The 1971 Watney Cup was the second edition of the Watney Mann Invitation Cup, a short-lived invitational association football tournament.
It was won by Colchester United, who beat West Bromwich Albion in the final at The Hawthorns.
The Watney Cup was introduced in 1970 to help increase the competitiveness of pre-season fixtures. Its name was a result of a sponsorship from brewing company Watney Combe & Reid. The tournament featured eight invited teams, with two selected from each division of the Football League. Those chosen to participate were the top two highest scoring teams from each division who had not gained promotion nor earned a place in a European competition the previous season.
The competition was a straight knockout tournament, with games that ended level going straight to penalties. This was a change from the inaugural Watney Cup, which had seen an additional 30 minutes of extra time take place to determine a winner prior to a penalty shoot-out.