Champions League Winners by Year: Complete List of Past Champions | OneFootball

The UEFA Champions League, formerly known as the European Cup, was first held in the 1955–56 season.

That year, just 16 teams took part, with Real Madrid defeating French side Stade de Reims in the final to claim the inaugural title.

Since then, Madrid have gone on to win the competition a further 14 times—making Los Blancos the most successful club in its history—while 22 other teams have also lifted the trophy, some multiple times, others just once.

Below, we take a closer look at every club that has won European soccer’s elite competition, year by year.

Champions League Winners by Year: Complete List

Real Madrid is the Champions League’s most successful-ever team. / Insidefoto/IMAGO

European Cup Era (1955-1992)

Champions League Era (1993-)

Fun Facts About Champions League Winners

USMNT star Christian Pulisic won the Champions League with Chelsea in 2021. / Darren Walsh/Chelsea FC/Getty Images

Knowing all the Champions League winners year by year is, of course, useful—especially if you can reel them off at your next trivia night.

But if you're human like us, that's probably a bit of a stretch. So instead, here are some fun facts about the Champions League and its many winners that might be a little easier (and more entertaining) to remember.

Fun Champions League Facts

1. Real Madrid stands as the most successful team in Champions League history, having lifted the trophy a record 15 times.

2. Atlético Madrid holds the record for the most Champions League final appearances (3) without ever winning the competition.

3. With a combined 20 titles, Spanish clubs are the most successful in Champions League history.

4. Italian clubs hold the record for the most Champions League runner-up finishes, with 17 in total.

5. From 1986 to 1991, English clubs were banned from competing in the Champions League following the disaster at Heysel Stadium.

6. Chelsea is the only club to hold both the Champions League and Europa League titles simultaneously, having won the Champions League in 2011–12 and the Europa League in 2012–13.

7. Real Madrid is the only team in Champions League history to have played over 500 matches.

8. Real Madrid also holds the records for the most games lost and the most goals scored in Champions League history.

9. Celtic was the first-ever Champions League winner from the United Kingdom, lifting the trophy in 1967.

10. Carlo Ancelotti is the most decorated manager in Champions League history, having won the title five times—twice with AC Milan and three times with Real Madrid.