UEFA Champions League

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). 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. Real Madrid is the most successful club in the tournament's history, having won it 15 times. They are also the only club to have won it five times in a row (the first five editions). 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 final kicked off around 8 p.m. before a crowd of 14,110 at the Estádio do Dragão. In the fourth minute, Kai Havertz threaded a pass across the City penalty area, but Ederson gathered the ball. Five minutes later, Ederson's long kick found Sterling, who was dispossessed by Reece James just as he prepared to shoot. Ben Chilwell crossed to the far post, but N'Golo Kanté's header flew over the bar. Manchester City began to threaten in the second half of the first period. In the 28th minute, Phil Foden broke through and was tackled by Antonio Rüdiger just before shooting. The deadlock finally broke in the 38th minute when Kanté played the ball to Havertz. A tackle from Oleksandr Zinchenko initially denied Havertz a clear shot, but moments later, he scored the only goal of the game late in the first half. Chelsea held firm for the remainder of the match to secure a 1–0 victory, their second Champions League title.

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.
• The first goal in European Cup history was scored by João Baptista Martins of Sporting CP.
• Real Madrid's five consecutive titles from 1956 to 1960 remain a record.
• Since the tournament changed name and structure in 1992, only two top-tier football clubs outside the Big Five European nations have reached the final: Porto (2003–04) and Ajax (1994–95 and 1995–96).