The Champions League, formerly the European Cup, is the most prestigious club competition in Europe. It has become a touchstone of soccer history, as it has witnessed and been the protagonist of the inexorable advance of soccer as a world sport. It was born in the mid-20th century as a concept in the mind of visionaries such as Gabriel Hanot, editor of the French newspaper L’Equipe, and Jacques Ferran, the head of the governing body of European football (UEFA), and has since evolved to reflect a number of changes in the game itself.
The current version of the competition was introduced in 1992-93, and it is structured to include two phases – a group stage and a knockout phase. During the group stage, teams are drawn into groups of four or five. Seeding is used when making the draws, and teams from the same national association are not usually drawn together. Teams play each other home and away, with the winners and runners-up from each group progressing to the next round, where they meet the top two teams from the other groups.
The competition has a long and rich tradition, with many iconic clubs achieving success in the modern era of the Champions League. The illustrious Ajax team of Johan Cruyff and Paul de Geer won the competition three times in a row between 1970 and 1976, while Real Madrid are the most recent champions, winning their second title in 2021.
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