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{{Redirect|European Cup}} {{redirect|European Cup}}
{{Infobox football tournament {{Infobox football tournament
| current = ] | current = ]
| logo = ] | logo = ]
| founded = 1955 (1992 in its current format) | founded = 1955 (1992 in its current format)
| region = ] (]) | region = ]
| number of teams = 32 (group stage)<br />76 or 77 (total) | number of teams = 32 (group stage)<br />76 or 77 (total)
| current champions = {{flagicon|ITA}} ] (3rd title) | current champions = {{flagicon|ESP}} ] (3rd title)
| most successful club = {{flagicon|ESP}} ]<br />(9 titles) | most successful club = {{flagicon|ESP}} ] (9 titles)
| broadcasters = ] | broadcasters = ]
| song = ] | song = ]
| website = | website =
}} }}
The '''UEFA Champions League''' (usually referred to as simply the '''Champions League''' or historically as the '''European Cup''') is an annual ] cup competition organised by ] since 1955 for the top football clubs in Europe. The final of the competition is – along with the ]'s ] – the most watched annual sporting event worldwide, drawing just over 100&nbsp;million television viewers.<ref>{{cite news |title=Champions League final tops Super Bowl for TV market |url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/football/europe/8490351.stm |work=BBC Sport |publisher=British Broadcasting Corporation |date=31 January 2010 |accessdate=23 May 2010 }}</ref> The '''UEFA Champions League''' (usually referred to as simply the '''Champions League''' or less frequently as the '''European Cup''') is an annual ] cup competition organised by ] since 1955 for the top football clubs in Europe. It is the most prestigious club trophy in European football.


Prior to 1992 the tournament was officially called the '''European Champion Clubs' Cup''' but was usually referred to as simply the '''European Cup''' or '''European Champions' Cup'''. The competition was initially a straight knockout competition open only to the champion club of each country. During the 1990s the tournament began to be expanded, incorporating a round-robin group phase and more teams. Europe's strongest national leagues now provide up to four teams each for the competition. The UEFA Champions League should not be confused with the ], formerly known as the UEFA Cup. Prior to 1992 the tournament was officially called the ''' European Champion Clubs' Cup''' but was usually referred to as simply the '''European Cup''' or '''European Champions' Cup'''. The competition was initially a straight knockout competition open only to the champion club of each country. During the 1990s the tournament began to be expanded, incorporating a round-robin group phase and more teams. Europe's strongest national leagues now provide up to four teams each for the competition. The UEFA Champions League should not be confused with the ], formerly known as the ].


The tournament consists of several stages. In the present format it begins in mid-July with three knockout qualifying rounds and a play-off round. The 10 surviving teams join 22 seeded teams in the group stage, in which there are eight groups consisting of four teams each. The eight group winners and eight runners-up enter the final knockout phase, which ends with the final match in May. Since the tournament changed name and structure in 1992, no club has managed consecutive wins. The winner of the UEFA Champions League qualifies for the ] and the ]. The tournament consists of several stages. In the present format it begins in mid-July with three knockout qualifying rounds. The 16 surviving teams join 16 seeded teams in the group stage, in which there are eight groups consisting of four teams each. The eight group winners and eight runners-up enter the final knockout phase, which ends with the final match in May.


The title has been won by 21 different clubs, 12 of which have won the title more than once. The all-time record-holders are ], who have won the competition nine times, including the first five seasons it was contested. Spain's ] and Italy's ] are marginally the most successful leagues, having amassed 12 wins, between two and three clubs respectively. The English league has produced 11 winners from four clubs. English teams were controversially banned from the competition for five years following the ] in 1985.<ref>{{cite news | url = http://news.bbc.co.uk/onthisday/hi/dates/stories/may/31/newsid_2481000/2481723.stm | title = 1985: English teams banned after Heysel | publisher = BBC Archive | accessdate = 8 August 2006 | date=31 May 1985}}</ref> ] are the ], having beaten ] 2–0 in the ]. The title has been won by 21 different clubs, 12 of which have won the title more than once. The all-time record-holders are ], who have won the competition nine times, including the first five seasons it was contested. ] are the current champions. Since the tournament changed name and structure in 1992, no club has managed consecutive wins.


