Leeds United first played European football with their appearance in the 1965–66 Inter-Cities Fairs Cup, a competition which they have won twice. Their first European Cup/Champions League appearance came in 1969–70. Leeds' first and last appearance in the Cup Winners' Cup came in 1972–73. Their last appearance in Europe came in the UEFA Cup in 2002–03.

Summary The club's debut in European competitions came in the 1965–66 season in the Inter-Cities Fairs Cup, which they competed in for three consecutive seasons before winning the trophy in the 1967–68 season. They had been on the losing side in the same competition a year previously, and won it again in 1970–71, the final season of its existence before it was effectively replaced by the new UEFA Cup.

The club reached a further two European finals during the 1970s; the European Cup Winners' Cup final in 1973 and the European Cup final in 1975. However, they were beaten on both occasions. Their venture into the 1979–80 UEFA Cup would be their last in European competitions for more than a decade; it ended in the second round.

European competitions then became effectively out of the question for Leeds, who were relegated to the Second Division in 1982 and did not win promotion until 1990. League title glory in 1992 sealed their return to Europe after more than a decade as England's representatives in the European Cup, where they were eliminated in the second round by Scottish champions Rangers.

In 1999–2000, the club enjoyed its best run in European competitions for 25 years, reaching the semi-finals of the UEFA Cup. They reached the semi-finals of the Champions League in the 2000–2001 season losing to Valencia (changes in qualification requirements meant that they could now qualify as the third placed team in their domestic league) a year later. Their most recent European campaign to date was in the 2002–03 season, where they competed in the UEFA Cup and reached the third round. By this stage, however, the club was deep in financial trouble and was starting to sell most of its key players, which contributed to relegation from the Premier League at the end of the 2003–04.

