UEFA Champions League facts for kids
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| Organising body | UEFA |
|---|---|
| Founded | 1955 (rebranded in 1992) |
| Region | Europe |
| Number of teams |
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| Qualifier for | |
| Related competitions |
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| Current champions |  Paris Saint-Germain (1st title) |
| Most successful club(s) |  Real Madrid (15 titles) |
| Television broadcasters | List of broadcasters |
The UEFA Champions League (often called UCL) is a super exciting annual football competition for top clubs in Europe. It's organized by the Union of European Football Associations (UEFA). Imagine the best teams from different countries playing against each other to find out who is the champion of Europe!
This tournament starts with a league phase, where teams play several matches, and then moves into thrilling knockout rounds. The very last match is a single final game. It's the most-watched club football competition in the world, and only the FIFA World Cup and the UEFA European Championship (for national teams) are watched by more people overall. It's a huge deal in football!
Contents
- How Did the Champions League Start?
- Modern Era: Champions League Today (1998-Present)
- The Famous Champions League Anthem
- How Teams Qualify for the Champions League
- What Do Winners Get? Prizes and Money
- Who Sponsors the Champions League?
- Watching the Champions League: Media Coverage
- Champions League Records and Stats
- Champions League Awards
- Images for kids
- See also
How Did the Champions League Start?
The competition began way back in 1955. Back then, it was called the European Champion Clubs' Cup, or simply the European Cup. At first, it was a simple knockout tournament, meaning if you lost a match, you were out! Only the champions of each country's league could enter. The winner was known as the best club in Europe.
In 1992, the competition changed its name to the UEFA Champions League. Before that, in 1991, they added a "group stage" (which is now a "league phase") where teams played multiple matches. Since the 1997–98 season, more than one team from certain countries could enter, not just the champions. For example, the top 5 leagues in Europe (like Spain's La Liga, England's Premier League, Germany's Bundesliga, Italy's Serie A, and France's Ligue 1) can send four teams each! If a team doesn't qualify for the Champions League, they might still get to play in the second-tier UEFA Europa League or the third-tier UEFA Conference League.
Modern Era: Champions League Today (1998-Present)
The Champions League has been dominated by Spanish clubs, especially Real Madrid, who won many titles between 1998 and 2002, and again from 2014 to 2018. Real Madrid even won three Champions League titles in a row in 2016, 2017, and 2018! English clubs have also been very strong, especially between 2005-2012 and again from 2018-2023.
During the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020, the tournament had to pause for a few months. When it came back, some of the knockout games were played as single matches in one city (Lisbon, Portugal) instead of two-legged home-and-away games, to finish the competition quickly and safely.
The Famous Champions League Anthem
Before every UEFA Champions League match, you'll hear a special song called the "Champions League anthem." It's super famous and gets everyone excited! Zinedine Zidane, a legendary footballer, once said it's "Magic... it's magic above all else. When you hear the anthem it captivates you straight away."
The anthem was written by Tony Britten in 1992 and is based on an old piece of music by George Frideric Handel. It's performed by the London's Royal Philharmonic Orchestra and sung by the Academy of St. Martin in the Fields. UEFA says the anthem is "known to set the hearts of many of the world's top footballers aflutter."
The song's chorus uses three languages: English, German, and French. It famously shouts: 'Die Meister! Die Besten! Les Grandes Équipes! The Champions!' You'll hear it before every game as the teams line up, and also at the start and end of TV broadcasts. Sometimes, famous singers perform special versions of the anthem live at the final, changing some lyrics to the host country's language.
How Teams Qualify for the Champions League
The UEFA Champions League has a special system to decide which teams get to play. It's based on how well clubs from each country have performed in European competitions over the past five years. This is called the UEFA coefficient. Countries with higher coefficients get more teams in the Champions League and their teams might start in later rounds, meaning fewer qualifying matches.
The New League Phase Format (2024-25 Onwards)
Starting from the 2024–25 season, the Champions League has a new and exciting format! Instead of the old group stage, there's now a big "league phase" with 36 teams. All 36 teams are ranked in one big table, similar to a Swiss-system tournament. Each team plays eight matches against eight different opponents – four at home and four away.
The league phase runs from September to January. After all the matches are played:
- The top 8 teams in the league table automatically go straight to the Round of 16.
- Teams ranked 9th to 24th play in a knockout play-off round. The winners of these play-offs join the top 8 in the Round of 16.
- Teams ranked 25th to 36th are eliminated from the competition.
After the Round of 16, it's a classic knockout tournament with quarter-finals and semi-finals, leading up to the big final match in late May or early June.
How Qualification Works
Most teams have to go through qualifying rounds to reach the league phase. There are two main paths:
- Champions Path: For teams that won their national league.
- League Path: For teams that finished second, third, or fourth in their national league.
The number of qualifying rounds a team plays depends on their country's UEFA coefficient. The winners of the Champions League and the UEFA Europa League from the previous season automatically qualify for the next Champions League, no matter where they finish in their domestic league. Also, starting from the 2024–25 season, the two countries with the best overall performance in European competitions the previous season get an extra spot in the Champions League league phase!