==History== ==History==
{{Main|European Cup and UEFA Champions League history}} {{main|European Cup and Champions League history}}
{{See also|List of European Cup and UEFA Champions League winners}} {{seealso|List of European Cup and UEFA Champions League winners}}
{{expand|section}}
]]]
].]]
The tournament was inaugurated in 1955, at the suggestion of the French sports journalist and editor of '']'' ],<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.uefa.com/magazine/news/Kind=512/newsId=419682.html |title=Hats off to Hanot |accessdate=10 July 2006 |date=12 May 2006 |publisher=UEFA.com |first=Matthew |last=Spiro }}</ref> who conceived the idea after receiving reports from his journalists over the highly successful '']'' of 1948.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=86xAxuxomoo&feature=related |title=Primeira Libertadores - História (Globo Esporte 09/02/2008) |publisher=Youtube.com |date= |accessdate=2010-08-14}}</ref> As a reaction to a declaration by the British press on the part of ] being "Champions of the World" after a successful run of European friendlies in the 1950s, Hanot finally managed to convince UEFA to put into practice a continent-wide tournament. The tournament was conceived as a competition for winners of the European national football leagues, as the '''European Champion Clubs' Cup''', abbreviated to '''European Cup'''.
The tournament was inaugurated in 1955, at the suggestion of the French sports journalist and editor of '']'' ],<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.uefa.com/magazine/news/Kind=512/newsId=419682.html |title=Hats off to Hanot |accessdate=10 July 2006 |date=12 May 2006 |publisher=UEFA.com |first=Matthew |last=Spiro }}</ref> as a reaction to a declaration on the part of ] as being "Champions of the World" by the British press, after a successful run of European friendlies in the 1950s. The tournament was conceived as a continental competition for winners of the European national football leagues, as the '''European Champion Clubs' Cup''', abbreviated to '''European Cup'''.


The competition began as the ] using a two-leg knockout format where the teams would play two matches, one at home and one away, and the team with the highest overall score qualifying for the next round of the competition. Until 1997, entry was restricted to the teams that won their national league championships, plus the current European Cup holder. In the ], the format was changed to include a group stage and the tournament was renamed the ''UEFA Champions League''. There have since been numerous changes to eligibility for the competition, the number of qualifying rounds and the group structure. In 1997&ndash;98, eligibility was expanded to include the runners-up from some countries according to ] ranking list. The qualification system has been restructured so that national champions from lower ranked countries have to take part in one or more qualifying rounds before the group stages, while runners-up from higher ranked countries enter in later rounds. Up to four clubs from the top-ranked countries are currently given entry to the competition. The competition began as the ] using a two-leg knockout format where the teams would play two matches, one at home and one away, and the team with the highest overall score qualifying for the next round of the competition. Until 1992, entry was restricted to the teams that won their national league championships, plus the current European Cup holder. In the ], the format was changed to include a group stage and the tournament was renamed the ''UEFA Champions League''. There have since been numerous changes to eligibility for the competition, the number of qualifying rounds and the group structure. In 1997&ndash;98, eligibility was expanded to include the runners-up from some countries according to ] ranking list. The qualification system has been restructured so that national champions from lower ranked countries have to take part in one or more qualifying rounds before the group stages, while runners-up from higher ranked countries enter in later rounds. Up to four clubs from the top-ranked countries are currently given entry to the competition.


Between 1960 and 2004, the winner of the tournament qualified for the now defunct ] against the winner of the ] of South America. Since then, the winner automatically qualifies for the ]-organised ] with other winners of continental club championships. Between 1960 and 2004, the winner of the tournament qualified for the now defunct ] against the winner of the ] of South America. Since then, the winner automatically qualifies for the ]-organised ] with other winners of continental club championships.

==Champions League anthem==
{{Main|UEFA Champions League Anthem}}
The UEFA Champions League anthem, officially titled simply as "Champions League", is an adaptation by Tony Britten of ]'s '']'' from the ]. UEFA commissioned Britten in 1992 to arrange their anthem, and the piece was performed by the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra and sung by the Academy of St. Martin in the Fields chorus in the three official languages used by UEFA: English, German, and French. The anthem's chorus is played before each UEFA Champions League game, as well as at the beginning and end of television broadcasts of the matches. The complete anthem is about three minutes long, and has two short verses and the chorus. The anthem has never been released commercially in its original version.


==Format== ==Format==
===Qualification=== ===Qualification===
{{See also|UEFA coefficients}} {{seealso|UEFA coefficients}}
] ] {{legend|#67E863|UEFA member country that has been represented in the group stage}} {{legend|#6085EF|UEFA member country that has not been represented in the group stage}} {{legend|#C0C0C0|Not a UEFA member}}]]
], the UEFA Champions League commences with a ] group stage of 32 teams, which is preceded by two qualification 'streams' for teams that do not receive direct entry to the tournament proper. The two streams are divided between teams qualified by virtue of being league champions, and those qualified by virtue of finishing 2nd-4th in their national championship. ], the UEFA Champions League commences with a ] group stage of 32 teams, which is preceded by two qualification 'streams' for teams which do not receive direct entry to the tournament proper. The two streams are divided between teams which have qualified by virtue of being league champions, and those which have qualified by virtue of finishing 2nd-4th in their national championship.

The number of teams that each association enters into the UEFA Champions League is based upon the ] of the member associations. These coefficients are generated by the results of clubs representing each association during the previous five Champions League and ] seasons. The higher an association's coefficient, the more teams which represent the association in the Champions League and the fewer qualification rounds that the association's teams must compete in.

