The UEFA Champions League is Europe's most prestigious club football competition. 975,417 talking about this. [46] In the 1968–69 season, Ajax became the first Dutch team to reach the European Cup final, but they were beaten by A.C. Milan 4–1, who claimed their second European Cup, with Pierino Prati scoring a hat-trick. Tuchel praises Chelsea: 'No one wants to play us'. in the final. Chelsea reached the quarterfinals of the Champions League, 3-0 on aggregate, after a 2-0 second-leg win over 10-man Atletico Madrid on Wednesday. Stream every upcoming UEFA Champions League match live! 2014–15 UEFA Champions League; The Olympiastadion in Berlin hosted the final. Benfica 4–1 in the final. [51] It was also the first time a Greek team reach the final, as well as the first season that Real Madrid failed to qualify, having finished sixth in La Liga the previous season. [79], In co-operation with the UEFA Refereeing Unit, the UEFA Referee Committee is responsible for appointing referees to matches. 2 ATL Atletico Madrid. [17][18] The first European Cup match took place on 4 September 1955, and ended in a 3–3 draw between Sporting CP and Partizan. Chelsea take on Porto, Bayern Munich meet PSG in a … [71], In 2012, Arsène Wenger referred to qualifying for the Champion's League by finishing in the top four places in the English Premier League as the "4th Place Trophy". The quarterfinals of the Champions League toss up some true heavyweight encounters, as Real Madrid and Liverpool meet again. [22][23] The final, held in Heysel Stadium, went to extra time where Francisco Gento scored the game-winning goal to allow Real Madrid to retain the title for the third consecutive season. [72] At Arsenal's 2012 AGM, Wenger was also quoted as saying: "For me there are five trophies every season: Premier League, Champions League, the third is to qualify for the Champions League..."[73]. This, combined with a deal to ensure tournament sponsors were given priority on television advertisements during matches, ensured that each of the tournament's main sponsors was given maximum exposure. The format of the remainder of the tournament was temporarily amended as a result, with the quarter-finals and semi-finals being played as single match knockout ties at neutral venues in Lisbon, Portugal from 12 to 23 August. Which Teams Qualified Into the 2019-20 UEFA Champions League Knockout Stages? Bayern Munich are the reigning champions, having beaten Paris Saint-Germain 1–0 in the 2020 final. [8], Real Madrid's reign ended in the 1960–61 season when bitter rivals Barcelona dethroned them in the first round. The latest UEFA Champions League news, rumours, table, fixtures, live scores, results & transfer news, powered by Goal.com. [56], Special vocal versions have been performed live at the Champions League Final with lyrics in other languages, changing over to the host nation's language for the chorus. This resulted in the anthem, "house colours" of black and white or silver and a logo, and the "starball". [39][40][41] Under the leadership of Jock Stein, Scottish club Celtic defeated Inter Milan 2–1 in the 1967 final to become the first British club to win the European Cup. Liverpool won Champions League 20… UCL draw: Madrid vs. Liverpool, Bayern vs. PSG, Who needs fans? [12] Held in Geneva, it brought together ten champions from across the continent. CHE. An association may have a maximum of five teams in the Champions League. Mar 17 2 - 0 FT/AGG (3-0) ATM. Shop today at UEFA! [8] Real Madrid is the most successful club in the tournament's history, having won it 13 times, including its first five seasons. [65] UEFA subsequently ruled that the defending champions qualify for the competition the following year regardless of their domestic league placing. 2019-20 UEFA Champions League Round Of 16 Draw Has Been Announced; Thu 12 December, 2019. [57] The anthem's chorus is played before each UEFA Champions League game as the two teams are lined up, as well as at the beginning and end of television broadcasts of the matches. [9] The first pan-European tournament was the Challenge Cup, a competition between clubs in the Austro-Hungarian Empire. You have come to the ESPN Africa edition, for other ESPN editions, click above. The number of teams that each association enters into the UEFA Champions League is based upon the UEFA coefficients of the member associations. Referees are appointed based on previous matches, marks, performances, and fitness levels. 