Here's a general idea of how teams get into the Champions League league phase:
- The current Champions League winner
- The current Europa League winner
- 10 champions from the top 10 ranked countries
- 6 runners-up from the top 6 ranked countries
- 5 third-placed teams from the top 5 ranked countries
- 4 fourth-placed teams from the top 4 ranked countries
- 2 teams from the countries with the highest UEFA coefficient from the previous season
- 7 winners from the qualifying play-off rounds
What Do Winners Get? Prizes and Money
The winning team of the Champions League gets to lift the famous European Champion Clubs' Cup! This trophy is 74 cm (about 29 inches) tall and weighs 11 kg (about 24 pounds). It's made of silver and looks super impressive!
Before 2008, if a team won the trophy three times in a row or five times overall, they got to keep the actual trophy forever! Famous clubs like Real Madrid, Ajax, Bayern Munich, Milan, and Liverpool all have their own official trophies. But since 2008, UEFA keeps the main trophy, and winning clubs get a perfect replica.
Players on the winning team also receive 40 gold medals, and the runners-up get 40 silver medals.
And of course, there's a lot of prize money! Football clubs earn money for participating, winning matches, and progressing through the tournament. The further a team goes, the more money they earn. For example, just for being in the league phase, a team gets over €18 million! Winning the final can bring in an extra €25 million! A big part of the money also comes from TV rights, which is called the "market pool."
Who Sponsors the Champions League?
The UEFA Champions League is sponsored by several big international companies. You'll see their logos around the pitch, during interviews, and in TV ads. This helps these companies get a lot of attention because so many people watch the games!
Some of the main sponsors for the 2024–27 seasons include:
- FedEx
- Qatar Airways
- Heineken N.V.
- Just Eat Takeaway
- Mastercard
- PepsiCo (including Gatorade and Lay's)
- Sony (including PlayStation 5)
- Bet365
- Crypto.com
Adidas is also a big partner, as they make the official match balls for the competition.
Sometimes, clubs have to change their jersey sponsors if they play in a country where certain types of advertising (like gambling) are not allowed.
Watching the Champions League: Media Coverage
The Champions League is watched by a massive audience all over the world, not just in Europe. The final match is often the most-watched annual sporting event globally! For example, the 2012–13 final was watched by about 360 million people on TV!
Champions League Records and Stats
Many clubs and players have made history in the Champions League.
Most Successful Clubs
Real Madrid from Spain is the most successful club in the tournament's history, having won it an incredible 15 times! They even won the first five editions in a row!
Here's a list of the winners over the years:
Top Players and Goal Scorers
Many legendary players have graced the Champions League. Players like Alfredo Di Stéfano led Real Madrid to their first five titles. Later, Johan Cruyff helped Ajax win three titles in a row.
Some players have won the competition many times, like Francisco Gento (6 times with Real Madrid) and Cristiano Ronaldo (5 times).
The players with the most appearances in the Champions League are often legends who played for many years at the top level. These include Cristiano Ronaldo, Iker Casillas, and Lionel Messi.
When it comes to scoring goals, a few players stand out. The all-time top scorers in the Champions League are usually Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi, who have scored over 100 goals each in the competition!
Champions League Awards
UEFA gives out special awards to recognize the best players in the Champions League each season.
Player of the Season
Since the 2021–22 season, UEFA has given the UEFA Champions League Player of the Season award. This award is decided by the coaches of the teams that played in the group stage and 55 journalists from across Europe.
| Season | Player | Club |
|---|---|---|
| UEFA Champions League Player of the Season | ||
| 2021–22 | Karim Benzema |
Real Madrid |
| 2022–23 | Rodri |
 Manchester City |
| 2023–24 |  Vinícius Júnior |
Real Madrid |
| 2024–25 | Ousmane Dembélé |
Paris Saint-Germain |
Young Player of the Season
Also since the 2021–22 season, there's an award for the UEFA Champions League Young Player of the Season, recognizing the best young talent in the tournament.
| Season | Player | Club |
|---|---|---|
| UEFA Champions League Young Player of the Season | ||
| 2021–22 | Vinícius Júnior |
Real Madrid |
| 2022–23 |  Khvicha Kvaratskhelia |
 Napoli |
| 2023–24 | Jude Bellingham |
Real Madrid |
| 2024–25 | Désiré Doué |
Paris Saint-Germain |
Images for kids
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Alfredo Di Stéfano (pictured in 1959) led Real Madrid to five consecutive European Cup titles between 1956 and 1960.
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Johan Cruyff (pictured in 1972) won the European Cup three times in a row with Ajax.
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The two teams line up for the UEFA Champions League Anthem before each match and a flag of the Champions League "starball" logo is waved in the centre circle.
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The "starball" logo is incorporated into the design of the competition's official match ball, the Adidas Finale.
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The trophy
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A can of Heineken with the branding of the 2011 UEFA Champions League final
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See also
In Spanish: Liga de Campeones de la UEFA para niños
- Continental football championships
- List of association football competitions