The number of places in the competition is currently allocated as so:
* associations ranked 1 to 3 have four positions,
* associations ranked 4 to 6 have three positions,
* associations ranked 7 to 15 have two positions,
* associations ranked 16 or lower have one position.


Of these, 22 teams receive automatic qualification for the group stage, as follows:
The number of teams that each association enters into the UEFA Champions League is based upon the ] of the member associations. These coefficients are generated by the results of clubs representing each association during the previous five Champions League and ] seasons. The higher an association's coefficient, the more teams represent the association in the Champions League, and the fewer qualification rounds the association's teams must compete in.
* 1st-3rd ranked teams of associations ranked 1 to 3
* 1st-2nd ranked teams of associations ranked 4 to 6
* 1st ranked team of associations ranked 7 to 12
* Champions League holders '''or''' 1st ranked team of association ranked 13


The situation with holders of the Champions League has not always been clearly defined. There was ] but finished outside the top four in the ]. ] ruled that ], who finished fourth in the Premier League, should get the final English place in the 2005&ndash;06 European Cup. UEFA came to an agreement that both ] would be allowed to enter the competition with Liverpool starting from the first qualifying round and Everton starting from the third qualifying round. This confusion resulted in the current ruling, whereby if the European Cup winners fail to finish in one of its national league's qualifying positions, it will take the place of the lowest placed team in its association. The superseded team will go to the ].
5 of the remaining ten qualifying places are granted to the winners of a four round qualifying tournament between the remaining 39 or 38 national champions, within which those champions from associations with higher coefficients receive byes to later rounds. The other 5 are granted to the winners of a two round qualifying tournament between the 15 clubs from the associations ranked 1-15, which have qualified based upon finishing 2nd-4th in their national league.

5 of the remaining ten qualifying places are granted to the winners of a four round qualifying tournament between the remaining 39 or 38 national champions, within which those champions from associations with higher coefficients receive byes to later rounds. The other 5 are granted to the winners of a two round qualifying tournament between the 15 clubs from the associations ranked 1-15 which have qualified based upon finishing 2nd-4th in their national league.


In addition to sporting criteria, any club must be licensed by its national association to participate in the Champions league. To obtain a license, club must meet certain stadium, infrastructure and finance requirements. In addition to sporting criteria, any club must be licensed by its national association to participate in the Champions league. To obtain a license, club must meet certain stadium, infrastructure and finance requirements.


In 2005-06, ] and ] of ] became the first teams to reach the Champions League group stage after playing in all three qualifying rounds. In 2008-09, both ] and ] achieved the same feat. ], ], and ] are the teams that have appeared most often in the group stage: fourteen times each. FC Porto have only won the tournament once since the establishment of the group stage (2004), Manchester United twice (1999 and 2008) and Barcelona 3 times (1992, 2006 and 2009). In 2005-06, ] and ] of ] became the first teams to reach the Champions League group phase after playing in all three qualifying rounds. In 2008-09, both ] and ] achieved the same feat. ], ], and ] are the teams that have appeared most often in the group stage: fourteen times each. FC Porto have only won the tournament once since the establishment of the group stage (2004), Manchester United (1999 and 2008) and Barcelona (2006 and 2009) have both won it twice.


Between 2003 and 2008, no differentiation was made between champions and non-champions in qualification. The sixteen top ranked teams spread across the biggest domestic leagues qualified directly for the tournament group stage. Prior to this, three preliminary knockout qualifying rounds whittled down the remaining teams, with different teams starting in different rounds. Between 2003 and 2008, no differentiation was made between champions and non-champions in qualification. The sixteen top ranked teams spread across the biggest domestic leagues qualified directly for the tournament group stage. Prior to this, three preliminary knockout qualifying rounds whittled down the remaining teams, with different teams starting in different rounds.


===Tournament=== ===Tournament===
The tournament proper begins with a group stage of 32 teams, divided into 8 groups. Seeding is used whilst making the draw for this stage, whilst teams from the same country may not be drawn into groups together. Each team meets the others in its group home and away in a round-robin format. The top two teams from each group progress to the round of 16, which commences the knock-out tournament. The third team enters the ]. The tournament proper begins with a group stage of 32 teams, divided into 8 groups. ] is used whilst making the draw for this stage, whilst teams from the same country may not be drawn into groups together. Each team meets the others in its group home and away in a round-robin format. The top two teams from each group progress to the ], which commences the knock-out tournament. For this stage, group winners play against group runners-up. From the ] onwards, the draw is entirely ].


The group stage is played through the ], whilst the knock-out stage starts after a winter break. The knock-out ties are played in a ] format, with the exception of the final. This is typically held in the final two weeks of ].
For this stage, one group's winners play against another group's runners-up, and teams from the same country may not be drawn against each other. From the quarter-finals onwards, the draw is entirely random, with country protection no longer in force.

