Central Europe’s Historic Competition: The Mitropa Cup

I recently wrote a piece on what I called the predecessor to the European Cup – The Latin Cup.

In this competition, the league champions from France, Italy, Spain and Portugal faced off against one another from 1949-1957.

The Latin Cup went a long way in showcasing the necessity for competition between Europe’s elite footballing sides. However, it was not the only international club-competition that came before its time.

There were other competitions that also predated the European Cup and pitted the best sides from various countries against one another – for instance, The Mitropa Cup.

The Predecessor To The European Cup: The Latin Cup

Most football fans know about the European Cup that came before the Champions League.

But even this was not the birth of organised competition between Europe’s elite.

There was for instance, the Mitropa Cup, contested by the successor states of the Austro-Hungarian Empire.

However, probably most prominently (due to the Mitropa Cup’s post-World War Two decline) was the Latin Cup – for many the true predecessor to UEFA’s European Cup.