Category: Champions League

The UEFA Champions League is an annual club football competition organised by the Union of European Football Associations (UEFA) and contested by Europe’s top division clubs, which decides the winners of the competition through a round robin group stage to qualify for a double knockout round and a single group final.

It is one of the most prestigious football tournaments in the world and the most prestigious club competition in European football, contested by the national championship champions (and, for some nations, runners-up) of their respective national associations.

History of Champions League

Introduced in 1955 under the name Coupe des Clubs Champions Européens and commonly known as the European Cup, it was initially a knockout tournament open only to champions of European national championships, the winner of which was considered the European club champion.

The competition assumed its current name in 1992, adding a round-robin group stage in 1991 and allowing more participants from certain countries to enter from the 1997-98 season.

Since then it has been expanded and, while most European national leagues can still only enter their champion, the stronger leagues can now enter up to four teams.

Teams that finish second in their national league, not having qualified for the Champions League, can participate in the UEFA Europa League second tier competition and, from 2021, in the UEFA Europa Conference League third tier.