The group stage is played through the autumn, whilst the knock-out stage starts after a winter break. The knock-out ties are played in a two-legged format, with the exception of the final. This is typically held in the final two weeks of May.


== Prize money == == Prize money ==
UEFA awards €2.1&nbsp;million to each team in the play-offs round. For reaching the Group Stage, UEFA awards €3.8&nbsp;million plus €0.55&nbsp;million for each match in the Group Stage. A win in the campaign is awarded €0.8&nbsp;million and a draw is awarded €0.4&nbsp;million. UEFA awards €3 million to each team that qualifies for the UEFA Champions League, plus €2.4 million for participating in the Group stage. A Group stage win is worth €600,000 and a draw is worth €300,000.


In addition, UEFA pays team reaching the first knockout round €3.0&nbsp;million, each quarter finalist €3.3&nbsp;million, €4&nbsp;million for each semi-finalist, €5.2&nbsp;million for the runners-up and €9&nbsp;million for the winners.<ref>http://en.uefa.com/uefachampionsleague/finance/index.html</ref> In addition, UEFA pays each quarter finalist €2.5 million, €3 million for each semi-finalist, €4 million for the runners-up and €7 million for the winners. <ref></ref>


A large part of the distributed revenue from the UEFA Champions League is linked to the "market pool", the distribution of which is determined by the value of the television market in each country. For the 2008-09 season, both Manchester United and Bayern Munich, who reached the final and quarter-final respectively, earned more than Barcelona, who won the tournament.<ref>{{cite journal |year=2009 |month=July |title=Distribution of revenue to participating clubs |journal=uefadirect |issue=87 |pages=6–7 |publisher=Union of European Football Associations |url=http://www.uefa.com/multimediafiles/download/publications/uefa/uefamedia/83/97/47/839747_download.pdf |format=PDF |accessdate=26 July 2009 }}</ref> A large part of the distributed revenue from the UEFA Champions League is linked to the "market pool", the distribution of which is determined by the value of the television market in each country. For the 2008-09 season, both Manchester United and Bayern Munich, who reached the final and quarter-final respectively, earned more than Barcelona, who won the tournament.<ref>{{cite journal |year=2009 |month=July |title=Distribution of revenue to participating clubs |journal=uefadirect |issue=87 |pages=6–7 |publisher=Union of European Football Associations |url=http://www.uefa.com/multimediafiles/download/publications/uefa/uefamedia/83/97/47/839747_download.pdf |format=PDF |accessdate=26 July 2009 }}</ref>


==Sponsorship== ==Sponsorship==
Like the ], the UEFA Champions League is sponsored by a group of multinational corporations, in contrast to the single main sponsor of the ], the ] or ]. When the Champions League was created in 1992, it was decided that a maximum of eight companies should be allowed to sponsor the event, with each corporation being allocated four advertising boards around the perimeter of the pitch, as well as logo placement at pre- and post-match interviews and a certain number of tickets to each match. 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.<ref>{{cite journal |last=Thompson |first=Craig |coauthors=Magnus, Ems |year=2003 |month=February |title=The Uefa Champions League Marketing |journal=Fiba Assist Magazine |pages=49–50 |url=http://www.ekospor.com/Sports-Marketing/Sport%20Marketing%20uefa.pdf |accessdate=19 May 2008 }}</ref> Like the ], the UEFA Champions League is sponsored by a group of multinational corporations, in contrast to the single main sponsor of the ], the ] or ]. When the Champions League was created in 1992, it was decided that a maximum of eight companies should be allowed to sponsor the event, with each corporation being allocated four advertising boards around the perimeter of the pitch, as well as logo placement at pre- and post-match interviews and a certain number of tickets to each match. 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.<ref>{{cite journal |last=Thompson |first=Craig |coauthors=Magnus, Ems |year=2003 |month=February |title=The Uefa Champions League Marketing |journal=Fiba Assist Magazine |pages=49–50 |url=http://www.ekospor.com/Sports-Marketing/Sport%20Marketing%20uefa.pdf |accessdate=19 May 2008 }}</ref>


The advertising boards are a source of criticism, due to their larger size compared to those in other leagues such as the Premier League. Their larger size means that, at some grounds, such as ], ], ] and ], the front rows of seating cannot be used as their views of the pitch are blocked by the extreme size of the boards; accordingly, some season ticket holders are not guaranteed tickets for games and have to sit in seats other than their usual ones for games. Additionally, some stadia use the flat area in front of the front rows of seating for wheelchairs and disabled seating, so the boards drastically reduce these grounds' disabled supporter capacity. The advertising boards are a source of criticism, due to their larger size compared to those in other leagues such as the Premier League. Their larger size means that, at some grounds, such as ], ], and ], the front rows of seating cannot be used as their views of the pitch are blocked by the extreme size of the boards; accordingly, some season ticket holders are not guaranteed tickets for games and have to sit in seats other than their usual ones for games. Additionally, some stadia use the flat area in front of the front rows of seating for wheelchairs and disabled seating, so the boards drastically reduce these grounds' disabled supporter capacity.


