SafekipediaUEFA Champions League
Adapted from Wikipedia · Adventurer 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 in the world, watched by millions of fans.
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 won. 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. English champions Sunderland beat Scottish champions Heart of Midlothian.
In 1955, a big tournament called the European Champion Clubs' Cup began. The first final was in 1956, where Real Madrid won.
Real Madrid won the first five tournaments. 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.
In the late 1970s and 1980s, English teams like Liverpool and Nottingham Forest won often.
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 is called "Champions League." It was made by Tony Britten in 1992. The music is from a piece by George Frideric Handel from 1727.
The anthem is played before every Champions League match and at the start and end of TV broadcasts. It has words in English, German, and French. The most exciting part says, "Die Meister! Die Besten! Les Grandes Équipes! The Champions!" Special singers have performed the anthem at finals in different languages.
Branding
In 1991, UEFA worked with a company to give the Champions League a special look. They made an anthem, picked black and white colours, designed a logo, and created a "starball". A London company designed the starball. TEAM made sure that fans everywhere recognised the same colours, ceremonies, and anthem. By 1999, most fans knew the starball logo.
Format
Qualification
See also: UEFA coefficient
The UEFA Champions League used to have 32 teams, but now it has 36 teams. Teams qualify in two ways: as league champions or by finishing second, third, or fourth in their league.
The number of teams from each country depends on how well that country has done in past European competitions. Countries that do well can send more teams and often skip some early rounds.
League phase and knockout phase
Starting in the 2024–25 season, the Champions League changed its format. Now 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, and others are eliminated.
The knockout stage starts 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 if the Champions League or Europa League winners qualify for the tournament through their domestic leagues.
- If the Champions League winners qualify through their domestic league, the best champions from qualifying rounds enter the league phase, and champions from higher-ranked associations move up.
- If the Europa League winners qualify through their domestic league, the best club from qualifying rounds enters the league phase, except for runners-up from associations 11–15, and teams from higher-ranked associations move up.
- If the Champions League or Europa League winners qualify for the qualifying rounds through their domestic league, their spot is vacated, and teams from higher-ranked associations move up.
| 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.
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.
Sponsorship
During the 2011–12 UEFA Champions League, bwin was a sponsor for Real Madrid. But when they played against CSKA Moscow in Russia, they could not wear jerseys with the bwin logo because ads about gambling were not allowed there.
Like the FIFA World Cup, the UEFA Champions League has many big companies as sponsors. When it started in 1992, up to eight companies could sponsor the event. Each sponsor could show their logo around the field and during interviews, and get some tickets to the matches.
From the 2012–13 knockout phase, UEFA began using special LED boards with ads in stadiums for the knockout rounds, including the final match. Starting from the 2015–16 season, these boards were used from the first rounds to the final. Since 2021, UEFA also uses technology to change the ads shown on TV depending on where viewers are, so local sponsors can be seen in their areas along with 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 ads are not allowed, like alcohol ads 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 is often the most-watched sports event each year.
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 in the 2025–26 UEFA Champions League are shown in bold.
This list does not include games from the qualifying rounds.
Most goals
Main article: List of UEFA Champions League top scorers
As of 6 May 2026
A ‡ means the player played in the older European Cup days.
Players in the 2025–26 UEFA Champions League are shown in bold.
This list does not include goals from the qualifying rounds.
Most assists
Main article: European Cup and UEFA Champions League records and statistics § Players
As of 15 April 2026
Current European players are shown 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
This article is a child-friendly adaptation of the Wikipedia article on UEFA Champions League, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Images from Wikimedia Commons. Tap any image to view credits and license.