| The UEFA Champions League is an annual club | | | | English FA ruled that Everton FC (who |
| football competition organised by the Union | | | | finished fourth) would get the final spot. |
| of European Football Associations (UEFA) for | | | | However, UEFA came to an agreement that both |
| the most successful football clubs in Europe. | | | | Merseyside rivals would be allowed to enter |
| It is arguably the most prestigious club | | | | the competition with Liverpool starting from |
| competition in football. It has a global | | | | the first round and Everton starting from the |
| audience of more than a billion (one thousand | | | | third round. Liverpool became the first team |
| million) people. | | | | to negotiate all three rounds of |
| | | | qualification and reach the Champions League |
| The tournament was inaugurated in 1955 at the | | | | knockout phase (although this feat was |
| instigation of the French sport's journalist | | | | matched by Artmedia Bratislava of Slovakia in |
| and L'Équipe editor Gabriel Hanot, as a | | | | the same season). |
| competition for winners of the European | | | | |
| national football leagues under the name of | | | | Manchester United and FC Porto are the teams |
| the European Cup, but since the | | | | that have appeared most often in the group |
| 1992–1993 season the competing teams | | | | stages: twelve each. |
| have been the top-ranked teams of Europe and | | | | |
| the tournament has been renamed the UEFA | | | | History Originally known as the European |
| Champions League, though some teams competing | | | | Champion Clubs' Cup, or simply abbreviated to |
| have never been champions in their respective | | | | European Cup, the competition began in 1955 |
| countries. | | | | 56 using a two-leg knockout format where the |
| | | | teams would play two matches, one at home and |
| The UEFA Champions League is not to be | | | | one away, and the team with the highest |
| confused with the UEFA Cup, the secondary | | | | overall score qualifying for the next round |
| championship for European club teams. | | | | of the competition. Entry was restricted to |
| | | | the teams that won their national league |
| The current holders of the UEFA Champions | | | | championships, plus the current European Cup |
| League trophy are FC Barcelona of Spain, who | | | | holder. This qualification system continued |
| beat Arsenal F.C. of England 2-1 at the Stade | | | | until 1997. From the 1997/98 season, the |
| de France on 17 May 2006 after coming from | | | | rules were changed to provide the cup with |
| 0-1 behind. | | | | more exposure (and the extra sponsorship |
| | | | money that came with it), and to try to make |
| The tournament consists of several stages and | | | | it more "exciting". Teams other than national |
| begins with three preliminary knockout | | | | champions were allowed to compete, based on |
| qualifying rounds. Different teams start in | | | | the relative strength of the football in that |
| different rounds, according to their position | | | | nation - from UEFA's point of view, a team |
| in domestic league and the UEFA coefficients | | | | finishing second in the Spanish La Liga would |
| of their league, while the sixteen top ranked | | | | be more deserving of an automatic place in |
| teams spread across the biggest domestic | | | | the Champions League than a team finishing |
| leagues are directly qualified.Cork City FC | | | | first in, for example, Poland. |
| of Ireland's Eicom League will be in the | | | | |
| first preliminary round for this year's | | | | As a result, the system was restructured to |
| competition.They won their national league by | | | | force "weaker" national champions to qualify |
| defeating Derry City FC of Derry on last | | | | for the group stages, while other, "stronger" |
| season's final day. | | | | national runners-up would automatically get |
| | | | places. |
| In each subsequent preliminary round, | | | | |
| participating teams are paired, with | | | | The competition is organised and run annually |
| aggregate winners proceeding into the next | | | | in a similar manner to the Copa Libertadores |
| round. Qualifying rounds span from mid-July | | | | in South America. Cork City FC of Ireland |
| to late August. The losers of the third | | | | have qualified for the 2006 /07 version. |
| qualifying round are transferred to the UEFA | | | | |
| Cup, while the sixteen winners of the final | | | | Champions League finals The Champions League |
| qualifying round are joined by the sixteen | | | | final is the most important match of the |
| teams who have qualified directly, to | | | | season in European club football. The stadium |
| participate in the group stage. | | | | to host the final is selected by UEFA two |
| | | | years before the match. |
| They are drawn into eight groups of four | | | | |
| teams, each team playing every other team in | | | | The latest UEFA Champions League final was |
| the group twice (home and away). | | | | held at Stade de France on 17 May 2006 |
| | | | between Arsenal and Barcelona, which |
| The group stage is played between | | | | Barcelona won 2-1. In this spectacular match, |
| mid-September and early December. The teams | | | | Arsenal goalkepper Jens Lehmann was sent off |
| finishing third in their groups are | | | | and two late goals by Samuel Eto'o and |
| transferred to the UEFA Cup, while the top | | | | Juliano Belletti secured victory for the |
| two teams from every group qualify for the | | | | Catalan side. The 2006-07 season final will |
| next round. Here the sixteen remaining teams | | | | take place at the Athens Olympic Stadium. |
| take part in the knock-out stages, which | | | | Nine candidates are bidding to host the |
| starts in late February and end with the | | | | 2007–2008 season final - London, |