] before every game in the competition]] ] before every game in the competition]]


The tournament's current main sponsors are: The tournament's current main sponsors are:
*] *]
*] (excluding Norway, France, Switzerland and Russia, where alcohol sponsorship is restricted. In Norway the Heineken adboard is replaced by a chalk art picture adboard, In France and Switzerland the Heineken adboard is replaced by a "Star Experience" adboard and in Russia the Heineken adboard is replaced by a "No To Racism" adboard) *] (excluding Norway, France and Russia, where alcohol sponsorship is restricted. In France the Heineken adboard is replaced with an adboard with the sentence: "Great Together" and in Russia the Heineken adboard is replaced by a "No To Racism" adboard)
*] *]
*]
*]<ref>http://www.uefa.com/MultimediaFiles/Download/PressRelease/uefa/UEFAMedia/74/30/41/743041_DOWNLOAD.pdf</ref>
**The ], ] and ] series also sponsors the tournament as parts of Sony's brands
**] is the brand advertised.
*]
*]<ref>http://www.uefa.com/MultimediaFiles/Download/PressRelease/uefa/UEFAMedia/83/86/32/838632_DOWNLOAD.pdf</ref>
**] is the brand advertised.
*]<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.unicreditgroup.eu/en/pressreleases/PressRelease1248.htm |title=UniCredit starts a three year sponsorship of the UEFA Champions League |publisher=Unicreditgroup.eu |date=2009-09-20 |accessdate=2010-08-14}}</ref>


] is a secondary sponsor and supplies the official match ball, as they do for all other UEFA competitions. ] is a secondary sponsor and supplies the official match ball, as they do for all other UEFA competitions.
]'s ] is also a secondary sponsor as the official Champions League video game. ]'s ] is also a secondary sponsor as the official Champions League video game.

Individual clubs may wear jerseys with advertising, even if such sponsors conflict with those of the Champions League. However, only one sponsorship is permitted per jersey (plus that of the manufacturer), and if clubs play a match in a country where the relevant sponsorship category is restricted (such as the case of France, alcohol, and betting), then they must remove that logo from their jerseys.

=== Alcohol and betting websites sponsorship ===

Teams may be forced to remove alcohol or betting sponsorship logos from their kits if they travel to a country with sponsorship restrictions.

For example, when ] played away to ], Liverpool was forced to remove ] from their kits, as France, including state sponsors, restrict such sponsorships. Other cases occurred in Switzerland; when ] and ] played away at ], both teams were forced to remove ] from their kits. There are similar restrictions in Norway.


==Media coverage== ==Media coverage==
{{Main|List of UEFA Champions League broadcasters}} {{main|List of UEFA Champions League broadcasters}}


The competition attracts an extensive television audience, not just in Europe, but throughout the world. The matches are broadcast in over 70 countries with commentaries in more than 40 languages {{Citation needed|date=February 2010}} each year. With an estimated audience of 109&nbsp;million people, the ] surpassed ] (106&nbsp;million viewers) for the first time as the most-watched annual single sport event in the world.<ref>{{cite news |title=Champions League final tops Super Bowl for TV market |url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/football/europe/8490351.stm |work=BBC Sport |publisher=British Broadcasting Corporation |date=31 January 2010 |accessdate=25 February 2010 }}</ref> The competition attracts a huge television audience, not just in Europe, but throughout the world. The matches are broadcast in over 70 countries in more than 40 languages each year, and some important matches can attract over 200 million TV audience, often considered as one of the most watched sports events on TV.<ref>{{cite news | title = World’s most watched TV sports events: 2006 Rank & Trends report| publisher = Initiative | date = 19 January 2007 | url = http://web.archive.org/web/20070928085141/http://initiative.com/static/prDec2006.html|accessdate = 26 May 2007}}</ref>


==Records and statistics== ==Records and statistics==
{{Main|European Cup and UEFA Champions League records and statistics}} {{main|European Cup and Champions League records and statistics}}

