The UEFA Champions League, Europe’s premier club competition, brings together the elite of European football every year. From its inception in the 1955/56 season until 1992, it was known as the European Champion Clubs’ Cup. The first rebranding took place in the 1991/92 season: a group stage was introduced, and the famous anthem and emblem were presented. Since the 1992/93 season, the tournament has been operating under its current name.
Historical overview
The European Cup was founded in 1955 at the suggestion of French sports journalist and editor of L’Équipe, Gabriel Hanot.
The competition started in the 1955/56 season as a classic knockout tournament, where the fate of each round was decided on the basis of two matches. The rules were strict: until 1992, only national champions and the reigning European Cup holders were eligible to compete for the trophy.
From the 1991/92 season, the format of the competition changed with the addition of a group stage. The following year, the tournament was renamed the Champions League. Several changes were then made to the qualification and group structure.
From the 1997/98 season onwards, teams that finished second in the leading European leagues (according to the UEFA coefficient table) were allowed to participate. The qualifying round system was restructured so that champions from countries with low coefficients would start competing earlier, while clubs from highly ranked leagues would enter the competition later. Currently, countries with the highest coefficients can send up to four clubs to the Champions League.
There was a tradition in the international arena: from 1960 to 2004, the European champion played against the winner of the Copa Libertadores for the Intercontinental Cup (now defunct). Now, the winner of the Champions League represents Europe in the FIFA Club World Cup.
Tournament rules
The Champions League tournament is structured in three main phases:
1. Qualification. It consists of several stages: three qualifying rounds and a play-off round.
2. League stage (main). Thirty-six teams compete here.
3. Play-offs (final stage). The 24 best teams advance to this stage, where two finalists are determined through knockout matches to meet in the Champions League final.
Trophy
Each year, the winner receives the European Champions Cup from UEFA. However, starting with the 1968/69 season, a unique opportunity arose: a team could keep the trophy forever if it won it five times in total or three times in a row!
But since 2009, the rule has changed! The original Cup is now always kept at UEFA. The winning team receives only a perfect replica of the trophy, but its name will, of course, be engraved on this replica!
These clubs have earned the right to keep the European Champions Cup forever thanks to their outstanding achievements:
• Real Madrid — 1967 (six wins).
• Ajax — 1973 (three consecutive titles).
• Bayern Munich — 1976 (three consecutive titles).
• Milan — 1994 (five titles in total).
• Liverpool — 2005 (five titles in total).
The possibility of keeping the trophy for life existed until 2009, when a new award system was introduced.
