| Final positions | |
|---|---|
| Champions | .svg.png.webp) Valencia (1st title) | 
| Runners-up |  Arsenal | 
The 1979–80 season was the 20th season of the European Cup Winners' Cup, a football tournament organised by UEFA for the cup winners from each of its member associations. The competition was won by Spanish club Valencia, who beat Arsenal of England on penalties after a goalless final at the Heysel Stadium in Brussels, Belgium. It was the only Cup Winners' Cup to be decided on penalties (although two previous finals had required replays). It was Valencia's third European title, adding to the two Inter-Cities Fairs Cup titles they won in the 1960s.
Preliminary round
| Team 1 | Agg. | Team 2 | 1st leg | 2nd leg | 
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Rangers  | 3–0 |  Lillestrøm | 1–0 | 2–0 | 
| B 1903  | 7–0 | .svg.png.webp) APOEL | 6–0 | 1–0 | 
First leg
Second leg
B 1903 won 7-0 on aggregate.
First round
| Team 1 | Agg. | Team 2 | 1st leg | 2nd leg | 
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Dynamo Moscow  | w/o | .svg.png.webp) Vllaznia Shkodër | – | – | 
| Sliema Wanderers  | 2–9 |  Boavista | 2–1 | 0–8 | 
| Cliftonville .svg.png.webp) | 0–8 |  Nantes | 0–1 | 0–7 | 
| Young Boys .svg.png.webp) | 2–8 | .svg.png.webp) Steaua București | 2–2 | 0–6 | 
| Reipas Lahti  | 0–2 |  Aris Bonnevoie | 0–1 | 0–1 | 
| ÍA  | 0–6 | .svg.png.webp) Barcelona | 0–1 | 0–5 | 
| B 1903  | 2–6 | .svg.png.webp) Valencia | 2–2 | 0–4 | 
| Rangers  | 2–1 |  Fortuna Düsseldorf | 2–1 | 0–0 | 
| Arsenal  | 2–0 |  Fenerbahçe | 2–0 | 0–0 | 
| Wrexham  | 5–7 |  Magdeburg | 3–2 | 2–5 (aet) | 
| Panionios  | 5–3 |  Twente | 4–0 | 1–3 | 
| IFK Göteborg  | 2–1 |  Waterford | 1–0 | 1–1 | 
| Wacker Innsbruck  | 1–3 |  Lokomotíva Košice | 1–2 | 0–1 | 
| Beerschot .svg.png.webp) | 1–2 | .svg.png.webp) Rijeka | 0–0 | 1–2 | 
| Arka Gdynia .svg.png.webp) | 3–4 |  Beroe Stara Zagora | 3–2 | 0–2 | 
| Juventus  | 3–2 |  Győri ETO | 2–0 | 1–2 | 
First leg
| Young Boys .svg.png.webp) | 2–2 | .svg.png.webp) Steaua București | 
|---|---|---|
| Zwygart  42', pen' Schönenberger  78' | Stoica  38' Iordănescu  44' | 
Second leg
| Steaua București .svg.png.webp) | 6–0 | .svg.png.webp) Young Boys | 
|---|---|---|
| Nițu  1' Sameș  7', 65' Aelenei  47' Răducanu  56' Zahiu  72' | 
Steaua București won 8–2 on aggregate.
Juventus won 3–2 on aggregate.
| Boavista  | 8–0 |  Sliema Wanderers | 
|---|---|---|
| Aílton  7' Júlio Carlos  16', 28', 57' Moínhos  34' Salvador  53' Folha  63' Óscar  90' | Report | 
Boavista won 9–2 on aggregate.
Second round
| Team 1 | Agg. | Team 2 | 1st leg | 2nd leg | 
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Dynamo Moscow  | 1–1 (a) |  Boavista | 0–0 | 1–1 | 
| Nantes  | 5–3 | .svg.png.webp) Steaua București | 3–2 | 2–1 | 
| Aris Bonnevoie  | 2–11 | .svg.png.webp) Barcelona | 1–4 | 1–7 | 
| Valencia .svg.png.webp) | 4–2 |  Rangers | 1–1 | 3–1 | 
| Arsenal  | 4–3 |  Magdeburg | 2–1 | 2–2 | 
| Panionios  | 1–2 |  IFK Göteborg | 1–0 | 0–2 | 
| Lokomotíva Košice  | 2–3 | .svg.png.webp) Rijeka | 2–0 | 0–3 | 
| Beroe Stara Zagora  | 1–3 |  Juventus | 1–0 | 0–3 (aet) | 
First leg
| Beroe Stara Zagora  | 1–0 |  Juventus | 
|---|---|---|
| Stoyanov  80' (pen.) | 
Second leg
| Boavista  | 1–1 |  Dynamo Moscow | 
|---|---|---|
| Moínhos  34' | Report | Minayev  26' | 
1–1 on aggregate. Dynamo Moscow won on away goals.
Juventus won 3–1 on aggregate.
Quarter-finals
| Team 1 | Agg. | Team 2 | 1st leg | 2nd leg | 
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Dynamo Moscow  | 3–4 |  Nantes | 0–2 | 3–2 | 
| Barcelona .svg.png.webp) | 3–5 | .svg.png.webp) Valencia | 0–1 | 3–4 | 
| Arsenal  | 5–1 |  IFK Göteborg | 5–1 | 0–0 | 
| Rijeka .svg.png.webp) | 0–2 |  Juventus | 0–0 | 0–2 | 
First leg
Second leg
Juventus won 2–0 on aggregate.
Semi-finals
| Team 1 | Agg. | Team 2 | 1st leg | 2nd leg | 
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Nantes  | 2–5 |  Valencia | 2–1 | 0–4 | 
| Arsenal  | 2–1 |  Juventus | 1–1 | 1–0 | 
First leg
Second leg
Arsenal won 2–1 on aggregate.


