UEFA Champions League

The most prestigious club competition in European football.

The UEFA Champions League (UCL), commonly known as the Champions League, is an annual club football competition organised by the Union of European Football Associations (UEFA) that is contested by top-division European clubs. The competition begins with a round robin league phase to qualify for the two-legged knockout rounds and the single-leg final. It is the most-watched club competition in the world and the third most-watched football competition overall, after the FIFA World Cup and the UEFA European Championship. It is one of the most prestigious football tournaments in the world and the most prestigious club competition in European football, played by the national league champions (and, for some nations, one or more runners-up) of their national associations.

Lore & Background

Spanish clubs have the most victories (20 wins), followed by England (15 wins), Italy (12 wins), Germany (8 wins), Netherlands (6 wins), Portugal (4 wins) and France (1 win). England has the most winning teams, with six clubs having won the title. The competition has been won by 24 clubs and 13 of them have won it more than once. Since the tournament changed name and structure in 1992, only two top-tier football clubs outside the Big Five European nations (Spain, England, Italy, Germany and France) have also reached the final: Porto (2003–04) and Ajax (1994–95 and 1995–96).

Reader's Guide

In its present format, the Champions League begins in early July with three qualifying rounds and a play-off round, all played over two legs. The seven surviving teams enter the league phase, joining 29 teams qualified in advance. The 36 teams each play eight opponents, four home and four away. The 24 highest-ranked teams proceed to the knockout phase that culminates with the final match in late May or early June. The winner of the Champions League automatically qualifies for the following season's Champions League, the UEFA Super Cup, the FIFA Intercontinental Cup, and the quadrennial FIFA Club World Cup.

Did You Know?

Real Madrid is the most successful club in the tournament's history, having won it 15 times.
Only one club has won all of their matches in a single tournament en route to their tournament victory, Bayern Munich in the 2019–20 season.
The first European Cup match took place on 4 September 1955, ending in a 3–3 draw between Sporting CP and Partizan.
The 1960 final holds the record for the most goals scored, with Real Madrid beating Eintracht Frankfurt 7–3.