Score was 0–0 after 90 minutes and extra time. [6][7] Spanish clubs have the highest number of victories (18 wins), followed by England (13 wins) and Italy (12 wins). To discourage bias, the Champions League takes nationality into account. 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 will be promoted accordingly. [57] The anthem's chorus is played before each UEFA Champions League game as the two teams are lined up, as well as at the beginning and end of television broadcasts of the matches. The first time the champions of two European leagues met was in what was nicknamed the 1895 World Championship, when English champions Sunderland beat Scottish champions Heart of Midlothian 5–3. UCL Fixtures/Results. The competition is played between the European national league champions. [12] Latin European nations came together to form the Latin Cup in 1949. However, for those leagues with four entrants in the Champions League, this meant that, if the Champions League winner fell outside of its domestic league's top four, it would qualify at the expense of the fourth-placed team in the league. King, Anthony. Referees are appointed based on previous matches, marks, performances, and fitness levels. Today, UEFA Champions League referees are required to pass a fitness test to even be considered at the international level. The previous limit of a maximum of four teams per association was increased to five, meaning that a fourth-placed team from one of the top three ranked associations would only have to be moved to the Europa League if both the Champions League and Europa League winners came from that association and both finished outside the top four of their domestic league. However, this was changed in 1997 to allow the runners-up of the stronger leagues to compete as well, and again in 1999 when third and fourth placed teams of the said leagues also became eligible. England has the largest number of winning teams, with five clubs having won the title. These coefficients are generated by the results of clubs representing each association during the previous five Champions League and UEFA Cup/Europa League seasons. 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 1997. There are three nations that have dominated this competition throughout its history. [9] England have produced 13 winners from five clubs and Italy have produced 12 winners from three clubs. [5] Six teams have earned this privilege: Real Madrid, Ajax, Bayern Munich, Milan, Liverpool, and Barcelona. [16] After Stan Cullis declared Wolverhampton Wanderers "Champions of the World" following a successful run of friendlies in the 1950s, in particular a 3–2 friendly victory against Budapest Honvéd, Hanot finally managed to convince UEFA to put into practice such a tournament. In 2000, two Spanish teams battled in the final, though they were from different cities. 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. [20][21] After a scoreless first half, Real Madrid scored twice in six minutes to defeat the Italians. [19][24][25] West German side Eintracht Frankfurt became the first non-Latin team to reach the European Cup final. In addition to the anthem, there is also entrance music, which contains parts of the anthem itself, which is played as teams enter the field. The final is typically held in the last two weeks of May, or in the early days of June, which has happened in three consecutive odd-numbered years since 2015. Kante has won the Premier League, Europa League and FA Cup titles since joining the London club in 2016 and Tuchel backed the 30-year-old to add the Champions League … Score was 0–0 after 90 minutes and extra time. Barcelona are the fourth Club with the highest UEFA champions league trophy.The Barcelona club’s greatest pride and joy remains the 5 Champions League titles won in Wembley (1992, 2011), Paris (2006), Rome (2009) and An association may have a maximum of five teams in the Champions League. Play Fantasy Football! [69], In 2007, Michel Platini, the UEFA president, had proposed taking one place from the three leagues with four entrants and allocating it to that nation's cup winners. Manchester United won the penalty shoot-out 6–5. The number of teams that each association enters into the UEFA Champions League is based upon the UEFA coefficients of the member associations. Atlético Madrid is the only team to reach three finals without having won the trophy while Reims and Valencia have finished as runners-up twice without winning. A indicates the player was from the European Cup era. From the quarter-finals onwards, the draw is entirely random, without association protection. 22 clubs have won the UEFA Champions League/European Cup. [28][29] Barcelona themselves, however, would be defeated in the final by Portuguese side Benfica 3–2 at Wankdorf Stadium. The tournament proper begins with a group stage of 32 teams, divided into eight groups of four. This proposal was rejected in a vote at a UEFA Strategy Council meeting. This means that, at best, a club can earn €82,450,000 of prize money under this structure, not counting shares of the qualifying rounds, play-off round or the market pool. Score was 1–1 after 90 minutes and extra time. [47], The 1969–70 season saw the first Dutch winners of the competition. Referees from these five countries are typically comfortable with top professional matches and are therefore directly placed into Category 3. Bayern Munich are the reigning champions, having beaten Paris Saint-Germain 1–0 in the 2020 final. Make your own UCL Bracket! Also note that the EST. The eight group winners and eight runners-up proceed to the knockout phase that culminates with the final match in late May or early June. Players that are still active in Europe are highlighted in boldface. The Spanish giant also leads the way with 44 appearances in the Champions League, and 439 total matches played. The phrase was coined after a pre-match conference when he was questioned about Arsenal's lack of a trophy after exiting the FA Cup. Just as European Cups and Champions Leagues have … The tournament uses the away goals rule: if the aggregate score of the two games is tied, then the team who scored more goals at their opponent's stadium advances. Here are all the winners of the UEFA Champions League since the first in 1955. A comparison between countries show that Spanish clubs has been the most successful through history in the Champions League (concerning the seasons 1992-93 to 2018-19). [49] In the 1970–71 season Ajax won the title, beating Greek side Panathinaikos in the final. 3x FIFA Club World Cup winner. The current trophy is 74 cm (29 in) tall and made of silver, weighing 11 kg (24 lb). The table below does not include goals scored in the qualification stage of the competition. [8], Real Madrid's reign ended in the 1960–61 season when bitter rivals Barcelona dethroned them in the first round. Die Besten! Introduced in 1955 as the Coupe des Clubs Champions Européens (French for 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 reckoned as the European club champion. [96] Hublot is also a secondary sponsor as the official fourth official board of the competition. [30][31][32] Benfica wanted to repeat Real Madrid's successful run of the 1950s after reaching the showpiece event of the 1962–63 European Cup, but a brace from Brazilian-Italian José Altafini at the Wembley Stadium gave the spoils to Milan, making the trophy leave the Iberian Peninsula for the first time ever. 1956, 1957, 1958, 1959, 1960, 1966, 1998, 2000, 2002, 2014, 2016, 2017, … A.C. Milan won the penalty shoot-out 3–2. Check out the full list, how many titles each side has and who they beat in the final(s). UEFA Champions League News Kylian Mbappe's double saves the day for PSG again Julien Laurens thinks Kylian Mbappe is getting hot at the right time ahead of their Champions League semifinal. Real Madrid are by far the most successful team in … This was part of Platini's plan to increase the number of teams qualifying directly into the group stage, while simultaneously increasing the number of teams from lower-ranked nations in the group stage. [45] This final came 10 years after the Munich air disaster, which claimed the lives of eight United players and left their manager, Matt Busby, fighting for his life. This year’s Champions League will obviously go to Germany and it will be the seventh time a German club will be crowned the champions of Europe. For the next stage – the last 16 – the winning team from one group plays against the runners-up from another group, and teams from the same association may not be drawn against each other.