Small Club World Cup

The Small World Cup (Spanish: Pequeña Copa del Mundo) was a football tournament held in Venezuela between 1952 and 1975 (with some journalists considering 1952–57 the period of greatest relevance, and the second period that took place between 1963 and 1975 as of minor relevance).^[2] In most of the occasions, the competition was played by four participants from Europe and South America. In the first period, clubs from three countries would win the tournament: Spain, Brazil and Colombia. Five clubs won the trophy in this period: Real Madrid, São Paulo, Millonarios, Corinthians, and Barcelona.

Organiser(s)Venezuelan companies ^[1]

Founded1952

Abolished1975; 51 years ago (1975)

RegionVenezuela

Quick facts Organiser(s), Founded ...

Pequeña Copa del Mundo
(Small World Cup)

Organiser(s)	Venezuelan companies [1]
Founded	1952
Abolished	1975; 51 years ago (1975)
Region	Venezuela
Teams	4
Last champions	East Germany (1975)
Most championships	Real Madrid São Paulo (2 titles each)

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When the Europeans Champions Clubs' Cup was started in 1955, the Venezuelan competition lost importance and was discontinued in 1957. Although the tournament was relaunched in 1963, its relevance decreased when the Intercontinental Cup (first held in 1960) was established as the major, official intercontinental competition for both South American and European clubs.

During the 1963–75 period, the trophy was also named "Copa Ciudad de Caracas". However, there is controversy surrounding this name, as during this period there were multiple trophies and championships named Taça Ciudad de Caracas in the city. Thus, in 1966 Botafogo was considered the winner and competed against Santos in the grand final, winning the Trophy called Journalists Circle Cup (Copa Círculo de Pediodicos Deportivos), however Valencia also competed with Vitória Guimarães and won the Símon Bolivar trophy. Thus, the winner of the Caracas tournament that year is controversial, as of the greatest relevance was the Botafogo and Santos game, where great players such as Garrincha and Pelé starred. Then, in 1967, the tournament in Caracas was, again, the Journalists Circle Cup (Copa Círculo de Pediodicos Deportivos), where teams such as Barcelona, Botafogo and Peñarol played. And, later in the same year, the so-called Copa Cuadricentenario de Caracas took place, which was played between Athletic Bilbao, Platense and Académica Coimbra, regional teams that no longer exist.

In 1968 the tournament that took place in Caracas offered the Oldemario Ramos Trophy. It was played between Benfica, Botafogo and Argentina XI., with Botafogo becoming the champion.

This competition is considered by some 21-st century sources as a predecessor of the Intercontinental Cup, in that it regularly featured clubs from Europe and South America.^[2][3] However, there is no 1952–1960 evidence indicating that it had any influence for the creation of the Intercontinental Cup, or that it was hailed in 1952–1957 as a club world trophy. Nevertheless, some clubs like Real Madrid highlight it in the trophy section of their websites and publications. The main attraction of the competition in the 1950's were Spanish and Brazilian clubs. The Spanish 1950's press referred to it as "the so-called Club World Cup", "the a.k.a. Club World Cup" and "the cup pompously called World Cup by its sponsor" (referring to Damián Gaubeka, the Caracas-based Basque businessman that sponsored the cup), indicating that its dimension in 1950's Spain was not seen as that of a club world trophy.^[4][5][6] In 1953, Brazilian club Vasco da Gama relinquished the invitation to participate, and in 1957, Fluminense relinquished it, in stark contrast to the relevance the Brazilian clubs have entitled to competitions such as the "World Club Cup" of the 1950's Brazilian FA, the Intercontinental Cup and the FIFA Club World Cup.^[7] Thus, the 1950's evidence suggests that the name "Small Club World Cup" was then seen mostly as a marketing strategy for the cup, and that the cup was not then regarded as "true" club world honour.