Real Madrid in the final. With the game finishing 1-1, it went to a replay, which Chelsea won 2-1 to claim their first European trophy. However, although they entered the same competition the following season as holders, after this it was almost twenty-five years before they played in Europe again. This came in 1994-95, when they reached the semi-final of the Cup Winners' Cup, losing to Real Zaragoza. Three years later, they entered the competition once again, this time reaching the final and defeating German club Stuttgart to win the trophy a second time, the only English club to do so. Three months later, Chelsea again defeated Real Madrid, then holders of the Champions League, to win their first European Super Cup.

From this point, Chelsea became European regulars, making their debut in the Champions League in 1999-2000. The club first got to the final in 2007-08 where they lost to Manchester United but four years later, in a run that included an epic semi-final victory against Barcelona, Chelsea won the Champions League for the first time, defeating Bayern Munich on penalties in a game played in their opponents' own stadium. The following season, Chelsea were unable to get out of the group stage of the Champions League and, as a result, dropped into the Europa League (formerly known as the UEFA Cup). This saw the club gain more success as, following their victory in the final against Benfica, they became the first English side to join the exclusive club of teams that had won all three major European trophies - European Cup/Champions League, European Cup Winners' Cup and UEFA Cup/Europa League. During those 60 odd years, Chelsea won two Champions League titles, two Cup Winners' Cup titles and two Europa League titles, plus winning the Super Cup twice.

Answer: Four

Manchester United first took part in European competition when, as league champions, they qualified for the 1956-57 European Cup, in which they reached the semi-final before losing to eventual winners Real Madrid. They repeated the feat the following season, the year in which the Munich air disaster claimed the lives of eight of their players. The club were European regulars throughout the 1960s, featuring in all three competitions and reaching two semi-finals before, in 1968, they got to their first European final when they played Portuguese club Benfica in the final of the European Cup. Played at Wembley Stadium, the game finished 1-1, which led to extra-time being played. however, three goals in nine minutes saw Manchester United ultimately win 4-1 to claim their first European trophy, and become the first English club to reach the summit of European football. Following this triumph, the club went through an intermittent period of European football - there was no European qualification between 1969 and 1976, after which they played in Europe six times in ten years, their best performance coming when they got to the semi-final of the European Cup Winners' Cup in 1984.

English clubs were banned from European football for five years in the late 1980s, with the ban only lifted in 1990, with Manchester United one of two clubs allowed back into competition, when they, as FA Cup holders, entered the 1990-91 Cup Winners' Cup. Their progress saw them become the first English finalist, and the first club to win a trophy, following the ban, when they beat Barcelona to win the trophy. This also allowed them to play for the European Super Cup against European Cup winners Red Star Belgrade, in which they were also successful. Manchester United rapidly assumed a place at the pinnacle of English football from this point, and regularly played in European competition, often in the Champions League. However, the rise of other sides from the 2010s onwards led to the club's prominence diminishing - in the 2015-16 season they finished outside the Champions League qualifying places, and thus qualified directly for the Europa League (rather than dropping out of the Champions League), the first time this had happened since 1995. However, they got through the rounds of the competition and reached the final where, with their victory over Dutch club Ajax, they became the second English club to win all three major European trophies - European Cup, European Cup Winners' Cup and UEFA Cup. During those 60 odd years, Manchester United won a total of three European Cup/champions League, plus one each in the Cup Winners' Cup and UEFA Cup/Europa League, and a single Super Cup to their name.