===By club===

{| class="wikitable sortable"
|-
!Club
!Won
!Runner-up
!Years won
!Years runner-up
|-
|{{flagicon|ESP}} ]||align=center|9||align=center|3||], ], ], ], ], ], ], ], ] ||], ], ]
|-
|{{flagicon|ITA}} ]||align=center|7||align=center|4||], ], ], ], ], ], ]||], ], ], ]
|-
|{{flagicon|ENG}} ]||align=center|5||align=center|2||], ], ], ], ]||], ]
|-
|{{flagicon|GER}} ]||align=center|4||align=center|4||], ], ], ]||], ], ], ]
|-
|{{flagicon|NED}} ]||align=center|4||align=center|2||], ], ], ]||], ]
|-
|{{flagicon|ESP}} ]||align=center|3||align=center|3||], ], ] || ], ], ]
|-
|{{flagicon|ITA}} ]||align=center|3||align=center|2||], ], ]||], ]
|-
|{{flagicon|ENG}} ]||align=center|3||align=center|1||], ], ]|| ]
|-
|{{flagicon|POR}} ]||align=center|2||align=center|5||], ]||], ], ], ], ]
|-
|{{flagicon|ITA}} ]||align=center|2||align=center|5||], ]||], ], ], ], ]
|-
|{{flagicon|POR}} ]||align=center|2||align=center|0||], ]||
|-
|{{flagicon|ENG}} ]||align=center|2||align=center|0||], ]||
|-
|{{flagicon|FRA}} ]||align=center|1||align=center|1||]||]
|-
|{{flagicon|ROM}} ]||align=center|1||align=center|1||]||]
|-
|{{flagicon|GER}} ]||align=center|1||align=center|1||]||]
|-
|{{flagicon|SCO}} ]||align=center|1||align=center|1||]||]
|-
|{{flagicon|GER}} ]||align=center|1||align=center|0||]||
|-
|{{flagicon|YUG}} ]||align=center|1||align=center|0||]||
|-
|{{flagicon|NED}} ]||align=center|1||align=center|0||]||
|-
|{{flagicon|ENG}} ]||align=center|1||align=center|0||]||
|-
|{{flagicon|NED}} ]||align=center|1||align=center|0||]||
|-
|{{flagicon|ESP}} ]||align=center|0||align=center|2|| ||], ]
|-
|{{flagicon|FRA}} ]||align=center|0||align=center|2|| ||], ]
|-
|{{flagicon|ENG}} ]||align=center|0||align=center|1|| ||]
|-
|{{flagicon|ENG}} ]||align=center|0||align=center|1|| ||]
|-
|{{flagicon|FRA}} ]||align=center|0||align=center|1|| ||]
|-
|{{flagicon|GER}} ]||align=center|0||align=center|1|| ||]
|-
|{{flagicon|ITA}} ]||align=center|0||align=center|1|| ||]
|-
|{{flagicon|ITA}} ]||align=center|0||align=center|1|| ||]
|-
|{{flagicon|SWE}} ]||align=center|0||align=center|1|| ||]
|-
|{{flagicon|BEL}} ]||align=center|0||align=center|1|| ||]
|-
|{{flagicon|GER}} ]||align=center|0||align=center|1|| ||]
|-
|{{flagicon|FRA}} ]||align=center|0||align=center|1|| ||]
|-
|{{flagicon|ENG}} ]||align=center|0||align=center|1|| ||]
|-
|{{flagicon|ESP}} ]||align=center|0||align=center|1|| ||]
|-
|{{flagicon|GRE}} ]||align=center|0||align=center|1|| ||]
|-
|{{flagicon|YUG}} ]||align=center|0||align=center|1|| ||]
|-
|{{flagicon|GER}} ]||align=center|0||align=center|1|| ||]
|-
|{{flagicon|ITA}} ]||align=center|0||align=center|1|| ||]
|}


==References== ==References==
{{reflist}}
{{Reflist|colwidth=30em}}


==External links== ==External links==
{{commonscat}}
{{Commons category}}
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* {{cite web |url=http://www.uefa.com/newsfiles/240459.pdf |title=50 years of the European Cup |publisher=UEFA |month=October |year=2004 |accessdate=17 July 2008 |format=] }}
* *
* *
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* *

* UEFA October 2004

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{{UEFA Champions League}} {{UEFA Champions League}}
{{UEFA Champions League seasons}} {{UEFA Champions League seasons}}
{{International Club Football}} {{International Club Football}}
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Revision as of 23:19, 28 August 2010

"European Cup" redirects here. For other uses, see European Cup (disambiguation). Football tournament
UEFA Champions League
File:UEFA Champions League logo 2.svg
Founded1955 (1992 in its current format)
RegionUEFA
Number of teams32 (group stage)
76 or 77 (total)
Current championsSpain Barcelona (3rd title)
Most successful club(s)Spain Real Madrid (9 titles)
Television broadcastersList of broadcasters
WebsiteOfficial website
2009–10 UEFA Champions League

The UEFA Champions League (usually referred to as simply the Champions League or less frequently as the European Cup) is an annual association football cup competition organised by UEFA since 1955 for the top football clubs in Europe. It is the most prestigious club trophy in European football.

Prior to 1992 the tournament was officially called the European Champion Clubs' Cup but was usually referred to as simply the European Cup or European Champions' Cup. The competition was initially a straight knockout competition open only to the champion club of each country. During the 1990s the tournament began to be expanded, incorporating a round-robin group phase and more teams. Europe's strongest national leagues now provide up to four teams each for the competition. The UEFA Champions League should not be confused with the UEFA Europa League, formerly known as the UEFA Cup.

