The UEFA Champions League is the world’s most-watched club football competition. It features top-division European clubs competing in a round robin league phase and double-legged knockout rounds. Founded in 1955 by the Union of European Football Associations (UEFA), it is regarded as one of the sport’s most important events.
The tournament began life as the European Cup, then rebranded as ‘Champions League’ in 1992-93. It initially had sixteen teams that were the national champions (or, for some nations, runners-up) of their respective leagues. Real Madrid won the inaugural title, beating Reims in a final that was played over two legs. The competition was subsequently expanded, allowing clubs from a larger number of different countries to participate, and the format changed slightly.
From 1999 to 2008, all of the league champions from Europe’s biggest domestic leagues qualified for the tournament automatically. Teams finishing second through fourth in those leagues participated in a qualifying tournament, known as the “League Path”, to earn spots based on their association coefficient rankings.
Since 2024-25, the format of the competition has been revised. The field has been expanded from thirty-six to forty-eight teams, and the opening group stage is now known as the “league phase”. Teams are ranked according to their results in the league stage, and a draw system determines the matchups for each round of play. After the group phase, the top eight teams advance to the quarterfinals, and the bottom twelve are eliminated. The winner of each pair of fixtures in the quarterfinals and semifinals qualify for the final, held at a neutral venue determined by UEFA.