We're firmly in middle-of-the-road territory now because although there's not a lot to hate about this Adidas effort - it's about the best you can do with the Lokomotiv palette - there's not a lot to love about it either. The first pan-European tournament was the Challenge Cup, a competition between clubs in the Austro-Hungarian Empire. Changes will be made to the access list above if the Champions League and/or Europa League title holders qualify for the tournament via their domestic leagues. The eight group winners and eight runners-up proceed to the knockout phase that culminates with the final match in late May or early June. [2][3] Clubs that finish next-in-line in their national league, having not qualified for the Champions League, are eligible for the second-tier UEFA Europa League competition, and from 2021, teams not eligible for the UEFA Europa League will qualify for a new third-tier competition called the UEFA Europa Conference League.[4]. The AFC Champions League, also known as the Asian Champions League, is a club soccer competition open to teams from right across the continent. [41], The 1967–68 season saw Manchester United become the first English team to win the European Cup, beating S.L. A large part of the distributed revenue from the UEFA Champions League is linked to the "market pool", the distribution of which is determined by the value of the television market in each nation. Lazio vs. Club Brugge on CBS All Access: Live stream Champions League, how to watch on TV, odds, news Both teams can qualify for the knockout rounds with a win on Matchday 6 By Sandra Herrera The competition took on its current name in 1992, adding a round-robin group stage in 1991 and allowing multiple entrants from certain countries since 1997. The final of the tournament has been, in recent years, the most-watched annual sporting event in the world. Individual clubs may wear jerseys with advertising. Les Grandes Équipes! Spanish clubs have the highest number of victories (18 wins), followed by England (13 wins) and Italy (12 wins). Prior to the 1992–93 season, the tournament was named the European Cup. [98] The final of the 2012–13 tournament had the competition's highest TV ratings to date, drawing approximately 360 million television viewers.[99]. Erling Haaland scored twice to continue his prolific Champions League scoring form as Borussia Dortmund swept aside Club Brugge 3-0 to all but assure the German team of a … Players taking part in the 2020–21 UEFA Champions League are highlighted in boldface. Ibrahimović additionally scored one goal in four qualification matches. Based on the recent run of from our Lazio vs Club Brugge prediction is that Lazio head into the game as favourites but Club Brugge can spring a surprise in a vital clash. In the 2018 and 2019 finals, held in Kyiv and Madrid respectively, the instrumental version of the chorus was played, by 2Cellos (2018) and Asturia Girls (2019). #ACL Winners: 2015 to 2019. Bayern Munich are the frontrunners to win their second straight Champions League title after dismantling all in their path in Group A. [66], In 2007, Michel Platini, the UEFA president, had proposed taking one place from the three leagues with four entrants and allocating it to that nation's cup winners. [54] The anthem's chorus is played before each UEFA Champions League game as the two teams are lined up, as well as at the beginning and end of television broadcasts of the matches. A first-class example of how one design decision can bring a kit to life because the black, blue and gold patterning on the shoulders are game-changing here - and we adore the variant club badge. Benfica 4–1 in the final. Yes, I know, Barcelona have 'stolen' the design of Kaizer Chiefs' 50th-anniversary kit, but that doesn't make it any less beautiful and I'd happily rank the South African's above them if they were in the Champions League. A running theme of Liverpool’s campaign, not least in the Champions League, has been the contributions of the Academy graduates who have been called upon. Until 2015–16, no association could have more than four entrants in the Champions League. It's a crying shame that the Champions League holders are sporting such a bland away kit for their title defence with a boring white canvas hardly being resuscitated by missable tangerine lettering. With Rotterdam based club Feyenoord knocking out the defending champions, Milan in the second round. Champions League Match Is Suspended by Accusation of Racism. 2020/21, Group stage - Group F [17][18] After a scoreless first half, Real Madrid scored twice in six minutes to defeat the Italians. Each referee's performance is observed and evaluated after every match; his category may be revised twice per season, but a referee cannot be promoted directly from Category 3 to the Elite Category. BVB currently sit atop the group with six points, followed closely by Lazio with five points … Referees from these five countries are typically comfortable with top professional matches and are therefore directly placed into Category 3. To obtain a license, the club must meet certain stadium, infrastructure, and finance requirements. Don't get me wrong, there have been some impressive home kits this season, but there's nothing better than a belting away strip and this might be the most stacked list I've ever had to rank. From the quarter-finals onwards, the draw is entirely random, without association