The UEFA Champions League is the premier club competition of European football. The competition is held over the course of a season, with two rounds of group stage play (eight teams in each group) followed by a knockout phase culminating in the final at a neutral venue. Historically the tournament has been dominated by the top clubs from the major European leagues, and few surprises have occurred – perhaps the most famous being the 1969–70 victory of Feyenoord over Milan, which was a real shock at the time.
Since its inception, the competition has been contested by a total of twenty-three different clubs, with twelve having won it more than once. Real Madrid is the current champion, with fifteen titles – the most of any club in the history of the tournament. They are followed by AC Milan and Barcelona, with seven titles each. Manchester United and Ajax have won six, and Internazionale and Juventus have five each.
After the group stage, the remaining teams are drawn into two pots of sixteen for the knockout phase. Each tie is a two-legged affair, and the team that scores more goals over the course of both legs advances to the next round.
Prior to the 2024-25 season, a change in the format saw the elimination of the group stage and introduction of a so-called “league phase,” where each of the thirty-six qualified teams is ranked using four seeding pots and then drawn against each other to determine matchups. Each team will then play eight different opponents, playing four matches at home and four away.