| final match in May. | | | | Munich, Berlin, Rome, Milan, Porto, Lisbon, |
| | | | Moscow, and Seville. |
| All qualifying round and knock-out ties are | | | | |
| two-legged, with each team hosting one match. | | | | Real Madrid CF have won this competition nine |
| The team which scores the greater aggregate | | | | times. The next most successful teams are AC |
| number of goals qualifies for the next round. | | | | Milan (six titles), Liverpool FC (five |
| The away goals rule applies. Extra time and | | | | titles), FC Bayern München and AFC Ajax |
| penalty kicks are used to determine the | | | | (four titles). For complete list of the |
| winner, if necessary. An exception is the | | | | winners, see European Cup and Champions |
| final, which is a single match played at a | | | | League statistics. |
| predetermined venue. | | | | |
| | | | The winning club gets possession of the |
| The draws are currently structured to ensure | | | | trophy at the awards ceremony, but must |
| that clubs representing the same national | | | | return it to UEFA headquarters two months |
| association cannot play each other until the | | | | before the following year's final. UEFA gives |
| quarter-finals. In addition, seeding of the | | | | the winners a scaled-down replica of the |
| teams according to their UEFA coefficients is | | | | trophy to keep permanently, and winning clubs |
| used. The competition system has been | | | | are free to make replicas of the trophy as |
| undergoing changes since the 1991/92 season | | | | long as they are clearly marked as replicas |
| (see history). The current system was adopted | | | | and are no larger than 80% of the size of the |
| in 2003. | | | | actual trophy. However, the current |
| | | | competition rules also specify that the |
| Qualification The UEFA Champions league is | | | | actual trophy will be permanently awarded to |
| open to the league champions of all UEFA | | | | a team that wins three consecutive years or |
| member associations (except Liechenstein, | | | | five times in all. |
| Andorra and San Marino), as well as to the | | | | |
| clubs finishing from second to fourth | | | | Five clubs have been awarded the trophy |
| position in the strongest leagues. | | | | permanently: * Real Madrid CF, who won the |
| | | | first five competitions from 1956 to 1960, * |
| The number of places in the competition | | | | AFC Ajax, who won consecutively in |
| depends on the association's rank in the UEFA | | | | 1971–1973, * FC Bayern München, who |
| coefficients table: associations ranked 1 to | | | | won consecutively in 1974–1976, * AC |
| 3 have four positions, associations ranked 4 | | | | Milan, who won for the sixth time in 2003, * |
| to 6 have three positions, associations | | | | Liverpool FC, whose 2005 win was their fifth |
| ranked 7 to 15 have two positions, | | | | overall. |
| associations ranked 16 or lower have one | | | | |
| position. | | | | Hymn The UEFA Champions League Anthem, |
| | | | officially titled simply as "Champions |
| An association's rank also determines the | | | | League", is an arrangement by Tony Britten of |
| stage at which the clubs enter the | | | | Georg Frideric Handel's "Zadok the Priest" |
| competition. For example, the highest-ranked | | | | from the Coronation Anthems. |
| association has two places in the group stage | | | | |
| (for champions and runners-up) and two in the | | | | UEFA commissioned Britten in 1992 to arrange |
| third qualifying round (for third and | | | | their hymn, who took the beginning of "Zadok |
| fourth-placed teams), whereas the | | | | the Priest" as a starting point for his |
| lowest-ranked associations have only one | | | | arrangement. The piece was performed by the |
| place in the first qualifying round for their | | | | Royal Philharmonic Orchestra and sung by the |
| champions. Nine highest-ranked associations | | | | Academy of St. Martin in the Fields chorus in |
| have at least one automatic place in the | | | | the three official languages used by UEFA: |
| group stage. | | | | English, German, and French. The hymn's |
| | | | chorus is played before each UEFA Champions |
| An additional place in the group stage is | | | | League game, as well as at the beginning and |
| reserved for the title-holders, in case they | | | | end of television broadcasts of the matches. |
| don't qualify via their domestic league. | | | | The complete hymn is about three minutes |
| However, an association is limited to sending | | | | long, and has two short verses and the |
| at most four clubs for a season. This means | | | | chorus. The hymn has never been released |
| that if the title-holders come from a league | | | | commercially. |
| given four positions, but finish out of the | | | | |
| top four, it will take the place of the | | | | Financial UEFA Champions League is a highly |
| fourth placed team. The fourth placed team | | | | profitable competition for the clubs that |
| will go to the UEFA Cup. | | | | reach the group stage. UEFA distributes part |
| | | | of the revenue obtained from television deals |
| In addition to sporting criteria, any club | | | | between these clubs. For example, the |
| must be licensed by its national association | | | | payments for the 2004/05 competition ranged |
| to participate in the Champions league. To | | | | from €3.8m (Sparta Prague) to |
| obtain a licence, club must meet certain | | | | €30.6 million (Liverpool). |
| stadium, infrastructure and finance | | | | |
| requirements. | | | | UEFA estimates the amount of money to be |
| | | | given to the 32 participants of the 2005/ 06 |
| There was controversy when Liverpool won the | | | | group stage at €430 million.Clubs make |
| competition in 2004/2005, but finished | | | | additional money from ticket sales, corporate |
| outside the top four in the Premiership. The | | | | hospitality, merchandising and so on. |