The European Cup was reformed into the UEFA Champions League in the year 1992 and since then, it’s been the biggest Cup competition in European club football. The UEFA Champions League (abbreviated as UCL) is an annual club football competition organised by the Union of European Football Associations (UEFA) and contested by European clubs of the top division. It is considered as one of the most prestigious football tournaments in the world and the most prestigious club competition in European football.
From the 2017-18 season, the Premier League, Bundesliga, Serie A, La Liga will be represented by four sides in the Champions League. Prior to the changed allotments, only the Premier, Bundesliga and the La Liga were allotted four slots.
Bayern Munich won the last edition of the Champions League. Bayern Munich and Paris Saint-Germain played in the Champions League Final 2019-20, and Bayern beat PSG 1-0 to win their 6th Champions League title.
The tournament follows a group and knockout format. For the Champions League, qualifying begins in the summer with three rounds and then a play-off taking place before 32 teams begin the group stage starting in September. The group stage involves eight groups of four teams, with each club playing everyone else in that group home and away. The top two sides in each group move on to the round of 16 and the start of the knockout phase, while the third-placed team drops into the UEFA Europa League. The round of 16, quarter-finals and semi-finals are played over two legs, home and away, while the final is hosted by a stadium which is selected almost two years in advance.
Champions League winner
Bayern Munich (already qualified through league)
Europa League winner
Sevilla (already qualified through league)
Spain (La Liga)
Real Madrid (champions)
Barcelona
Atletico Madrid
Sevilla
England (Premier League)
Liverpool (champions)
Manchester City
Manchester United
Chelsea
Italy (Serie A)
Juventus (champions)
Inter Milan
Atalanta
Lazio
Germany (Bundesliga)
Bayern Munich (champions)
Borussia Dortmund
RB Leipzig
Borussia Monchengladbach
France (Ligue 1)
PSG (declared champions in abandoned season)
Marseille
Rennes
Russia (Russian Premier League)
Zenit (champions)
Lokomotiv Moscow
Krasnodar (UCL play-off winner)
Portugal (Primeira Liga)
Porto (champions)
Belgium (Jupiler Pro League)
Club Brugge (finished first in abandoned season)
Ukraine (Ukrainian Premier League)
Shakhtar Donetsk (champions)
Dynamo Kiev (UCL play-off winner)
Turkey (Super Lig)
Istanbul Basaksehir (champions)
Netherlands
Ajax (finished first in league that was abandoned but not declared champions)
Austria
Red Bull Salzburg (UCL play-off winner)
Greece
Olympiacos (UCL play-off winner)
Denmark
Midtyjlland (UCL play-off winner)
Hungary
Ferencvaros (UCL play-off winner)
The Spanish sides have dominated the European competition historically and in previous seasons. Real Madrid have won the European Cup and the Champions League a combined 13 times and have been the runners-up three times.
Real Madrid’s arch-rivals Barcelona have won it five times while Italian side AC Milan are the second most successful side in the competition’s history with seven titles.
Bayern Munich won Champions League 2019-20 to make it 6 Champions League titles levelling with Liverpool and leaving Barcelona behind with 5 titles.
In the last decade or so, we’ve seen quite a few rivalries on the European stage as well. Here are a few of them.
It is pretty clear the respect that the players of these great teams have for each other. Gary Neville labeled Juve as ‘the benchmark’, and Zinedine Zidane famously claimed Paul Scholes was his toughest opponent. Throughout the 90s and 00s, both domestically and in Europe, these two clubs were setting the standard, and have produced some classic performances, such as a Roy Keane inspired comeback during Manchester United’s treble season of 1999. Even as United have struggled in recent years, they still managed to compete with, and even beat Juventus at their own stadium in 2018, and have the edge in the overall record, with 5 victories to 4.
An unlikely but quite the entertaining rivalry it is. Their games had everything, from Ronaldinho wonder goals to Gary Neville famous ‘goalgasms’. The historic performances from each of these clubs throughout their rivalry have meant immense drama since their first Champions League meeting in 2000. Among many stalemates, Chelsea’s victory at the Nou Camp in 2012 led to arguably what is the club’s greatest achievement in 2012 in lifting the Champions League, to return the favour for this epic moment.
When you put Germany’s finest against the most decorated side in Spain and Europe 20 times throughout the Champions League era, it is no surprise that it leads to many unforgettable fixtures and the biggest rivalry in Champions League history. These games are usually extremely close and laced with quality, however, there have been some shockingly dominant victories for both teams, such as Madrid handing Pep Guardiola his most embarrassing moment in the competition. The list of players to have competed in these fixtures is outstanding. From Lahm vs Ronaldo to Ribery vs Marcelo, there have been incredible individual battles, and of course, goals.
Checkout the result of the Champions League Draw & Champions League Final
