Organised by the Mitropa Cup committee, this tournament's edition was recognised by UEFA in 1963, after lobbying by the Italian Football Federation.

[1] This was the first season that the tournament took place for the winners of each European country's domestic cup, and was the only one to be decided in a two-legged final.

Only ten sides entered the competition,[2] partially due to the low expectations for the new tournament among association football fans,[1] and also to the unofficial nature of this edition.

However, the German Football Association of the GDR (German: Deutscher Fußball-Verband der DDR) (DFV) found army-sponsored local rival and league runners-up ASK Vorwärts Berlin to be a more suitable representative of East Germany in the competition.

Fiorentina entered as runners-up to Juventus in both Coppa Italia and Serie A, Czechoslovakia sent the winners of an unofficial League Cup, and both Hungary and East Germany enrolled their league runners-up.