2019-20 UEFA Champions League Round Of 16 Draw Has Been Announced; Thu 12 December, 2019. They include the 10 winners from the second qualifying round and the domestic league champions of associations ranked 14th-15th in the UEFA Associations' Club Coefficient Rankings. Pep Guardiola has said Manchester City will face "one of the best strikers in the world" in Dortmund's Erling Haaland in the Champions League. [11] In 1930, the Coupe des Nations (French: Nations Cup), the first attempt to create a cup for national champion clubs of Europe, was played and organised by Swiss club Servette. Real Madrid won the first five editions and went on to become the most successful club with an unrivaled 13 titles to their name, ahead of AC Milan who possesses seven Champions League trophies. Each team plays six group stage games, meeting the other three teams in its group home and away in a round-robin format. The current trophy is 74 cm (29 in) tall and made of silver, weighing 11 kg (24 lb). Changes will be made to the access list above if the Champions League and/or Europa League title holders qualify for the tournament via their domestic leagues. The official UEFA Champions League fixtures and results list UEFA.com works better on other browsers For the best possible experience, we recommend using Chrome , Firefox or Microsoft Edge . [14] In interviews, Jacques Ferran (one of the founders of the European Champions Cup, together with Gabriel Hanot),[15] said that the South American Championship of Champions was the inspiration for the European Champions Cup. Juventus boss Sarri would welcome last-16 clash with Mourinho´s Tottenham; Wed 11 December, 2019. However, for those leagues with four entrants in the Champions League, this meant that, if the Champions League winner fell outside of its domestic league's top four, it would qualify at the expense of the fourth-placed team in the league. 4 LMO Lokomotiv Moscow. Players taking part in the 2020–21 UEFA Champions League are highlighted in boldface. Between 1999 and 2008, no differentiation was made between champions and non-champions in qualification. [66] In May 2012, Tottenham Hotspur finished fourth in the 2011–12 Premier League, two places ahead of Chelsea, but failed to qualify for the 2012–13 Champions League, after Chelsea won the 2012 final. The competition has been won by 22 clubs, 12 of which have won it more than once and eight successfully defended their title. [59][60] The anthem has been released commercially in its original version on iTunes and Spotify with the title of Champions League Theme. [54] Stating "the anthem is now almost as iconic as the trophy", UEFA's official website adds it is "known to set the hearts of many of the world's top footballers aflutter". - Read the latest news and analysis from UEFA experts. Third qualifying round: €480,000 (only for clubs eliminated from the champions path, since clubs eliminated from the league path qualify directly for the UEFA Europa League group stage and therefore benefit from its distribution system. [69], In 2007, Michel Platini, the UEFA president, had proposed taking one place from the three leagues with four entrants and allocating it to that nation's cup winners. The previous limit of a maximum of four teams per association was increased to five, meaning that a fourth-placed team from one of the top three ranked associations would only have to be moved to the Europa League if both the Champions League and Europa League winners came from that association and both finished outside the top four of their domestic league. The UEFA Champions League begins with a double round-robin group stage of 32 teams, which since the 2009–10 season is preceded by two qualification 'streams' for teams that do not receive direct entry to the tournament proper. Four of the remaining six qualifying places are granted to the winners of a six-round qualifying tournament between the remaining 43 or 44 national champions, within which those champions from associations with higher coefficients receive byes to later rounds. The official home of Europe's premier club competition on Facebook. Veteran savvy to carry Madrid? Juventus boss Sarri would welcome last-16 clash with Mourinho´s Tottenham; Wed 11 December, 2019. (0:47), Liverpool 'a long shot' to beat Real Madrid in the UCL (1:02), Why facing Bayern could be a good draw for PSG (1:01), Sancho will have 'something to prove' vs. Man City (1:15), Is revenge a factor for Liverpool vs. Real Madrid? It was designed by Jürg Stadelmann, a jeweller from Bern, Switzerland, after the original was given to Real Madrid in 1966 in recognition of their six titles to date, and cost 10,000 Swiss francs. To obtain a license, the club must meet certain stadium, infrastructure, and finance requirements. 1st Qualifying Round; 2nd Qualifying Round; 3rd Qualifying Round; Play-offs; Group Stage. 