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European Cup" redirects here. For other uses, see European Cup (disambiguation).
This article is about the men's UEFA Champions League. For the women's UEFA Champions League, see UEFA Women's Champions League. For the competition trophy which shared the name with the original competition, see European Champion Clubs' Cup.
 | ||
| Founded | 1955 (rebranded in 1992) | |
|---|---|---|
| Region | Europe (UEFA) | |
| Number of teams | 32 (group stage) 78 or 79 (total) | |
| Related competitions | UEFA Super Cup FIFA Club World Cup | |
| Current champions |  Real Madrid(11th title) | |
| Most successful club(s) | Real Madrid (11 titles) | |
| Television broadcasters | List of broadcasters | |
| Website |
| |
 2016–17 UEFA Champions League | ||
The UEFA Champions League is an annual continental club football competition organised by the Union of European Football Associations (UEFA) and contested by top-division European clubs. It is one of the most prestigious tournaments in the world and the most prestigious club competition in European football, played by the national league champion (and, for some nations, one or more runners-up) of each UEFA national association. The final of the 2012–13 tournament was the most watched UEFA Champions League final to date, as well as the most watched annual sporting event worldwide in 2013, drawing 360 million television viewers.[1]
Introduced in 1992, the competition replaced the European Champion Clubs' Cup, or simply European Cup, which had run since 1955, adding a group stage to the competition and allowing multiple entrants from certain countries.[2] The pre-1992 competition was initially a straight knockout tournament open only to the champion club of each country. During the 1990s, the format was expanded, incorporating a round-robin group stage to include clubs that finished runner-up of some nations' top level league.[2] While most of Europe's national leagues can still only enter their national league champion, Europe's strongest national leagues now provide up to four teams for the competition,[3] and will provide up to five teams from the 2015–16 season onwards.[4] Clubs that finish next-in-line in each nation's top level league, having not qualified for the UEFA Champions League competition, may be eligible for the next level UEFA Europa League competition.
In its present format, the UEFA Champions League begins in mid-July with three knockout qualifying rounds and a play-off round. The 10 surviving teams enter the group stage, joining 22 other teams qualified in advance. The 32 teams are drawn into eight groups of four teams and play each other in a double round-robin system. The eight group winners and eight runners-up proceed to the knockout phase that culminates with the final match in May.[5] The winner of the UEFA Champions League qualifies for the UEFA Super Cup and the FIFA Club World Cup.[6][7]
Real Madrid is the most successful club in the competition's history, having won the tournament 11 times, including its first five seasons. Spanish clubs have accumulated the highest number of victories (16 wins), followed by England and Italy (12 wins apiece). The competition has been won by 22 different clubs, 12 of which have won it more than once.[8] Since the tournament changed name and structure in 1992, no club has managed consecutive wins; Milan were the last holders to successfully defend their title, in the 1989–90 season.[9] The reigning champions are Real Madrid, who secured their eleventh title in the competition after defeating Atlético Madrid on penalties after a 1–1 draw in the 2016 final.
Starting with the 2015–16 edition, the winners of the UEFA Europa League will be entered into the Champions League, initially at the level of the playoff round, ensuring group stage participation in either competition. The maximum number of teams that an association can field in the tournament has also been increased from four to five.[54]
All-time top scorers
The table below does not include goals scored in the qualification stage of the competition.
| Player | Nation | Goals | Apps | Ratio | Years | Clubs | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Cristiano Ronaldo |  Portugal | 95 | 130 | 0.73 | 2003– | Manchester United, Real Madrid |
| 2 | Lionel Messi |  Argentina | 90 | 109 | 0.83 | 2005– | Barcelona |
| 3 | Raúl | Spain | 71 | 142 | 0.5 | 1995–2011 | Real Madrid, Schalke 04 |
| 4 | Ruud van Nistelrooy |  Netherlands | 56 | 73 | 0.77 | 1998–2009 | PSV, Manchester United, Real Madrid |
| 5 | Thierry Henry |  France | 50 | 112 | 0.45 | 1997–2010 | Monaco, Arsenal, Barcelona |
| 6 | Alfredo Di Stéfano | Argentina | 49 | 58 | 0.84 | 1955–64 | Real Madrid |
| 7 | Andriy Shevchenko |  Ukraine | 48 | 100 | 0.48 | 1994–2012 | Dynamo Kyiv, Milan, Chelsea |
| Zlatan Ibrahimović |  Sweden | 48 | 119 | 0.4 | 2001– | Ajax, Juventus, Internazionale, Barcelona, Milan, Paris Saint-Germain | |
| 9 | Eusébio | Portugal | 46 | 65 | 0.71 | 1961–74 | Benfica |
| Filippo Inzaghi |  Italy | 46 | 81 | 0.57 | 1997–2012 | Juventus, Milan | |
| Karim Benzema | France | 46 | 85 | 0.54 | 2006– | Lyon, Real Madrid |
Most appearances
The table below does not include appearances made in the qualification stage of the competition.
| Player | Nation | Appearances | Years | Clubs | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Iker Casillas | Spain | 159 | 1999– | Real Madrid, Porto |
| 2 | Xavi | Spain | 151 | 1998–2015 | Barcelona |
| 3 | Raúl | Spain | 142 | 1995–2011 | Real Madrid, Schalke 04 |
| 4 | Ryan Giggs |  Wales | 141 | 1993–2014 | Manchester United |
| 5 | Cristiano Ronaldo | Portugal | 130 | 2003– | Manchester United, Real Madrid |
| 6 | Paolo Maldini | Italy | 128 | 1988–2008 | Milan |
| 7 | Clarence Seedorf | Netherlands | 125 | 1994–2012 | Ajax, Real Madrid, Internazionale, Milan |
| 8 | Paul Scholes |  England | 124 | 1994–2013 | Manchester United |
| 9 | Roberto Carlos |  Brazil | 120 | 1997–2007 | Real Madrid, Fenerbahçe |
| 10 | Zlatan Ibrahimović | Sweden | 119 | 2001– | Ajax, Juventus, Internazionale, Barcelona, Milan, Paris Saint-Germain |
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Teams entering in this round Teams advancing from previous round First qualifying round
(8 teams)
- 8 champions from associations 47–54
Second qualifying round
(34 teams)
- 30 champions from associations 16–46 (except Liechtenstein)
- 4 winners from the first qualifying round
Third qualifying round Champions
(20 teams)
- 3 champions from associations 13–15
- 17 winners from the second qualifying round
Non-champions
(10 teams)
- 9 runners-up from associations 7–15
- 1 third-placed team from association 6
Play-off round Champions
(10 teams)
- 10 winners from the third qualifying round for champions
Non-champions
(10 teams)
- 2 third-placed teams from associations 4–5
- 3 fourth-placed teams from associations 1–3[UCL]
- UEFA Europa League champion[UEL]
- 5 winners from the third qualifying round for non-champions
Group stage
(32 teams)
- 12 champions from associations 1–12
- 6 runners-up from associations 1–6
- 3 third-placed teams from associations 1–3
- UEFA Champions League champion
- 5 winners from the play-off round for champions
- 5 winners from the play-off round for non-champions
Knockout phase
(16 teams)
- 8 group winners from the group stage
- 8 group runners-up from the group stage
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