protection. [77] Five clubs own a version of the official trophy: Real Madrid, Ajax, Bayern Munich, Milan and Liverpool. Yuck. The UEFA Champions League is open to the league champions of all UEFA (Union of European Football Associations) member associations (except … So, let's separate the good from the bad and the bad from the ugly by checking out our ranking of the 32 away kits on display in the Champions League for the 2020/21 campaign: Woahhhhhhhhh. You … ), This page was last edited on 16 December 2020, at 11:14. The central stripe on a luscious white background gets a thumbs up from me; there's just something about the collar that looks so cheap and the wordy sponsor really detracts from the neatness of the template. [8] Real Madrid is the most successful club in the tournament's history, having won it 13 times, including its first five seasons. What on earth is this colour!? Real Madrid Vs Monchengladbach: Zinedine Zidane, Lon Blancos On Brink Of Champions League Club First Real Madrid have a tough test against Borussia Monchengladbach between them and a … [67] In the same meeting, however, it was agreed that the third-placed team in the top three leagues would receive automatic qualification for the group stage, rather than entry into the third qualifying round, while the fourth-placed team would enter the play-off round for non-champions, guaranteeing an opponent from one of the top 15 leagues in Europe. For the next stage – the last 16 – the winning team from one group plays against the runners-up from another group, and teams from the same association may not be drawn against each other. [76] Since 2008, the official trophy has remained with UEFA and the clubs are awarded a replica.[76]. [30][31][32] Inter Milan beat an ageing Real Madrid 3–1 in the Ernst-Happel-Stadion to win the 1963–64 season and replicate their local-rival's success. The old guard came good for Zinedine Zidane as Real Madrid beat Borussia Monchengladbach and made it into next Monday’s Champions League draw. UEFA Nations League; Baltic Cup; UEFA Champions League. [16][17][18] In 1958, Milan failed to capitalise after going ahead on the scoreline twice, only for Real Madrid to equalise. Real Madrid and FC Barcelona hold the record for the most consecutive appearances in the group stage, having qualified 25 times in a row (1997–present). [16][19][20] In a rematch of the first final, Real Madrid faced Stade Reims at the Neckarstadion for the 1959 final, and won 2–0. This means that, at best, a club can earn €82,450,000 of prize money under this structure, not counting shares of the qualifying rounds, play-off round or the market pool. [92] Hublot is also a secondary sponsor as the official fourth official board of the competition. Each team plays six group stage games, meeting the other three teams in its group home and away in a round-robin format. [5] The winner of the Champions League qualifies for the following year's Champions League, the UEFA Super Cup and the FIFA Club World Cup. The table below does not include appearances made in the qualification stage of the competition. [13] After Stan Cullis declared Wolverhampton Wanderers "Champions of the World" following a successful run of friendlies in the 1950s, in particular a 3–2 friendly victory against Budapest Honvéd, Hanot finally managed to convince UEFA to put into practice such a tournament. The 1969–70 season saw the first Dutch winners of the competition. Official … [71] The winning team and the runners-up from each group then progress to the next round. In 2008–09 season, both BATE Borisov and Anorthosis Famagusta achieved the same feat. The number of teams that each association enters into the UEFA Champions League is based upon the UEFA coefficients of the member associations. The lyrics and history of one of football's most famous songs", "2Cellos to perform UEFA Champions League anthem in Kyiv", "Asturia Girls to perform UEFA Champions League anthem in Madrid", "Behind the Music: Champions League Anthem Remix with Hans Zimmer", "The official website for European football – UEFA.com", "Harry Redknapp and Spurs given bitter pill of Europa League by Chelsea", "Added bonus for UEFA Europa League winners", "UEFA Access List 2015/18 with explanations", "Clubs force UEFA's Michel Platini into climbdown", "Arsène Wenger says Champions League place is a 'trophy, "Regulations of the UEFA Champions League 2011/12, pg 10:", "Bayern Munich beat Paris Saint-Germain to win Champions League", "Champions League and Europa League changes next season", "How UEFA honours multiple European Cup winners", "2019/20 UEFA club competitions revenue distribution system", "Clubs benefit from Champions League revenue", "Regulations of the UEFA Champions League 2015–18 Cycle – 2015/2016 Season – Article 66 – Other Requirements", "EXCLUSIVE: New Champions League sponsors set to come on board as seven offers accepted", "Uefa Champions League checks in with Expedia", “Gazprom renews UEFA Champions League partnership”, "HEINEKEN extends UEFA club competition sponsorship", "Nissan renews UEFA Champions League Partnership", "PepsiCo renews UEFA Champions League Partnership", "Banco Santander to become UEFA Champions League Partner", "adidas extends European club football partnership", "Hublot to partner Champions League and Europa League", "Champions League final tops Super Bowl for TV market", "Champions League final at Wembley drew TV audience of 360 million", "Champions League + European Cup – All-time Topscorers", "UEFA Champions League Statistics Handbook 2019/20", "Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo goal for goal", "Who has played 100 Champions League games? Havertz, Greenwood & Torres: Who's the highest-paid U21 player in the Premier League? Most successful club(s) Real Madrid (13 titles) 2020–21 UEFA Champions League: The UEFA Champions League is a seasonal football competition established in 1955. [53] The climactic moment is set to the exclamations ‘Die Meister! And sadly for Ferencvaros, we're not a fan of this Celtic-esque design with its corset-like hoops. The Champions!’