SafekipediaUEFA Champions League
Adapted from Wikipedia · Discoverer experience
The UEFA Champions League, often called the Champions League, is a yearly contest for the best soccer teams in Europe. It is organized by the Union of European Football Associations and brings together champions from each country's top leagues. This competition is one of the most famous and exciting in the world, watched by millions of fans everywhere.
It began in 1955 as the European Champion Clubs' Cup, also known as the European Cup. Back then, only the winner of each country's top league could join. Over time, the rules changed, and now more teams from certain countries can take part. The Champions League today has many stages, starting with qualifying matches and ending with a big final game.
The Champions League is very important because it shows which club team is the best in Europe. Winning this contest means a team is among the greatest in European soccer. Spanish clubs have won the most titles, but teams from England, Italy, Germany, the Netherlands, and Portugal have also claimed victory. Real Madrid holds the record for the most wins, having triumphed 15 times. The current champions are Paris Saint-Germain, who won their first title in 2025.
History
Main article: History of the European Cup and UEFA Champions League
See also: List of European Cup and UEFA Champions League finals
The first big meeting of champions from two European leagues happened in 1895, called the 1895 World Championship. English champions Sunderland beat Scottish champions Heart of Midlothian 5–3. Later, in 1900, champions from Belgium, the Netherlands, and Switzerland played in a tournament called the Coupe Van der Straeten Ponthoz.
In 1955, a big tournament called the European Champion Clubs' Cup began. The first match was on September 4, 1955, between Sporting CP and Partizan, ending in a 3–3 draw. The first final was in 1956, where Real Madrid won against Stade de Reims.
Real Madrid won the first five tournaments in a row. In 1961, Barcelona beat them, but then lost to Benfica. Later, Inter Milan and Celtic also won the cup.
In 1968, Manchester United became the first English team to win. Then, Dutch teams like Ajax and Feyenoord started winning. From 1970 to 1976, teams from the Netherlands and West Germany won many times.
In the late 1970s and 1980s, English teams like Liverpool and Nottingham Forest won often. But after a sad event in 1985, English teams were not allowed to play for several years.
After that, teams from many countries won, and the tournament was renamed the UEFA Champions League. In recent years, Spanish teams like Real Madrid have won many times.
During the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020, the tournament stopped for a while. When it started again, games were played in empty stadiums.
Anthem
The UEFA Champions League anthem, called "Champions League," was created by Tony Britten. It is based on a piece by George Frideric Handel from 1727. UEFA asked Britten to make this anthem in 1992. It was first played by a special orchestra and singers from London.
The anthem is played before every Champions League match when the teams line up, and also at the start and end of TV broadcasts. It includes words in three languages: English, German, and French. The most exciting part includes the words "Die Meister! Die Besten! Les Grandes Équipes! The Champions!" Special singers have performed the anthem at finals in different languages depending on where the final was held.
Branding
In 1991, UEFA worked with a company called Television Event and Media Marketing to create a special look for the Champions League. They made an anthem, chose black and white or silver as the colours, designed a logo, and created a "starball". A London company named Design Bridge made the starball after a competition. TEAM made sure that everywhere, from Moscow to Milan, the same colours, ceremonies, and anthem were used. By 1999, most fans knew the starball logo.
Format
Qualification
See also: UEFA coefficient
The UEFA Champions League used to have a group stage with 32 teams, but now it has a league phase with 36 teams. Teams qualify through two different paths: one for league champions and one for teams that finish second, third, or fourth in their league.
The number of teams from each country depends on their past performance in European competitions. Countries that do well in these competitions can send more teams to the Champions League and often skip some qualifying rounds.
League phase and knockout phase
Starting with the 2024–25 season, the Champions League changed its format. Instead of groups, all 36 teams are in one big league. Each team plays eight matches against different opponents. The top teams move on to the knockout stage, while others are eliminated.