The tournament consists of several stages. In the present format it begins in mid-July with three knockout qualifying rounds. The 16 surviving teams join 16 seeded teams in the group stage, in which there are eight groups consisting of four teams each. The eight group winners and eight runners-up enter the final knockout phase, which ends with the final match in May.

The title has been won by 21 different clubs, 12 of which have won the title more than once. The all-time record-holders are Real Madrid, who have won the competition nine times, including the first five seasons it was contested. Barcelona are the current champions. Since the tournament changed name and structure in 1992, no club has managed consecutive wins.

History

Main article: European Cup and Champions League history See also: List of European Cup and UEFA Champions League winners
File:Ligue des champions NB.JPG
The European Champion Clubs' Cup.

The tournament was inaugurated in 1955, at the suggestion of the French sports journalist and editor of L'Équipe Gabriel Hanot, as a reaction to a declaration on the part of Wolverhampton Wanderers as being "Champions of the World" by the British press, after a successful run of European friendlies in the 1950s. The tournament was conceived as a continental competition for winners of the European national football leagues, as the European Champion Clubs' Cup, abbreviated to European Cup.

The competition began as the 1955–56 using a two-leg knockout format where the teams would play two matches, one at home and one away, and the team with the highest overall score qualifying for the next round of the competition. Until 1992, entry was restricted to the teams that won their national league championships, plus the current European Cup holder. In the 1992–93 season, the format was changed to include a group stage and the tournament was renamed the UEFA Champions League. There have since been numerous changes to eligibility for the competition, the number of qualifying rounds and the group structure. In 1997–98, eligibility was expanded to include the runners-up from some countries according to UEFA's coefficient ranking list. The qualification system has been restructured so that national champions from lower ranked countries have to take part in one or more qualifying rounds before the group stages, while runners-up from higher ranked countries enter in later rounds. Up to four clubs from the top-ranked countries are currently given entry to the competition.

Between 1960 and 2004, the winner of the tournament qualified for the now defunct Intercontinental Cup against the winner of the Copa Libertadores of South America. Since then, the winner automatically qualifies for the FIFA-organised Club World Cup with other winners of continental club championships.

Format

Qualification

See also: UEFA coefficients
Map of UEFA countries, teams from which have reached the group stage of the UEFA Champions League   UEFA member country that has been represented in the group stage   UEFA member country that has not been represented in the group stage   Not a UEFA member

As of 2009, the UEFA Champions League commences with a round-robin group stage of 32 teams, which is preceded by two qualification 'streams' for teams which do not receive direct entry to the tournament proper. The two streams are divided between teams which have qualified by virtue of being league champions, and those which have qualified by virtue of finishing 2nd-4th in their national championship.

The number of teams that each association enters into the UEFA Champions League is based upon the UEFA coefficients of the member associations. These coefficients are generated by the results of clubs representing each association during the previous five Champions League and UEFA Cup seasons. The higher an association's coefficient, the more teams which represent the association in the Champions League and the fewer qualification rounds that the association's teams must compete in.

The number of places in the competition is currently allocated as so:

  • associations ranked 1 to 3 have four positions,
  • associations ranked 4 to 6 have three positions,
  • associations ranked 7 to 15 have two positions,
  • associations ranked 16 or lower have one position.

Of these, 22 teams receive automatic qualification for the group stage, as follows:

  • 1st-3rd ranked teams of associations ranked 1 to 3
  • 1st-2nd ranked teams of associations ranked 4 to 6
  • 1st ranked team of associations ranked 7 to 12
  • Champions League holders or 1st ranked team of association ranked 13

The situation with holders of the Champions League has not always been clearly defined. There was controversy when Liverpool won the competition in 2004–05 but finished outside the top four in the FA Premier League. The Football Association ruled that Everton, who finished fourth in the Premier League, should get the final English place in the 2005–06 European Cup. UEFA came to an agreement that both Merseyside rivals would be allowed to enter the competition with Liverpool starting from the first qualifying round and Everton starting from the third qualifying round. This confusion resulted in the current ruling, whereby if the European Cup winners fail to finish in one of its national league's qualifying positions, it will take the place of the lowest placed team in its association. The superseded team will go to the UEFA Europa League.

5 of the remaining ten qualifying places are granted to the winners of a four round qualifying tournament between the remaining 39 or 38 national champions, within which those champions from associations with higher coefficients receive byes to later rounds. The other 5 are granted to the winners of a two round qualifying tournament between the 15 clubs from the associations ranked 1-15 which have qualified based upon finishing 2nd-4th in their national league.

In addition to sporting criteria, any club must be licensed by its national association to participate in the Champions league. To obtain a license, club must meet certain stadium, infrastructure and finance requirements.

