Intertoto eleven join UEFA Cup

Stuttgart feat
The summer competition concluded this weekend after three rounds of two-legged competition, and Saturday victors Villa, Napoli, Stade Rennais FC, RC Deportivo La Coruña, SC Braga, SC Vaslui, SK Sturm Graz and Grasshopper-Club were joined today by VfB Stuttgart, IF Elfsborg and the first-ever Norwegian side to triumph, Rosenborg BK. Stuttgart, previously successful in 2000 and 2002, became the only team to qualify for the UEFA Cup from the UEFA Intertoto Cup three times since the first such competition in 1995; Villa and Grasshoppers joined Villarreal CF, FC Schalke 04, Olympique de Marseille, RC Lens and Hamburger SV on the list of those to succeed twice in the tournament, which is now being discontinued in favour of expanded entry to UEFA Cup qualifying from 2009/10.

Friday draw
All eleven UEFA Intertoto Cup winners will join the 16 automatic entrants and 37 eventual first qualifying round winners in the draw at 13.30CET on Friday in Nyon. The UEFA Intertoto Cup winners that progress furthest in the UEFA Cup will be presented with a trophy, following in the footsteps of Newcastle United FC in 2006 and Hamburg last season, who both reached the Round of 16. There is also the incentive of beating the best-ever performance by a UEFA Intertoto Cup winner, when FC Girondins de Bordeaux reached the 1995/96 UEFA Cup final.

A full list of 2008/09 UEFA Cup entrants can be seen by clicking here.
First qualifying round results and second-leg fixtures can be seen here.