The UEFA Champions League, which evolved from the European Champion Clubs' Cup, is a seasonal club football competition organised by UEFA since 1992 (or overall in its older format since 1955) for the most successful football clubs in Europe. The prize, the European Champion Clubs' Cup (more commonly known as the European Cup), is widely considered to be the most prestigious club trophy in the sport. The UEFA Champions League is separate from the UEFA Cup
The tournament consists of several stages. In the present format it begins in mid-July with three preliminary knockout qualifying rounds. The 16 surviving teams join 16 seeded teams in a group stage. Eight group winners and eight runners-up enter the final knockout rounds, which end with the final match in May. Previously only the champions of their respective national league could participate in the competition; however, this was changed in 1997 to allow the runners-up of the stronger leagues to compete as well.
The outgoing holders of the UEFA Champions League are AC Milan, who beat Liverpool FC 2-1 at the Olympic Stadium in Athens, Greece on 23 May 2007. Moscow will host its first European Cup final for the 2007-08 season; this will be between the top two sides from the English Premier League, Manchester United F.C. and Chelsea F.C.
History
-
The tournament was inaugurated in 1955, at the suggestion of the French sports journalist and editor of L'Équipe Gabriel Hanot,[1] as a continental competition for winners of the European national football leagues, as the European Champion Clubs' Cup, abbreviated to European 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, plus the current European Cup holder. This qualification system continued until 1992. In the 1992–93 season, the tournament was renamed to UEFA Champions League and in 1997/98, eligibility was expanded to include not just domestic champions but also the best performing runners up according to UEFA's coefficient ranking list[2]. In UEFA's coefficient system, a team finishing second in the Spanish La Liga would be more deserving of an automatic place in the Champions League than a team finishing first in, for example, Polish Orange Ekstraklasa. As a result, the system was restructured to force "weaker" national champions to qualify for the group stages, while other, "stronger" national runners-up would automatically get places.
Between 1960 and 2004 the winner of the tournament qualified for the now defunct Intercontinental Cup (against the winner of the Copa Libertadores of South America). Since then, with FIFA taking over, the winner automatically qualifies for the FIFA Club World Cup with other winners of continental club championships.
Qualification
- See also: UEFA coefficients
The Champions League flag is shown on the centre of the pitch before every game in the competition
The UEFA Champions league is open to the league champions of all UEFA member associations (except Liechtenstein, which has no league competition), as well as to the clubs finishing from second to fourth position in the strongest leagues. Since January 2007 the two lowest-ranked league competitions (currently the Andorra and San Marino leagues) can also represent their domestic champions in the Champions League.
The number of places in the competition depends on the association's rank in the UEFA coefficients table:
- associations ranked 1 to 3 have four positions,
- associations ranked 4 to 6 have three positions,
- associations ranked 7 to 15 have two positions,
- associations ranked 16 or lower have one position.
An association's rank also determines the stage at which the clubs enter the competition. For example, the three highest-ranked associations have two places in the group stage (for champions and runners-up) and two in the third qualifying round (for third and fourth-placed teams), whereas the lowest-ranked associations have only one place in the first qualifying round for their champions. Nine highest-ranked associations have at least one automatic place in the group stage.
Map of UEFA countries, teams from which have reached the group stage of the UEFA Champions League. independently to each other and each will be given by 5 winners - last participants in group stage.
The situation with the European Cup holders has not been clearly defined. There was controversy when Liverpool won the competition in 2004-05 but finished outside the top four in the FA Premier League. The Football Association ruled that Everton (who finished fourth) should get the final English place in the 2005-06 European Cup. UEFA came to an agreement that both Merseyside rivals would be allowed to enter the competition with Liverpool starting from the first qualifying round and Everton starting from the third qualifying round. UEFA's current rule is that if the European Cup winners fail to finish in one of its national league's qualifying positions, it will take the place of the lowest placed team in its league. The superseded team will go to the UEFA Cup.
In 2005-06, Liverpool and Artmedia Bratislava of Slovakia became the first teams to reach the Champions League group phase after playing in all three qualifying rounds.
In addition to sporting criteria, any club must be licensed by its national association to participate in the Champions league. To obtain a license, club must meet certain stadium, infrastructure and finance requirements.
The European Champion Clubs' Cup.
FC Barcelona, Manchester United, and FC Porto are the teams that have appeared most often in the group stages: thirteen each. However, each has won the Champions League only once since the group stage was established. Manchester United in 1999, Barcelona in 2006, and FC Porto in 2004.
The stages
The tournament consists of several stages and begins with three preliminary knockout qualifying rounds. Different teams start in different rounds, according to their position in domestic league and the UEFA coefficients of their league, while the sixteen top ranked teams spread across the biggest domestic leagues qualify directly. The current system was adopted in 2003.
