The UEFA Champions League is an annual international inter-club football competition between Europe's most successful clubs, regarded as the most prestigious club trophy in the sport.
Originally known as the European Champion Clubs' Cup, the competition began in 1955/56 using a two-leg knockout format where the teams would play two matches, one at home and one away, and the team with the highest overall score qualifying for the next round of the competition. Entry was restricted to the teams that won their national league championships.
The format and name were changed in 1992/93, and now the competition consists of three qualifying rounds, one stage of group competition (where teams play each other in the style of "home-and-away" or "regular season" competition), and then four rounds of knock-out finals. All qualifying round and knock-out ties are two-legged except the final, which is a single match played at a predetermined site.
Qualification for the competition is decided by teams placing in their domestic league championships on a quota system, with countries with stronger domestic leagues allocated more teams. Clubs that play in stronger domestic leagues also enter at later stages of the competition. For example, the three strongest domestic leagues, as rated by UEFA, place their champions and runners-up directly into the group phase, and their third-and fourth-place teams enter at the third qualifying round. There is one exception to this rule; the current Champions League titleholder automatically qualifies for the group stage, regardless of where it finished in its domestic league.
Real Madrid CF has won this competition nine times. The next most successful teams are A.C. Milan (6 titles), Bayern Munich, Ajax and Liverpool (4 titles).
Formerly, the Cup Winners' Cup (between winners of the national cup competitions) was played, but national cup winners now play in the UEFA Cup (since 1999).
It has occasionally been noted that in order for the present name to be grammatical the spelling would have to be "Champions’ League".
The music which introduces television coverage of the competition is by Tony Britten, based on George Frideric Handel's coronation anthem "Zadok the Priest", and is performed by the Chorus of the Academy of St. Martin in the Fields and the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra.
European Cup and Champions League winners
| Season
| Venue
| Winner
| Score
| Runner-up
| Remarks
|
| 2004/05
| Atatürk Olimpiyat Stadyumu, Istanbul
|  
|  
|  
|
|
| 2003/04
| Arena AufSchalke, Gelsenkirchen
| Porto
| 3-0
| AS Monaco
|
|
| 2002/03
| Old Trafford, Manchester
| AC Milan
| 0-0 aet
| Juventus
| 3-2 on penalties.
|
| 2001/02
| Hampden Park, Glasgow
| Real Madrid
| 2-1
| Bayer Leverkusen
|
|
| 2000/01
| San Siro, Milan
| Bayern Munich
| 1-1 asdet
| Valencia
| 5-4 on penalties.
|
| 1999/00
| Stade de France, Saint-Denis
| Real Madrid
| 3-0
| Valencia
|
|
| 1998/99
| Camp Nou, Barcelona
| Manchester United
| 2-1
| Bayern Munich
|
|
| 1997/98
| Amsterdam ArenA, Amsterdam
| Real Madrid
| 1-0
| Juventus
|
|
| 1996/97
| Olympiastadion, Munich
| Borussia Dortmund
| 3-1
| Juventus
|
|
| 1995/96
| Stadio Olimpico, Rome
| Juventus
| 1-1 aet
| Ajax
| 4-2 on penalties.
|
| 1994/95 |
Ernst Happel Stadium, Vienna
| Ajax
| 1-0
| AC Milan
|
|
| 1993/94
| Spiros Louis Stadium, Athens
| AC Milan
| 4-0
| Barcelona
|
|
| 1992/93
| Olympiastadion, Munich
| Marseille
| 1-0
| AC Milan
|
|
| 1991/92
| Wembley Stadium, London
| Barcelona
| 1-0 aet
| Sampdoria
|
|
| 1990/91
| Stadio San Nicola, Bari
| Red Star Belgrade
| 0-0 aet
| Marseille
| 5-3 on penalties.
|
| 1989/90
| Prater Stadium, Vienna
| AC Milan
| 1-0
| Benfica
|
|
| 1988/89
| Camp Nou, Barcelona
| AC Milan
| 4-0
| Steaua Bucharest
|
|
| 1987/88
| Neckarstadion, Stuttgart
| PSV Eindhoven
| 0-0 aet
| Benfica
| 6-5 on penalties.