. Today, UEFA Champions League referees are required to pass a fitness test to even be considered at the international level. The 11-19s are offered an adidas Fall Festival for competitive local, regional, and league play. [71] Seeding is used whilst making the draw for this stage, whilst teams from the same nation may not be drawn into groups together. AFC Champions League. #ACL Winners: 2009 to 2014. [64] Tottenham were demoted to the 2012–13 UEFA Europa League. However, for those leagues with four entrants in the Champions League, this meant that, if the Champions League winner fell outside of its domestic league's top four, it would qualify at the expense of the fourth-placed team in the league. 1st Qualifying Round; 2nd Qualifying Round; 3rd Qualifying Round; Play-offs; Group Stage. The UEFA Champions League begins with a double round-robin group stage of 32 teams, which since the 2009–10 season is preceded by two qualification 'streams' for teams that do not receive direct entry to the tournament proper. A thorough club-based application must be submitted to begin the process. However, let's face it, there's very little that sports manufacturers can do with home designs without raising a middle finger to tradition and besides, the world of away jerseys is far more entertaining. in the final. When you hear the anthem it captivates you straight away. Introduced in 1955 as the European Champion Clubs' Cup, commonly known as European Cup, it was initially a straight knockout tournament open only to the champions of Europe's domestic leagues, with its winner reckoned as the European club champion. #ACL Facts & Stats. The official site of the world's greatest club competition; get news, statistics and video, and play great games. Sports Germany’s Champions League and Europa League exploits highlight national team failures. [25][26][27] Reinforced by Eusébio, Benfica defeated Real Madrid 5–3 at the Olympic Stadium in Amsterdam and kept the title for a second consecutive season. The tournament was won by Újpest of Hungary. Based on research it conducted, TEAM concluded that by 1999, "the starball logo had achieved a recognition rate of 94 percent among fans".[60]. To discourage bias, the Champions League takes nationality into account. [46] In the 1970–71 season Ajax won the title, beating Greek side Panathinaikos F.C. [62] UEFA subsequently ruled that the defending champions qualify for the competition the following year regardless of their domestic league placing. Clearly Chelsea stumbled into the same pyjama shop as Dynamo when they were designing their away strip because the metal-like etchings on this otherwise decent mix of blue shades just look so naff. All Rights Reserved. Champions League Group F action continues on Wednesday with a must-win match for both Club Brugge and Zenit when they meet in Belgium on Matchday 5. [45] Before defeating Celtic in the final. United – Benfica 1967 History | UEFA Champions League", "Milan-Ajax 1968 History | UEFA Champions League", "Feyenoord - Milan 1969 History | UEFA Champions League", "Feyenoord - Celtic 1969 History | UEFA Champions League", "Ajax - Panathinaikos 1970 History | UEFA Champions League", "European Champions' Cup and Fairs' Cup 1970–71 – Details", "The story of the UEFA Champions League anthem", "What is the Champions League music? [58], In 1991, UEFA asked its commercial partner, Television Event and Media Marketing (TEAM), to help "brand" the Champions League. [14][15] Sixteen teams participated (some by invitation): Milan (Italy), AGF Aarhus (Denmark), Anderlecht (Belgium), Djurgården (Sweden), Gwardia Warszawa (Poland), Hibernian (Scotland), Partizan (Yugoslavia), PSV Eindhoven (Netherlands), Rapid Wien (Austria), Real Madrid (Spain), Rot-Weiss Essen (West Germany), Saarbrücken (Saar), Servette (Switzerland), Sporting CP (Portugal), Stade de Reims (France), and Vörös Lobogó (Hungary). I'm not sure an away kit has ever looked so similar to the corresponding home kit - what's happened here? The knock-out ties are played in a two-legged format, with the exception of the final. [51], The chorus contains the three official languages used by UEFA: English, German, and French. However, only one sponsorship is permitted per jersey in addition to that of the kit manufacturer. In other words, welcome to the fun part of kit rankings where some of the most outrageously ugly and jaw-droppingly gorgeous designs sit next to each other on the clothing rail. As the New Year approaches, the group stages of Europe's premier competition are starting to take shape and we're now only two rounds of games away from seeing which 16 clubs will qualify. [6][7] In 2020, the traditional schedule for UEFA matches was disrupted due to