The competition was won by Real Madrid, who beat Reims 2–0 in the final at Neckarstadion, Stuttgart, on 3 June 1959.

It was the first time that a team from Finland participated, while Turkey's representative returned to the competition in the presence of Beşiktaş.

Had they played, England would be first nation in European Cup history to have more than one team in the competition, apart from title holder's association.

This was the first time that Rapid Wien and AGF Aarhus failed to qualify for the tournament, which made Real Madrid the only club to appear in all four editions of European Cup.

Wiener Sport-Club, Standard Liège, Kjøbenhavns Boldklub, Wolverhampton Wanderers, Helsingin Palloseura, Schalke 04, Drumcondra, Juventus, Jeunesse Esch, VV DOS, Ards, Polonia Bytom, Petrolul Ploiești, Heart of Midlothian, Atlético Madrid, IFK Göteborg, Beşiktaş and NK Dinamo Zagreb made their debut in the competition.

[citation needed] All entrants were their respective associations champions, except for KB, Manchester United, Polonia Bytom and Atlético Madrid.

[2] As title holders, Real Madrid received a bye, and the remaining 27 teams were grouped geographically into three pots.

The first drawn team in each pot also received bye, while the remaining clubs would play the preliminary round in August, September and October.

The 1959 European Cup final was played on 3 June 1959 at the Neckarstadion in Stuttgart, West Germany.

Real Madrid's victory was their fourth consecutive title, maintaining their status as the only team to have won the competition.