Champions League History
The UEFA Champions League began life as the European Cup in 1955 before being rebranded in 1992. Real Madrid dominated the early years, winning the first five editions.
The competition was the brainchild of French sports journalist Gabriel Hanot and was initially a straight knockout tournament open only to the champions of each European nation. The format evolved over the decades, with the introduction of a group stage in 1991 and the rebranding to the UEFA Champions League in 1992.
The tournament expanded over time to include multiple teams from the strongest leagues, and the group stage grew from 8 groups of 4 to the current 36-team league phase introduced in the 2024/25 season under the Swiss Model format.
Real Madrid is the most successful club in the competition's history with 15 titles, followed by AC Milan (7), Liverpool and Bayern Munich (6 each), and Barcelona (5).