UEFA Champions League – History, Facts, and Upcoming Matches

UEFA European Football Championship

The UEFA Champions League is a continental club football competition held every year by (UEFA) Union of European Football Associations. The top division European clubs participate in this competition. It is considered as one of the most important tournament in the world for clubs. This is the first annual sports tournament, which is loved by people and has become most-watched tournament. The League has become able to attract the attention of the people.

UEFA European Football Championship

The UEFA champion league is an elite club competition in which top clubs across the continents battles with each other to get the title of the UEFA Champions League.

Most Interesting Facts about UEFA Champions League

UEFA Champions League Tournament

  • The final of 2012-2013 has gained higher TV ranking till now. The match draws the attention of 360 million worldwide viewers, making it a most-watched annual game in the world.
  • Sevilla is the highest time’s winner club in UEFA Champions League, has crowned 6 times followed by Liverpool, Juventus wins 3 times.
  • Spain is the country gets the trophy 11 times and created history in UEFA Champions League Followed by Italy, 9 times winner and England, 8 times winner.
  • IN tournament 2004 – 2005, a new round (Group stage) has been introduced for the first time in the UEFA Champions League. The round was introduced just before the knockout round, giving another opportunity to various teams to get the crown.
  • The winner of the UEFA Europa league plays in UEFA Super cup before 2014-2015 now, the winner of the UEFA Europa League qualifies for this tournament UEFA Champions League and gets an entry in the direct group stage round.
  • Liverpool are the current champions after defeating Tottenham in an all-England UCL Final 2-0 in 2019. Liverpool has now reached the final in back-to-back years after losing to Real Madrid 3-1 in 2018.

Uefa Champions League Winner list

Season Winners Runners-up Score
2019-20 postponed  
2018-19 Liverpool Tottenham Hotspur 2-0
2017-18 Real Madrid Liverpool 3-1
2016-17 Real Madrid Juventus 4-1
2015-16 Real Madrid Atlético Madrid 1-1 (5–3)
2014-15 Barcelona Juventus 3-1
2013-14 Real Madrid Atlético Madrid 4-1
2012-13 Bayern Munich Borussia Dortmund 2-1
2011-12 Chelsea Bayern Munich 1-1 (4–3)
2010-11 Barcelona Manchester United 3-1
2009-10 Internazionale Bayern Munich 2-0
2008-09 Barcelona Manchester United 2-0
2007-08 Manchester United Chelsea 1-1 (6–5)
2006-07 Milan Liverpool 2-1
2005-06 Barcelona Arsenal 2-1
2004-05 Liverpool Milan 3-3
2003-04 Porto Monaco 3-0
2002-03 Milan Juventus 0-0
2001-02 Real Madrid Bayer Leverkusen 2-1
2000-01 Bayern Munich Valencia 1-1
1999-2000 Real Madrid Valencia 3-0
1998-99 Manchester United Bayern Munich 2-1
1997-98 Real Madrid Juventus 1-0
1996-97 Borussia Dortmund Juventus 3-1
1995-96 Juventus Ajax 1-1
1994-95 Ajax Milan 1-0
1993-94 Milan Barcelona 4-0
1992-93 Marseille Milan 1-0
1991-92 Barcelona Sampdoria 1-0
1990-91 Red Star Belgrade Marseille 0-0*
1989-90 Milan Benfica 1-0
1988-89 Milan Steaua Bucureşti 4-0
1987-88 PSV Benfica 0-0
1986-87 Porto Bayern Munich 2-1
1985-86 Steaua Bucureşti Barcelona 0-0
1984-85 Juventus Liverpool 1-0
1983-84 Liverpool Roma 1-1
1982-83 Hamburg Juventus 1-0
1981-82 Aston Villa Bayern Munich 1-0
1980-81 Liverpool Real Madrid 1-0
1979-80 Nottingham Forest Hamburg 1-0
1978-79 Nottingham Forest Malmö FF 1-0
1977-78 Liverpool Club Brugge 1-0
1976-77 Liverpool Borussia Mönchengladbach 3-1
1975-76 Bayern Munich Saint-Etienne 1-0
1974-75 Bayern Munich Leeds United 2-0
1973-74 Bayern Munich Atlético Madrid 1-1
1973-74 Replay Bayern Munich Atlético Madrid 4-0
1972-73 Ajax Juventus 1-0
1971-72 Ajax Internazionale 2-0
1970-71 Ajax Panathinaikos 2-0
1969-70 Feyenoord Celtic 2-
1968-69 Milan Ajax 4-1
1967-68 Manchester United Benfica 4-1
1966-67 Celtic Internazionale 2-1
1965-66 Real Madrid Partizan 2-1
1964-65 Internazionale Benfica 1-0
1963-64 Internazionale Real Madrid 3-1
1962-63 Milan Benfica 2-1
1961-62 Benfica Real Madrid 5-3
1960-61 Benfica Barcelona 3-2
1959-60 Real Madrid Eintracht Frankfurt 7-3
1958-59 Real Madrid Stade de Reims 2-0
1957-58 Real Madrid Milan 3-2
1956-57 Real Madrid Fiorentina 2-0
1955-56 Real Madrid Stade de Reims 4-3