Changes from 2009 forward
The main idea was to enable champions coming from low-ranked associations much easier access to the main tournament through their head-to-head matches than through matches against non-champions from high-ranked associations wh
Media coverage
-
European Cup and Champions League finals
| Season |
Winner |
Score |
Runner-up |
Venue |
2009/10
Details |
To be played. |
Santiago Bernabéu,
Madrid  |
2008/09
Details |
To be played. |
Stadio Olimpico,
Rome  |
2007/08
Details |
 Manchester United FC v Chelsea FC
21 May 2008 |
Luzhniki Stadium,
Moscow  |
2006/07
Details |
AC Milan |
2 – 1 |
Liverpool FC |
Olympic Stadium,
Athens  |
2005/06
Details |
FC Barcelona |
2 – 1 |
Arsenal FC |
Stade de France,
Paris  |
2004/05
Details |
Liverpool FC |
3 – 3 a.e.t.,
3–2 pen. |
AC Milan |
Atatürk Olympic Stadium,
Istanbul  |
2003/04
Details |
FC Porto  |
3 – 0 |
AS Monaco FC |
Arena AufSchalke,
Gelsenkirchen  |
2002/03
Details |
AC Milan |
0 – 0 a.e.t.,
3–2 pen. |
Juventus FC |
Old Trafford,
Manchester
|
2001/02
Details |
Real Madrid CF |
2 – 1 |
Bayer 04 Leverkusen |
Hampden Park,
Glasgow  |
2000/01
Details |
FC Bayern Munich |
1 – 1 a.e.t.,
5–4 pen. |
Valencia CF |
San Siro,
Milan |
1999/00
Details |
Real Madrid CF |
3 – 0 |
Valencia CF |
Stade de France,
Paris |
1998/99
Details |
Manchester United FC |
2 – 1 |
FC Bayern Munich |
Camp Nou,
Barcelona |
1997/98
Details |
Real Madrid CF |
1 – 0 |
Juventus FC |
Amsterdam ArenA,
Amsterdam  |
1996/97
Details |
Borussia Dortmund |
3 – 1 |
Juventus FC |
Olympiastadion,
Munich |
1995/96
Details |
Juventus FC |
1 – 1 a.e.t.,
4–2 pen. |
AFC Ajax |
Stadio Olimpico,
Rome |
1994/95
Details |
AFC Ajax |
1 – 0 |
AC Milan |
Ernst Happel Stadium,
Vienna  |
1993/94
Details |
AC Milan |
4 – 0 |
FC Barcelona |
Olympic Stadium Spiros Louis,
Athens |
1992/93
Details |
Olympique de Marseille |
1 – 0 |
AC Milan |
Olympiastadion,
Munich |
1991/92
Details |
FC Barcelona |
1 – 0 a.e.t. |
UC Sampdoria |
Wembley Stadium,
London |
1990/91
Details |
Red Star Belgrade  |
0 – 0 a.e.t.,
5–3 pen. |
Olympique de Marseille |
Stadio San Nicola,
Bari |
1989/90
Details |
AC Milan |
1 – 0 |
SL Benfica |
Prater Stadium,
Vienna |
1988/89
Details |
AC Milan |
4 – 0 |
 FC Steaua Bucureşti |
Camp Nou,
Barcelona |
1987/88
Details |
PSV Eindhoven |
0 – 0 a.e.t.,
6–5 pen. |
SL Benfica |
Neckarstadion,
Stuttgart |
1986/87
Details |
FC Porto |
2 – 1 |
FC Bayern Munich |
Prater Stadium,
Vienna |
1985/86
Details |
FC Steaua Bucureşti |
0 – 0 a.e.t.,
2–0 pen. |
FC Barcelona |
Sánchez Pizjuán,
Seville |
1984/85
Details |
Juventus FC |
1 – 0
(see: Heysel tragedy) |
Liverpool FC |
Heysel Stadium,
Brussels  |
1983/84
Details |
Liverpool FC |
1 – 1 a.e.t.,
4–2 pen. |
AS Roma |
Stadio Olimpico,
Rome |
1982/83
Details |
Hamburger SV |
1 – 0 |
Juventus FC |
Olympic Stadium Spiros Louis,
Athens |
1981/82
Details |
Aston Villa FC |
1 – 0 |
FC Bayern Munich |
De Kuip,
Rotterdam |
1980/81
Details |
Liverpool FC |
1 – 0 |
 Real Madrid CF |
Parc des Princes,
Paris |
1979/80
Details |
Nottingham Forest FC |
1 – 0 |
Hamburger SV |
Santiago Bernabéu,
Madrid |
1978/79
Details |
Nottingham Forest FC |
1 – 0 |
 Malmö FF |
Olympiastadion,
Munich |
1977/78
Details |
Liverpool FC |
1 – 0 |
Club Brugge KV |
Wembley Stadium,
London |
1976/77
Details |
Liverpool FC |
3 – 1 |
Borussia Mönchengladbach |