|
| 1986/87
| Prater Stadium, Vienna
| Porto
| 2-1
| Bayern Munich
|
|
| 1985/86
| Sánchez Pizjuán, Seville
| Steaua Bucharest
| 0-0 aet
| Barcelona
| 2-0 on penalties.
|
| 1984/85
| Heysel Stadium, Brussels
| Juventus
| 1-0
| Liverpool
|
|
| 1983/84
| Stadio Olimpico, Rome
| Liverpool
| 1-1 aet
| Roma
| 4-2 on penalties.
|
| 1982/83
| Spiros Louis Stadium, Athens
| Hamburg
| 1-0
| Juventus
|
|
| 1981/82
| De Kuip, Rotterdam
| Aston Villa
| 1-0
| Bayern Munich
|
|
| 1980/81
| Parc des Princes, Paris
| Liverpool
| 1-0
| Real Madrid
|
|
| 1979/80
| Santiago Bernabéu, Madrid
| Nottingham Forest
| 1-0
| Hamburg
|
|
| 1978/79
| Olympiastadion, Munich
| Nottingham Forest
| 1-0
| Malmö
|
|
| 1977/78
| Wembley Stadium, London
| Liverpool
| 1-0
| Club Brugge
|
|
| 1976/77
| Stadio Olimpico, Rome
| Liverpool
| 3-1
| Borussia Mönchengladbach
|
|
| 1975/76
| Hampden Park, Glasgow
| Bayern Munich
| 1-0
| Saint-Étienne
|
|
| 1974/75
| Parc des Princes, Paris
| Bayern Munich
| 2-0
| Leeds United
|
|
| 1973/74
| Heysel Stadium, Brussels
| Bayern Munich
| 1-1
| Atlético de Madrid
|
|
| Heysel Stadium, Brussels
| Bayern Munich
| 4-0
| Atlético de Madrid
| Replay Match
|
| 1972/73
| Crvena Zvezda Stadium, Belgrade
| Ajax
| 1-0
| Juventus
|
|
| 1971/72
| De Kuip, Rotterdam
| Ajax
| 2-0
| Inter Milan
|
|
| 1970/71
| Wembley Stadium, London
| Ajax
| 2-0
| Panathinaikos
|
|
| 1969/70
| San Siro, Milan
| Feyenoord
| 2-1 aet
| Celtic
|
|
| 1968/69
| Santiago Bernabéu, Madrid
| AC Milan
| 4-1
| Ajax
|
|
| 1967/68
| Wembley Stadium, London
| Manchester United
| 4-1 aet
| Benfica
|
|
| 1966/67
| Estádio da Luz, Lisbon
| Celtic
| 2-1
| Inter Milan
|
|
| 1965/66
| Heysel Stadium, Brussels
| Real Madrid
| 2-1
| Partizan Belgrade
|
|
| 1964/65
| San Siro, Milan
| Inter Milan
| 1-0
| Benfica
|
|
| 1963/64
| Prater Stadium, Vienna
| Inter Milan
| 3-1
| Real Madrid
|
|
| 1962/63
| Wembley Stadium, London
| AC Milan
| 2-1
| Benfica
|
|
| 1961/62
| Olympisch Stadion, Amsterdam
| Benfica
| 5-3
| Real Madrid
|
|
| 1960/61
| Wankdorf Stadium, Berne
| Benfica
| 3-2
| Barcelona
|
|
| 1959/60
| Hampden Park, Glasgow
| Real Madrid
| 7-3
| Eintracht Frankfurt
|
|
| 1958/59
| Neckarstadion, Stuttgart
| Real Madrid
| 2-0
| Stade de Reims
|
|
| 1957/58
| Heysel Stadium, Brussels
| Real Madrid
| 3-2 aet
| AC Milan
|
|
| 1956/57
| Santiago Bernabéu, Madrid
| Real Madrid
| 2-0
| Fiorentina
|
|
| 1955/56
| Parc des Princes, Paris
| Real Madrid
| 4-3
| Stade de Reims
|
|
aet = after extra time; asdet = after sudden death extra time
- See also : List of sporting events
External links
