In the vast pantheon of the world’s greatest sports competitions, Champions League stands like a colossus. Its story is an epic, a golden thread that runs through a symphony of feats and triumphs – from its inception to the present day.
The competition is the biggest club competition in the world and showcases the highest level of soccer play. It has allowed UEFA to steer billions of euros (dollars) of prize money from global broadcasting and sponsor deals to the clubs that spend most on transfers, wages and salaries.
It also ensures that Champions League matches are watched by fans across Europe and the world. The tournament has had a huge impact on the evolution of European football and is seen as an iconic brand in soccer.
The current format has 32 teams split into eight groups of four with the winner and runner-up of each group advancing to the knockout phase playoffs, where the remaining field is whittled down over two-legged rounds of 16, quarterfinals and semifinals until there are just two teams left standing for a one-legged final.
Since the start of the current format in 1992, there have been seven different Champions League champions – Barcelona, Real Madrid, Bayern Munich, Atletico Madrid, Liverpool and Manchester United. The most successful teams have been England clubs, with Liverpool and Nottingham Forest winning six titles between them, accompanied by Aston Villa, Chelsea and Manchester City securing five wins.