Champions League History Timeline
The UEFA Champions League is an annual football competition played between top European club teams, held since the 1955-56 season. Here is a brief timeline of important events in the history of the Champions League.
- 1955 – The European Champion Clubs' Cup (European Cup) is inaugurated; Real Madrid won their first title.
- 1956–1960 – Real Madrid dominates, winning the first five consecutive European Cups.
- 1967 – Celtic becomes the first British club to win the European Cup.
- 1968 – Manchester United becomes the first English club to win the title, a decade after the Munich air disaster.
- 1974 – Bayern Munich begins their run of three consecutive European Cup titles.
- 1977 – Liverpool won their first European Cup, beginning a period of English dominance.
- 1985 – The Heysel Stadium disaster prior to the 1985 final led to English clubs being banned from European competitions for five years.
- 1992 – The competition is rebranded as the UEFA Champions League, introducing a group stage format.
- 1999 – Manchester United won the final with two injury-time goals to complete a historic treble.
- 2004 – FC Porto, managed by José Mourinho, wins unexpectedly, marking a rare victory for a non-top league club.
- 2005 – Liverpool stages a dramatic comeback in the “Miracle of Istanbul” to beat AC Milan on penalties.
- 2008 – Chelsea and Manchester United meet in the first all-English final; United wins on penalties.
- 2009 – Barcelona wins under Pep Guardiola with a dominant new style of play.
- 2012 – Chelsea wins their first Champions League title, defeating Bayern Munich in their home stadium.
- 2014 – Real Madrid wins “La Décima” (their 10th title) after a 12-year wait.
- 2016–2018 – Real Madrid wins three consecutive titles under Zinedine Zidane.
- 2020 – Bayern Munich wins a COVID-19-affected tournament held as a mini-tournament in Lisbon.
- 2021 – Chelsea wins their second title, defeating Manchester City in an all-English final.
- 2024 – Real Madrid wins a record-extending 15th Champions League title.
Related Pages
- Champions League Firsts
- Champions League Trivia
- List of Champions League Winners
- Details of all Champions League Finals
- About the Champions League
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