Created in 1971 by UEFA as the successor to the Fair Cities Cup , it sees the best-ranked teams from the various European championships compete against each other except the champions (who participate in the European Champion Clubs' Cup ) and the winners of national cup (which compete in the Cup of cups ). The number of representatives per country varies between one and four, depending on the level of the championship of the club involved .

The competition begins with round-trip knockout matches between drawn teams. Until 1997 , the finals were also in a round-trip format, in the stadiums of the two finalists. Since the 1997-1998 season, the final has been played in a single match, on neutral ground, and the winner has, since 2000 and the disappearance of the European Cup Winners' Cup (“C2”), the privilege face the winner of the Champions League in the UEFA Super Cup . From the 2009-2010 season , the competition absorbs the Intertoto Cup and turns to the benefit of the Europa League. This competition offers extended preliminary rounds, an expanded group stage to 48 teams with home and away matches and a more evenly distributed income distribution. An official match ball or a new logo appear.