The knockout stage begins in February, with matches usually on Tuesday and Wednesday nights. The final is played in late May or early June at a venue chosen before the season starts.
Distribution
The following is the default access list.
Changes will be made to the access list above if the Champions League or Europa League title holders qualify for the tournament via their domestic leagues.
- If the Champions League title holders qualify for the league phase via their domestic league's standard berth allocation, the best champions in qualifying rounds enter the league phase, and champions of the highest-ranked associations in earlier rounds are also promoted accordingly.
- If the Europa League title holders qualify for the league phase via their domestic league's standard berth allocation, the best club in qualifying rounds enters the league phase, except for the runners-up of associations 11–15, as they have a higher-ranked domestic team in the qualifiers, and teams of the highest-ranked associations in earlier rounds are also promoted accordingly.
- If the Champions League or Europa League title holders qualify for the qualifying rounds via their domestic league, their spot in the qualifying rounds is vacated, and teams of the highest-ranked associations in earlier rounds are promoted accordingly.
| Teams entering in this round | Teams advancing from the previous round | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| First qualifying round (32 teams) | 32 champions from associations 23–55 (except Liechtenstein) | ||
| Second qualifying round | Champions Path (24 teams) | 8 champions from associations 15–22 | 16 winners from the first qualifying round |
| League Path (6 teams) | 6 runners-up from associations 10–15 | ||
| Third qualifying round | Champions Path (12 teams) | 12 winners from the second qualifying round (Champions Path) | |
| League Path (8 teams) | 3 runners-up from associations 7–9 1 third-placed team from association 6 1 fourth-placed team from association 5 | 3 winners from the second qualifying round (League Path) | |
| Play-off round | Champions Path (10 teams) | 4 champions from associations 11–14 | 6 winners from the third qualifying round (Champions Path) |
| League Path (4 teams) | 4 winners from the third qualifying round (League Path) | ||
| League phase (36 teams) | UEFA Champions League title holders UEFA Europa League title holders 10 champions from associations 1–10 6 runners-up from associations 1–6 5 third-placed teams from associations 1–5 4 fourth-placed teams from associations 1–4 2 teams from associations with the highest 1-year association coefficient | 5 winners from the play-off round (Champions Path) 2 winners from the play-off round (League Path) | |
| Preliminary knockout round (16 teams) | 16 teams ranked from 9−24 in league phase | ||
| Knockout phase (16 teams) | 8 Winners from previous play-off 8 Teams ranked from 1−8 in league phase | ||
Prizes
Trophy and medals
Main article: European Champion Clubs' Cup
Each year, the team that wins the Champions League gets a special trophy called the European Champion Clubs' Cup. The current version has been used since 1967. If a team wins the competition three times in a row or five times total, they used to get to keep the real trophy forever. But since 2008, the real trophy stays with UEFA, and the winning teams get a copy instead.
The trophy is made of silver, stands about 74 centimeters tall, and weighs 11 kilograms. It was designed by a jeweler from Bern, Switzerland.
The winners also get 50 gold medals, and the runners-up get 50 silver medals.
Prize money
Starting from the 2024–25 season, teams earn different amounts of money depending on how far they go in the competition. For example, just getting into the play-off round earns a team over four million euros. Winning the whole tournament can earn a team twenty-five million euros.
Teams also get extra money based on how well their country does in showing the games on TV. For example, in the 2019–20 season, the team that came in second earned almost 127 million euros in total, while the winners earned around 125 million euros.
Sponsorship
During the 2011–12 UEFA Champions League, bwin was a sponsor for Real Madrid, but the team could not wear their jerseys with the bwin logo when they played against CSKA Moscow in Russia because ads about gambling were not allowed there.
Like the FIFA World Cup, the UEFA Champions League has many big companies as sponsors instead of just one main sponsor. When the Champions League started in 1992, it was decided that up to eight companies could sponsor the event. Each sponsor got space to show their logo around the field and during interviews, as well as some tickets to the matches. This made sure each main sponsor got lots of attention.