the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic. Puma really pushed the boat out with their 2020/21 City designs and while two were surefire disasters, they hit a home run with the away strip, striking the perfect balance between uniqueness and pure class. I mean, seriously, no matter whether you prefer your Adidas strips to Nike ones or Hummel releases to Puma efforts, there have been some truly original, unique and frankly fashionable kits this year. And no, I'm not a hardcore Messi worshipper typing away from Catalonia, it just happens that, for all their actual failings in the Champions League, they're pretty hard to beat when it comes to their attire. [33][34][35] The title stayed in the city of Milan for the third year in a row after Inter beat Benfica 1–0 at their home ground, the San Siro. AFC Champions League. AFC Champions League. Club Brugge-Lazio UEFA Champions League 2020/21 . And with the club badge, sponsor and logo singing from the same colour hymn sheet, we have one of the smartest-looking and downright-strapping kits in the Champions League and football as a whole. However, I'll happily admit that my soft spot lies with black or navy jerseys and it's so good to see Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo sporting what are, in my opinion, the finest kits on the market. It's like the Wolves away kit, but miles better. Sports Germany’s Champions League and Europa League exploits highlight national team failures. The previous limit of a maximum of four teams per association was increased to five, meaning that a fourth-placed team from one of the top three ranked associations would only have to be moved to the Europa League if both the Champions League and Europa League winners came from that association and both finished outside the top four of their domestic league. (2004). This all comes down to the colour scheme because an otherwise solid strip has been jettisoned into the middle tiers because of a bizarre brown that makes it so forgettable and waters down the badge. We're still waiting to see whether Liverpool can bounce back from defeat to Atalanta, Real Madrid can rise from the ashes in Group G and Manchester United can hold off Paris Saint-Germain. A indicates the player was from the European Cup era. The tournament uses the away goals rule: if the aggregate score of the two games is tied, then the team who scored more goals at their opponent's stadium advances. David Okereke believes Club Brugge can make history in the Champions League by advancing into the knock-out stages of the competition. Club Brugge have won just one of their last four games away from home while Lazio is undefeated and hold an edge in the race to the Champions League qualification for the round of 16. As the New Year approaches, the group stages of Europe's premier competition are starting to … Not my favourite use of a collar this season, but for whatever reason, this combination of metallic grey - gorgeously belted up with texturing - fits hand in glove with the unabashedly-red trimmings. It's just a shame that the random rectangles are such a lazy use of texturing. If the Champions League and/or Europa League title holders qualify for the qualifying rounds via their domestic league, their spot in the qualifying rounds is vacated, and teams of the highest-ranked associations in earlier rounds will be promoted accordingly. They initially compete in a round robin format. [73], The following is the default access list.[74]. The table below does not include goals scored in the qualification stage of the competition. However, in making his Castilla and European debut in the same season, Sergio Arribas has joined an exclusive club of just five other players since the inception of the Champions League in 1992. In 2018, composer Hans Zimmer remixed the anthem with rapper Vince Staples for EA Sports' video game FIFA 19, with it also featuring in the game's reveal trailer. UEFA Women's Champions League LIVE: Chelsea, Manchester City and more in UWCL Round of 32 action. As a result, Champions League Group H couldn't be more finely poised with only İstanbul, who suffered a dramatic 4-3 defeat to Leipzig, having no hope of reaching the second round. #ACL Winners: 2002-03 to 2008. Club Brugge have been knocked out of the 2020-21 Champions League following Tuesday’s 2-2 draw with Lazio. The six surviving teams enter the group stage, joining 26 teams qualified in advance. Players that are still active in Europe are highlighted in boldface. For the table tennis competition, see, This article is about the men's competition. Aside from being a colour combination to die for at the best of times, there's just something so royal about it being used for a Barcelona jersey with the collar and sleeve proving beautiful to boot. The blue shouldering on this classic Adidas template looks brilliant and the darker-blue scrubbings blend well with the various logos, we're just not a massive fan of the orange three-stripes. The age limit was established to ensure an elite level of fitness. Whoever thought that blinding shade of green was a good idea seriously needs an eye test because it couldn't be more of a colour clash with the classic Lazio blue if it tried. [72], The group stage is played from September to December, whilst the knock-out stage starts in February. The cream rose to the top on Wednesday night as Real Madrid hauled themselves into yet another Champions League knockout stage.