4 LMO Lokomotiv Moscow. United – Benfica 1967 History | UEFA Champions League", "Feyenoord - Milan 1969 History | UEFA Champions League", "Feyenoord - Celtic 1969 History | UEFA Champions League", "Ajax - Panathinaikos 1970 History | UEFA Champions League", "European Champions' Cup and Fairs' Cup 1970–71 – Details", "The story of the UEFA Champions League anthem", "What is the Champions League music? (1:03), Gab & Juls pick their unsung Champions League heroes (1:07), Klinsmann: Bayern Munich still best side in the UCL (1:01), UCL quarterfinal draw: Why teams should want to play PSG (1:25), How Chelsea keep winning despite lack of exciting play (1:30), Sources: Ramos to miss Barca, Liverpool ties, Man Utd, Liverpool can play Euro ties in Spain, Haaland one of the best in the world - Guardiola. These coefficients are generated by the results of clubs representing each association during the previous five Champions League and UEFA Cup/Europa League seasons. The Champions!’. This proposal was rejected in a vote at a UEFA Strategy Council meeting. Prior to this, three preliminary knockout qualifying rounds whittled down the remaining teams, with teams starting in different rounds. FOLLOW THE UEFA CHAMPIONS LEAGUE - Access all the fixtures and up-to-date standings. Timo Werner brilliantly assisted Chelsea's first goal, while Antonio Rudiger and the defence stood tall in a 2-0 win (3-0 on aggregate) over Atleti. Referee appointments, suggested by the UEFA Refereeing Unit, are sent to the UEFA Referee Committee to be discussed or revised. Italian side AC Milan are the second most successful side in the competition’s history with seven titles. UEFA Champions League fixtures - ESPN. UEFA Champions League. The knock-out ties are played in a two-legged format, with the exception of the final. England has the largest number of winning teams, with five clubs having won the title. Chelsea take on Porto, Bayern Munich meet PSG in a … AdChoices. For example, when Rangers played French side Auxerre in the 1996–97 Champions League, they wore the logo of Center Parcs instead of McEwan's Lager (both companies at the time were subsidiaries of Scottish & Newcastle). In 2018, composer Hans Zimmer remixed the anthem with rapper Vince Staples for EA Sports' video game FIFA 19, with it also featuring in the game's reveal trailer. Coverage begins with the remaining matches for the 2019-2020 UEFA Champions League, followed by the Quarter-Finals, Semi-Finals and Final in a straight knockout tournament. The six surviving teams enter the group stage, joining 26 teams qualified in advance. Bayern and Paris will meet in a repeat of last season's UEFA Champions League final. 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 top-division European clubs, deciding the competition winners through a group and knockout format. In its present format, the Champions League begins in late June with a preliminary round, three qualifying rounds and a play-off round, all played over two legs. [54], The chorus contains the three official languages used by UEFA: English, German, and French. FCB. Founded in 1992, the UEFA Champions League is the most prestigious continental club tournament in Europe, replacing the old European Cup. If the Europa League title holders qualify for the group stage via their domestic league, the third-placed team of association 5 (France) will enter the group stage, and runners-up of the highest-ranked associations in the second qualifying round will also be promoted accordingly. If the Champions League title holders qualify for the group stage via their domestic league, the champions of association 11 (Turkey in 2019/2020) will enter the group stage, and champions of the highest-ranked associations in earlier rounds will also be promoted accordingly. The European Clubs Association, the body that represents the continent’s biggest football teams, has pulled the rug from under Uefa by demanding reforms to the Champions League … [16] After Stan Cullis declared Wolverhampton Wanderers "Champions of the World" following a successful run of friendlies in the 1950s, in particular a 3–2 friendly victory against Budapest Honvéd, Hanot finally managed to convince UEFA to put into practice such a tournament. [36][37][38] The title stayed in the city of Milan for the third year in a row after Inter beat Benfica 1–0 at their home ground, the San Siro. The Champions League third qualifying round (Champions route) consists of 12 teams. [19][26][27] This was Real Madrid's fifth consecutive title, a record that still stands today. 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 top-division European clubs, deciding the competition winners through a group and knockout format.