From the 2012–13 knockout phase, UEFA began using special LED boards with ads in stadiums for teams in the knockout rounds, including the final match. Starting from the 2015–16 season, these boards were used from the very first rounds all the way to the final. Since 2021, UEFA also uses technology to change the ads shown on TV depending on where the viewers are located, so local sponsors can be seen in their own areas along with the global sponsors.
Teams can have ads on their jerseys, but only two ads besides the one from the company that makes the jersey. These ads can go on the front of the shirt or the left arm. Some rules allow ads for non-profit groups to be placed in special spots on the jersey. If a team plays in a country where certain types of ads are not allowed, like ads for alcohol in France, they must cover up those ads. For example, when Rangers played against Auxerre from France in the 1996–97 Champions League, they used the logo of a holiday company called Center Parcs instead of their main sponsor, McEwan's Lager. Both companies were part of the same bigger company, Scottish & Newcastle.
Media coverage
Main article: List of UEFA Champions League broadcasters
The Champions League is watched by many people around the world. The final match of the tournament is often the most-watched sports event each year. For example, the final in the 2012–13 season had about 360 million viewers.
Team records and statistics
Main article: European Cup and UEFA Champions League records and statistics
See also: UEFA Champions League clubs performance comparison
Main article: List of European Cup and UEFA Champions League finals
Player records
Main article: European Cup and UEFA Champions League records and statistics § Players
Most wins
Most appearances
Main article: List of footballers with 100 or more UEFA Champions League appearances
As of 6 May 2026
Players taking part in the 2025–26 UEFA Champions League are highlighted in bold.
The table below does not include appearances made in the qualification stage of the competition.
Most goals
Main article: List of UEFA Champions League top scorers
As of 6 May 2026
A ‡ indicates the player was from the European Cup era.
Players taking part in the 2025–26 UEFA Champions League are highlighted in bold.
The table below does not include goals scored in the qualification stage of the competition.
Most assists
Main article: European Cup and UEFA Champions League records and statistics § Players
As of 15 April 2026
Players that are still active in Europe are highlighted in boldface.
| Rank | Player | Nation | Apps | Years | Club(s) (Apps) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Cristiano Ronaldo |  Portugal | 183 | 2003–2022 | Manchester United (59), Real Madrid (101), Juventus (23) |
| 2 | Iker Casillas |  Spain | 177 | 1999–2019 | Real Madrid (150), Porto (27) |
| 3 | Lionel Messi |  Argentina | 163 | 2004–2023 | Barcelona (149), Paris Saint-Germain (14) |
| Thomas Müller |  Germany | 2009–2025 | Bayern Munich | ||
| 5 | Manuel Neuer | Germany | 161 | 2007– | Schalke 04 (22), Bayern Munich (139) |
| 6 | Karim Benzema |  France | 152 | 2005–2023 | Lyon (19), Real Madrid (133) |
| 7 | Xavi | Spain | 151 | 1998–2015 | Barcelona |
| Toni Kroos | Germany | 2008–2024 | Bayern Munich (41), Real Madrid (110) | ||
