The 1987–88 UEFA Cup was the 17th season of the UEFA Cup, the secondary club football competition organised by the Union of European Football Associations (UEFA). The final was played over two legs at the Estadi de Sarriá, Barcelona, Spain, and at Ulrich-Haberland Stadion, Leverkusen, Germany. The competition was won by Bayer Leverkusen of Germany, who defeated Español of Spain on penalty kicks with an aggregate result of 3–3. In only their second season of European football, Bayer Leverkusen earned their first major title in professional competition. This was also the second UEFA Cup final decided on penalty kicks, four years after the first one. This was the third season in which all English clubs were banned from European football competitions

Association team allocation

A total of 64 teams from 31 UEFA member associations participated in the 1987–88 UEFA Cup, all entering from the first round over six knock-out rounds. The association ranking based on the UEFA country coefficients is used to determine the number of participating teams for each association: Due to the ongoing ban on English clubs, their three births were allocated to associations 9–11, each gaining a third birth.

Association ranking

For the 1987–88 UEFA Cup, the associations are allocated places according to their 1986 UEFA country coefficients, which takes into account their performance in European competitions from 1981–82 to 1985–86.

Teams

The labels in parentheses show how each team qualified for competition: Notes

Schedule

The schedule of the competition was as follows. Matches were scheduled for Wednesdays, though some matches exceptionally took place on Tuesdays, Thursdays or Saturdays.

First round

First leg

Second leg

Internazionale won 3–1 on aggregate. Aberdeen won 1–0 on aggregate. Español won 5–1 on aggregate. Brøndby won 2–1 on aggregate. Budapesti Honvéd won 1–0 on aggregate. Borussia Dortmund won 3–2 on aggregate. Dundee United won 4–1 on aggregate. Victoria București won 4–0 on aggregate. Barcelona won 2–1 on aggregate. 1–1 on aggregate; Wismut Aue won on away goals. Spartak Moscow won 3–1 on aggregate. 4–4 on aggregate; Chaves won on away goals. TJ Vítkovice won 3–1 on aggregate. Club Brugge won 5–2 on aggregate. Feyenoord won 10–2 on aggregate. Bayer Leverkusen won 5–1 on aggregate. Dynamo Moscow won 5–0 on aggregate. Beveren won 2–1 on aggregate. Flamurtari won 3–2 on aggregate. Utrecht won 2–0 on aggregate. Werder Bremen won 5–1 on aggregate. Panathinaikos won 4–3 on aggregate. Dinamo Tbilisi won 4–3 on aggregate. Hellas Verona won 4–2 on aggregate. Red Star Belgrade won 5–2 on aggregate. Milan won 3–1 on aggregate. The game was played in Lecce because of the ban on San Siro. Sportul Studențesc won 3–1 on aggregate. Vitória de Guimarães won 2–1 on aggregate. Toulouse won 6–1 on aggregate. TPS won 2–1 on aggregate. Juventus won 7–0 on aggregate. Velež Mostar won 5–3 on aggregate.

Second round

First leg

Second leg

Werder Bremen won 7–6 on aggregate. Español won 2–0 on aggregate. 2–2 on aggregate; Feyenoord won on away goals. Borussia Dortmund won 3–2 on aggregate. 3–3 on aggregate; Sportul Studențesc won 3–0 on penalties. Budapesti Honvéd won 5–2 on aggregate. TJ Vítkovice won 3–2 on aggregate. Verona won 3–2 on aggregate. Barcelona won 2–0 on aggregate. Flamurtari won 2–1 on aggregate. Internazionale won 2–1 on aggregate. 3–3 on aggregate; Panathinaikos won on away goals. Club Brugge won 5–3 on aggregate. Bayer Leverkusen won 2–1 on aggregate. Dinamo Tbilisi won 2–1 on aggregate. 1–1 on aggregate; Vitória de Guimarães won 5–4 on penalties.

Third round

First leg

Second leg

Club Brugge won 5–3 on aggregate. Panathinaikos won 7–6 on aggregate. Barcelona won 4–2 on aggregate. Bayer Leverkusen won 3–2 on aggregate. Hellas Verona won 4–1 on aggregate. Español won 2–1 on aggregate. 2–2 on aggregate; TJ Vítkovice won 5–4 on penalties. Werder Bremen won 3–2 on aggregate.

Quarter-finals

First leg

Second leg

Bayer Leverkusen won 1–0 on aggregate. Werder Bremen won 2–1 on aggregate. Club Brugge won 3–2 on aggregate. Español won 2–0 on aggregate.

Semi-finals

First leg

Second leg

Bayer Leverkusen won 1–0 on aggregate. Español won 3–2 on aggregate.

Final

First leg

Second leg

3–3 on aggregate; Bayer Leverkusen won 3–2 on penalties.