Stadio Olimpico,
Rome |
1975/76
Details |
FC Bayern Munich |
1 – 0 |
AS Saint-Étienne |
Hampden Park,
Glasgow |
1974/75
Details |
FC Bayern Munich |
2 – 0 |
Leeds United AFC |
Parc des Princes,
Paris |
1973/74
Details |
FC Bayern Munich |
1 – 1 a.e.t.,
4 – 0 (replay) |
 Atlético de Madrid |
Heysel Stadium,
Brussels |
1972/73
Details |
AFC Ajax |
1 – 0 |
Juventus FC |
Crvena Zvezda Stadium,
Belgrade |
1971/72
Details |
AFC Ajax |
2 – 0 |
FC Internazionale |
De Kuip,
Rotterdam |
1970/71
Details |
AFC Ajax |
2 – 0 |
 Panathinaikos FC |
Wembley Stadium,
London |
1969/70
Details |
Feyenoord |
2 – 1 a.e.t. |
Celtic FC |
San Siro,
Milan |
1968/69
Details |
AC Milan |
4 – 1 |
AFC Ajax |
Santiago Bernabéu,
Madrid |
1967/68
Details |
Manchester United FC |
4 – 1 a.e.t. |
SL Benfica |
Wembley Stadium,
London |
1966/67
Details |
Celtic FC |
2 – 1 |
FC Internazionale |
Estádio Nacional,
Oeiras |
1965/66
Details |
Real Madrid CF |
2 – 1 |
FK Partizan |
Heysel Stadium,
Brussels |
1964/65
Details |
FC Internazionale |
1 – 0 |
SL Benfica |
San Siro,
Milan |
1963/64
Details |
FC Internazionale |
3 – 1 |
Real Madrid CF |
Prater Stadium,
Vienna |
1962/63
Details |
AC Milan |
2 – 1 |
SL Benfica |
Wembley Stadium,
London |
1961/62
Details |
SL Benfica |
5 – 3 |
Real Madrid CF |
Olympisch Stadion,
Amsterdam |
1960/61
Details |
SL Benfica |
3 – 2 |
FC Barcelona |
Wankdorf Stadium,
Berne  |
1959/60
Details |
Real Madrid CF |
7 – 3 |
Eintracht Frankfurt |
Hampden Park,
Glasgow |
1958/59
Details |
Real Madrid CF |
2 – 0 |
Stade de Reims |
Neckarstadion,
Stuttgart |
1957/58
Details |
Real Madrid CF |
3 – 2 a.e.t. |
AC Milan |
Heysel Stadium,
Brussels |
1956/57
Details |
Real Madrid CF |
2 – 0 |
ACF Fiorentina |
Santiago Bernabéu,
Madrid |
1955/56
Details |
Real Madrid CF |
4 – 3 |
Stade de Reims |
Parc des Princes,
Paris |
aet = after extra time; asdet = after sudden death extra time
Records and statistics
-
By nation
| Nation |
Winners |
Runners Up |
Winning Clubs |
Runners-Up |
| Italy |
11 |
14 |
AC Milan (7), Juventus (2), Internazionale (2) |
Juventus (5), AC Milan (4), Internazionale (2), Fiorentina (1), Roma (1), Sampdoria (1) |
| Spain |
11 |
9 |
Real Madrid (9), Barcelona (2) |
Real Madrid (3), Barcelona (3), Valencia (2), Atlético Madrid (1) |
| England |
10 |
5 |
Liverpool (5), Manchester United (2), Nottingham Forest (2), Aston Villa (1) |
Liverpool (2), Leeds United (1), Arsenal (1) |
| Germany |
6 |
7 |
Bayern Munich (4), Borussia Dortmund (1), Hamburg (1) |
Bayern Munich (3), Bayer Leverkusen (1), Borussia Mönchengladbach (1), Eintracht Frankfurt (1), Hamburg (1) |
| Netherlands |
6 |
2 |
AFC Ajax (4), PSV Eindhoven (1), Feyenoord (1) |
AFC Ajax (2) |
| Portugal |
4 |
5 |
Benfica (2), Porto (2) |
Benfica (5) |
| France |
1 |
5 |
Marseille (1) |
Stade Reims (2), Saint-Étienne (1), Marseille (1), Monaco (1), |
 Romania |
1 |
1 |
Steaua (1) |
Steaua (1) |
 Serbia |
1 |
1 |
Red Star Belgrade (1) |
FK Partizan (1) |
| Scotland |
1 |
1 |
Celtic (1) |
Celtic (1) |
| Sweden |
0 |
1 |
|
Malmö FF (1) |
| Greece |
0 |
1 |
|
Panathinaikos (1) |
| Belgium |
0 |
1 |
|
Club Brugge (1) |
All-time top goalscorers
Including qualifying games
Players in Bold are still active.
All-time top appearances
See also
References
http://champions-league-tickets-go.com
External links
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