The 2024-25 UEFA Champions League is set to begin on September 17, 2024, with a brand-new format. This season, 36 teams will compete, an increase from the previous 32. In a significant change, the traditional group stage will be replaced by a single league phase. All 36 teams will be ranked in one league, and each team will play eight matches—four at home and four away.

The tournament was originally established in 1955 as the European Cup before being renamed the UEFA Champions League in 1992. In its early years, the competition was a knockout format featuring champions from domestic leagues across Europe.

Real Madrid are the most successful club in the history of the Champions League, having won 15 titles. They are also the reigning champions, having defeated Borussia Dortmund in the 2023-24 final. Real Madrid holds the record for the longest winning streak, securing five consecutive titles from 1955-56 to 1959-60. Their dominance was interrupted by Benfica, who won the tournament in the 1960-61 season.

AC Milan follow as the second-most successful team, with seven titles. Their first victory came in 1962-63 when they triumphed over Benfica. Both Liverpool and Bayern Munich have each claimed six Champions League titles, while Barcelona have won five. Ajax have won the competition four times, and Manchester United have three titles to their name, their last coming in the 2007-08 season. Inter Milan have also won the title three times.

Several teams have won the competition twice, including Chelsea, Benfica, Nottingham Forest, Juventus, and Porto. Manchester City, Borussia Dortmund, Feyenoord, Marseille, Aston Villa, Hamburg, Crvena Zvezda, FCSB, PSV Eindhoven, and Celtic have each won the Champions League once. Manchester City became the sixth English club to win the competition, securing their first title in the 2022-23 season, a year in which they also claimed the Premier League and the FA Cup, completing a historic treble.

UEFA Champions League winners