| 9 | Robert Lewandowski |  Poland | 144 | 2011– | Borussia Dortmund (28), Bayern Munich (78), Barcelona (38) |
| 10 | Raúl | Spain | 142 | 1995–2011 | Real Madrid (130), Schalke 04 (12) |
| Sergio Ramos | Spain | 2005–2023 | Real Madrid (129), Paris Saint-Germain (8), Sevilla (5) | ||
| Luka Modrić |  Croatia | 2010–2025 | Tottenham Hotspur (8), Real Madrid (134) |
| Rank | Player | Goals | Apps | Ratio | Years | Club(s) (Goals/Apps) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Cristiano Ronaldo | 140 | 183 | 0.77 | 2003–2022 | Manchester United (21/59), Real Madrid (105/101), Juventus (14/23) |
| 2 | Lionel Messi | 129 | 163 | 0.79 | 2005–2023 | Barcelona (120/149), Paris Saint-Germain (9/14) |
| 3 | Robert Lewandowski | 109 | 144 | 0.76 | 2011– | Borussia Dortmund (17/28), Bayern Munich (69/78), Barcelona (23/38) |
| 4 | Karim Benzema | 90 | 152 | 0.59 | 2005–2023 | Lyon (12/19), Real Madrid (78/133) |
| 5 | Raúl | 71 | 142 | 0.50 | 1995–2011 | Real Madrid (66/130), Schalke 04 (5/12) |
| 6 | Kylian Mbappé | 70 | 98 | 0.71 | 2016– | Monaco (6/9), Paris Saint-Germain (42/64), Real Madrid (22/25) |
| 7 |  Erling Haaland | 57 | 58 | 0.98 | 2019– | Red Bull Salzburg (8/6), Borussia Dortmund (15/13), Manchester City (34/39) |
| Thomas Müller | 57 | 163 | 0.35 | 2009–2025 | Bayern Munich | |
| 9 |  Ruud van Nistelrooy | 56 | 73 | 0.77 | 1998–2009 | PSV Eindhoven (8/11), Manchester United (35/43), Real Madrid (13/19) |
| 10 |  Harry Kane | 54 | 70 | 0.77 | 2016– | Tottenham Hotspur (21/32), Bayern Munich (33/38) |
| Rank | Player | Assists | Apps | Ratio | Years | Club(s) (Assists/Apps) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Cristiano Ronaldo | 42 | 183 | 0.22 | 2003–2022 | Manchester United, Real Madrid, Juventus |
| 2 | Ángel Di María | 41 | 116 | 0.35 | 2010–2025 | Real Madrid, Paris Saint-Germain, Juventus, Benfica |
| 3 | Lionel Messi | 40 | 163 | 0.25 | 2005–2023 | Barcelona, Paris Saint-Germain |
| 4 |  Neymar | 33 | 81 | 0.41 | 2013–2023 | Barcelona, Paris Saint-Germain |
| 5 | Vinícius Júnior | 32 | 82 | 0.39 | 2018– | Real Madrid |
| 6 |  Kevin De Bruyne | 31 | 79 | 0.37 | 2011– | Genk, Chelsea, Manchester City, Napoli |
 Ryan Giggs | 141 | 0.22 | 1990–2014 | Manchester United | ||
| 8 | Xavi | 30 | 151 | 0.20 | 1998–2015 | Barcelona |
| Thomas Müller | 160 | 0.19 | 2009–2025 | Bayern Munich | ||
| 10 | Andrés Iniesta | 29 | 130 | 0.22 | 2002–2018 | Barcelona |
| Karim Benzema | 152 | 0.19 | 2005-2023 | Lyon, Real Madrid |
Awards
Starting from the 2021–22 season, UEFA began giving out two special awards for the Champions League. The Player of the Season award is given to the best player in the competition. A group of coaches and journalists choose the winner.
There is also a Young Player of the Season award for the best young player. These awards help recognize the amazing talents in the Champions League.
| Season | Player | Club |
|---|---|---|
| 2021–22 | Karim Benzema | Real Madrid |
| 2022–23 | Rodri | Manchester City |
| 2023–24 | Vinícius Júnior | Real Madrid |
| 2024–25 | Ousmane Dembélé | Paris Saint-Germain |
| Season | Player | Club |
|---|---|---|
| 2021–22 | Vinícius Júnior | Real Madrid |
| 2022–23 |  Khvicha Kvaratskhelia |  Napoli |
| 2023–24 | Jude Bellingham | Real Madrid |
| 2024–25 | Désiré Doué | Paris Saint-Germain |
Images
Related articles
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