UEFA Champions League

Verified Timeline

Lore & Background

Introduced in 1955 as the European Champion Clubs' Cup and commonly known as the European Cup, it was initially a straight knockout tournament open only to the champions of Europe's domestic leagues, with its winner considered to be the European club champion. The competition took on its current name in 1992, adding a round-robin group stage in 1991 and allowing multiple entrants from certain countries since the 1997–98 season. 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 (3 wins). 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. Paris Saint-Germain are the current European champions, having beaten Arsenal on penalties in the 2026 final for their second consecutive title.

In Their Own Story

The drama unfolded early when Gaizka Mendieta converted a penalty in the third minute after Patrik Andersson was deemed to have handled the ball. Only minutes later, Bayern were awarded a spot-kick after Jocelyn Angloma fouled Stefan Effenberg, but Santiago Cañizares saved Mehmet Scholl's attempt with his legs. The turning point came early in the second half when Amedeo Carboni handled the ball; Effenberg stepped up and sent Cañizares the wrong way to restore parity. Goalkeeping heroics defined the night for Oliver Kahn, who would later win the UEFA Fair Play Award for consoling a heartbroken Cañizares. In the shoot-out, Kahn saved Zlatko Zahovič's kick and tipped Amedeo Carboni's shot onto the crossbar before saving Mauricio Pellegrino's decisive penalty to secure the trophy. This match, along with the 2001 UEFA Cup final where Alaves lost to Liverpool, marked the last time a Spanish club lost a UEFA final against a team from another country until 2025.

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?

• The first European Cup match took place on 4 September 1955, ending in a 3–3 draw between Sporting CP and Partizan.
• Real Madrid won the first five editions of the European Cup, a record that still stands.
• Bayern Munich is the only club to have won all of their matches in a single tournament en route to victory, doing so in the 2019–20 season.
• Only two clubs from outside the Big Five European nations have reached the final since 1992: Porto (2003–04) and Ajax (1994–95 and 1995–96).