Since its inception in 1955, Champions League has been one of the most prestigious sporting events on the planet. The tournament has paved the way for globalization of soccer and fueled billions in earnings for its top-ranked clubs who pay the most in transfer fees and salaries each season.
With a total of 15 titles to its name, Real Madrid is the competition’s undisputed king, but other European heavyweights have also made their mark. For example, Dutch club Feyenoord was the first to win the Champions League in 1969-70, overcoming a 3-1 deficit in the second leg against Milan to advance to the final.
Over the years, many innovations have been introduced to the tournament. In 1992, a revamped version of the Champions League saw the elimination of ties in the round of 16 and the introduction of the away goals rule for the last eight of the competition. The tournament has also seen a change to the format, where teams are no longer seeded based on their domestic league standings. Instead, a system of preliminary knockout qualifying rounds whittles down the field to the 16 top-ranked European clubs.
The new Champions League format will be introduced in 2024-25, and the league phase will see teams face each other twice with home and away fixtures. The top eight finishers will be ranked and then drawn into the knockout phase, which is still two-legged games leading to the final. The new league phase will take up 10 midweek matchdays, allowing Europa League and the Conference League to fill the remaining two slots on the calendar.