In 2005-06, Liverpool and Artmedia Bratislava of Slovakia became the first teams to reach the Champions League group phase after playing in all three qualifying rounds. In 2008-09, both BATE and Anorthosis Famagusta achieved the same feat. Barcelona, Manchester United, and Porto are the teams that have appeared most often in the group stage: fourteen times each. FC Porto have only won the tournament once since the establishment of the group stage (2004), Manchester United (1999 and 2008) and Barcelona (2006 and 2009) have both won it twice.

Between 2003 and 2008, no differentiation was made between champions and non-champions in qualification. The sixteen top ranked teams spread across the biggest domestic leagues qualified directly for the tournament group stage. Prior to this, three preliminary knockout qualifying rounds whittled down the remaining teams, with different teams starting in different rounds.

Tournament

The tournament proper begins with a group stage of 32 teams, divided into 8 groups. Seeding is used whilst making the draw for this stage, whilst teams from the same country may not be drawn into groups together. Each team meets the others in its group home and away in a round-robin format. The top two teams from each group progress to the round of 16, which commences the knock-out tournament. For this stage, group winners play against group runners-up. From the quarter-finals onwards, the draw is entirely random.

The group stage is played through the autumn, whilst the knock-out stage starts after a winter break. The knock-out ties are played in a two-legged format, with the exception of the final. This is typically held in the final two weeks of May.

Prize money

UEFA awards €3 million to each team that qualifies for the UEFA Champions League, plus €2.4 million for participating in the Group stage. A Group stage win is worth €600,000 and a draw is worth €300,000.

In addition, UEFA pays each quarter finalist €2.5 million, €3 million for each semi-finalist, €4 million for the runners-up and €7 million for the winners.

A large part of the distributed revenue from the UEFA Champions League is linked to the "market pool", the distribution of which is determined by the value of the television market in each country. For the 2008-09 season, both Manchester United and Bayern Munich, who reached the final and quarter-final respectively, earned more than Barcelona, who won the tournament.

Sponsorship

Like the FIFA World Cup, the UEFA Champions League is sponsored by a group of multinational corporations, in contrast to the single main sponsor of the Barclays Premier League, the Ligue 1 Orange or Serie A TIM. When the Champions League was created in 1992, it was decided that a maximum of eight companies should be allowed to sponsor the event, with each corporation being allocated four advertising boards around the perimeter of the pitch, as well as logo placement at pre- and post-match interviews and a certain number of tickets to each match. 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 advertising boards are a source of criticism, due to their larger size compared to those in other leagues such as the Premier League. Their larger size means that, at some grounds, such as Old Trafford, Anfield, and Stamford Bridge, the front rows of seating cannot be used as their views of the pitch are blocked by the extreme size of the boards; accordingly, some season ticket holders are not guaranteed tickets for games and have to sit in seats other than their usual ones for games. Additionally, some stadia use the flat area in front of the front rows of seating for wheelchairs and disabled seating, so the boards drastically reduce these grounds' disabled supporter capacity.

The Champions League logo is shown on the centre of the pitch before every game in the competition

The tournament's current main sponsors are:

  • Ford
  • Heineken (excluding Norway, France and Russia, where alcohol sponsorship is restricted. In France the Heineken adboard is replaced with an adboard with the sentence: "Great Together" and in Russia the Heineken adboard is replaced by a "No To Racism" adboard)
  • MasterCard
  • Sony
  • UniCredit

Adidas is a secondary sponsor and supplies the official match ball, as they do for all other UEFA competitions. Konami's Pro Evolution Soccer is also a secondary sponsor as the official Champions League video game.

Media coverage

Main article: List of UEFA Champions League broadcasters

The competition attracts a huge television audience, not just in Europe, but throughout the world. The matches are broadcast in over 70 countries in more than 40 languages each year, and some important matches can attract over 200 million TV audience, often considered as one of the most watched sports events on TV.

Records and statistics

Main article: European Cup and Champions League records and statistics

References

  1. Spiro, Matthew (12 May 2006). "Hats off to Hanot". UEFA.com. Retrieved 10 July 2006.
  2. Europe's top clubs earn €38.45m from Champions League, research says
  3. "Distribution of revenue to participating clubs" (PDF). uefadirect (87). Union of European Football Associations: 6–7. 2009. Retrieved 26 July 2009. {{cite journal}}: Unknown parameter |month= ignored (help)
  4. Thompson, Craig (2003). "The Uefa Champions League Marketing" (PDF). Fiba Assist Magazine: 49–50. Retrieved 19 May 2008. {{cite journal}}: Unknown parameter |coauthors= ignored (|author= suggested) (help); Unknown parameter |month= ignored (help)
  5. "World's most watched TV sports events: 2006 Rank & Trends report". Initiative. 19 January 2007. Retrieved 26 May 2007.

External links


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