Tournament Format (2018-2019)

UEFA Champions League Tournament

Preliminary round: 6 domestic cup winners from associations 50-55, 6 domestic league runners-up from associations 49–54 and 4 domestic league third-placed teams from associations 48–51 enters in the preliminary round.

First qualifying round(94 teams): 25 domestic cup winners from associations 25-49, 30 domestic league runners-up from associations 18 – 48, 31 domestic leagues third-placed teams from associations 16- 47 enters in the round. The round also includes 8 winners from the preliminary round.

Second qualifying round:

Champions (20 teams): In this round, 17 losers from champions league in the first qualifying round and 3 losers from champions league from the preliminary round gets a chance to play.

Non-Champions (74 teams): 7 domestic cup winners from associations 18–24, 2 domestic league runners-up from associations 16–17, 3 domestic league third-placed teams from associations 13–15, 9 domestic league fourth-placed teams from associations 7–15, 2 domestic league fifth-placed teams from associations 5–6 and 4 domestic league fifth-placed teams from associations 1–4 enters in this round. This round also includes 47 winner teams from the first qualifying round.

  • Third Qualifying Round

Champions (20 teams): 10 winners from third qualifying round for champions and 6 losers from Champions League third qualifying round for champions participates in this round.

Non-champions (52 teams): In this round, 5 domestic cup winners from associations 13–17, 6 domestic league third-placed teams from associations 7–12, 1 domestic league fourth-placed team from association 6 enters and fight against 37 winners from second qualifying round for non-champions and 3 losers from Champions League second qualifying round for non-champions.

  • Play-off round

Champions (16 teams): 10 winners from third qualifying round for champions and 6 losers from Champions League third qualifying round for champions participate in this round.

Non-champions (26 teams): 26 winners from third qualifying round for non-champions fight against each other to secure a spot in group stage round.

Group stage (48 teams): 12 domestic cup winners from associations 1–12, 1 domestic league fourth-placed team from association 5 and 4 domestic league fifth-placed teams from associations 1–4 enters in this round. The teams fight against 21 winners from play-off round, 6 losers from Champions League play-off round and 4 losers from Champions League third qualifying round for non-champions.

Knockout Phase (32 teams): 12 group winners from the group stage,12 group runners-up from the group stage and 8 third-placed teams from Champions League group stage fight against each other to crown the trophy of UEFA Champions League

UEFA Champions League History

UEFA Champions League History

The tournament has begun in 1955/56, was referred as European club with 16 total numbers of teams taking part. Then the name changed to UEFA Cup in 1992/93. If you want to check the record of UEFA Europa League, the UEFA Cup and the UEFA champions league are considered as same competition because of the change of the name else the competition was the same.

In 1999, the UEFA Winners cup merged with UEFA cup. 2004/2005 was the first time when a group stage round was added before the knockout phase. Till today, the title has been won by 28 clubs and 12 clubs has obtained the crown of UEFA Champions League more than once.

Before 2009-2010, the trophy has to be returned by the team when they enter in next year UEFA Champions League, they can keep the four to fifth scale replica of the trophy. Now the regulations have changed, now a crowned team can be kept the trophy lifelong. The trophy of UEFA Champions league is 15 kg in weight.

The UEFA Champions League has expanded till now because now the total number of 78 clubs enter in the tournament. There were 78 clubs entering in 2015/2016 tournament.

Upcoming Tournament

UEFA Champions League Matches

The 2019 – 2020 tournament edition kicks off on 26 June and ends on 30th May 2020. This season, you will be going to see more matches as compared to the before tournaments. The tournament is running, you can enjoy the continue tournament matches. Currently, the season has been stopped due to pandemic.

The Atatürk Olympic Stadium in Istanbul, Turkey will stage the 2019/20 UEFA Champions League final on Saturday 30 May 2020. Due to pandemic going around the world the tournament is currently been postponed.

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