Matches Season Competition Round Opposition Score1965–66Inter-Cities Fairs Cup First Round Torino 2–1 Elland Road0–0 (A) Second Round Leipzig 2–1 (A)0–0 Elland Road Third Round Valencia 1–1 Elland Road1–0 (A) Quarter-Final Újpest 4–1 Elland Road1–1 (A) Semi-Final Real Zaragoza 0–1 (A)2–1 Elland Road1–3 Elland Road1966–67Inter-Cities Fairs Cup First Round Bye Second Round DWS 3–1 (A)5–1 Elland Road Third Round Valencia 1–1 Elland Road2–0 (A) Quarter-Final Bologna 0–1 (A)1–0 Elland RoadWon on Coin flipping Semi-Final Kilmarnock 4–2 Elland Road0–0 (A) Final Dinamo Zagreb 0–2 Maksimir Stadium, Zagreb0–0 Elland Road1967–68Inter-Cities Fairs Cup First Round Spora Luxembourg 9–0 (A)7–0 Elland Road Second Round Partizan Belgrade 2–1 (A)1–1 Elland Road Third Round Hibernian 1–0 Elland Road1–1 (A) Quarter-Final Rangers 0–0 (A)2–0 Elland Road Semi-Final Dundee 1–1 (A)1–0 Elland Road Final Ferencváros 1–0 Elland Road0–0 Népstadion, Budapest1968–69Inter-Cities Fairs Cup First Round Standard Liège 0–0 (A)3–2 Elland Road Second Round Napoli 2–0 Elland Road0–2 (A) Third Round Hannover 5–1 Elland Road2–1 (A) Quarter-Final Újpest 0–1 Elland Road0–2 (A)1969–70European Cup First Round Lyn 10–0 Elland Road6–0 (A) Second Round Ferencváros 3–0 Elland Road3–0 (A) Quarter-Final Standard Liège 1–0 (A)1–0 Elland Road Semi-Final Celtic 0–1 Elland Road1–2 (A)1970–71Inter-Cities Fairs Cup First Round Sarpsborg 1–0 (A)5–0 Elland Road Second Round Dynamo Dresden 1–0 Elland Road1–2 (A)Won on Away goals rule Third Round Sparta Prague 6–0 Elland Road3–2 (A) Quarter-Final Vitória Setúbal 2–1 Elland Road1–1 (A) Semi-Final Liverpool 1–0 (A)0–0 Elland Road Final Juventus 2–2 Stadio Comunale, Turin1–1 Elland Road Fairs Cup Play-off Final Barcelona 1–2 Nou Camp 1971–72 UEFA Cup First Round Lierse 0–4 Elland Road2–0 (A)1972–73European Cup Winners' Cup First Round Ankaragücü 1–1 (A)1–0 Elland Road Second Round Carl Zeiss Jena 0–0 (A)2–0 Elland Road Quarter-Final Rapid București 5–0 Elland Road3–1 (A) Semi-Final Hajduk Split 1–0 Elland Road0–0 (A) Final Milan 0–1 Kaftanzoglio Stadium, Thessaloniki1973–74UEFA Cup First Round Strømsgodset 1–1 (A)6–1 Elland Road Second Round Hibernian 0–0 Elland Road0–0 (A)Won 5–4 on penalties Third Round Vitória Setúbal 1–0 Elland Road1–3 (A)1974–75European Cup First Round Zürich 4–1 Elland Road1–2 (A) Second Round Újpest 2–1 (A)3–0 Elland Road Quarter-Final Anderlecht 3–0 Elland Road1–0 (A) Semi-Final Barcelona 2–1 Elland Road1–1 (A) Final Bayern Munich 0–2 Parc des Princes, Paris1979–80UEFA Cup First Round Valletta 4–0 (A)3–0 Elland Road Second Round Universitatea Craiova 0–2 (A)0–2 Elland Road1992–93Champions League First Round Stuttgart 0–3 (A)4–1 Elland RoundStuttgart would have won on away goals; however, it was realised that in the second leg between Leeds United and Stuttgart, Stuttgart had substituted a fourth foreign player. At the time, a maximum of three foreign players was allowed. The game was awarded to Leeds United with a score of 3–0, making it 3–3 on aggregate with no difference in away goals. A play-off match in Barcelona was ordered, which Leeds United won 2–1. Second Round Rangers 1–2 (A)1–2 Elland Road1995–96UEFA Cup First Round AS Monaco 3–0 (A)0–1 Elland Road Second Round PSV Eindhoven 3–5 Elland Road0–31998–99UEFA Cup First Round Marítimo 1–0 Elland Road0–1 (A)Won 4–1 on penalties Second Round Roma 0–1 (A)0–0 Elland Road1999–2000 UEFA Cup First Round Partizan Belgrade 3–1 (A)1–0 Elland Road Second Round Lokomotiv Moscow 4–1 Elland Road3–0 (A) Third Round Spartak Moscow 1–2 (A)1–0 Elland Road Fourth Round Roma 0–0 (A)1–0 Elland Road Quarter-Final Slavia Prague 3–0 Elland Road1–2 (A) Semi-Final Galatasaray 0–2 (A)2–2 (H)2000–01Champions League Third Qualifying Round 1860 Munich 2–1 Elland Road1–0 (A) Group H Barcelona 0–4 (A)1–1 Elland Road Group H Milan 1–0 Elland Road1–1 (A) Group H Beşiktaş 6–0 Elland Road0–0 (A) Second Group D Real Madrid 0–2 Elland Road2–3 (A) Second Group D Lazio 1–0 (A)3–3 Elland Road Second Group D Anderlecht 2–1 Elland Road4–1 (A) Quarter-Final Deportivo La Coruña 3–0 Elland Road0–2 (A) Semi-Final Valencia 0–0 Elland Road0–3 (A)2001–02UEFA Cup First Round Marítimo 0–1 (A)3–0 Elland Road Second Round Troyes 4–2 Elland Road2–3 (A) Third Round Grasshopper 2–1 (A)2–2 Elland Road Fourth Round PSV Eindhoven 0–0 (A)0–1 Elland Road2002–03UEFA Cup First Round Metalurh Zaporizhya 1–0 Elland Road1–1 (A) Second Round Hapoel Tel Aviv 1–0 Elland Road4–1 (A) Third Round Málaga 0–0 (A)1–2 Elland Road

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