The UEFA Champions League is one of the most prestigious club competitions in the world. It is the highest profile of UEFA’s three major tournaments and has been won by many of the biggest names in football history, from Johan Cruyff to Lionel Messi.
The tournament began in 1955-56 as the European Champion Clubs’ Cup, and became known as the UEFA Champions League in 1992-1993, when the number of participating teams was increased from eight to 32 following a qualification phase. Initially, the competition was played through a group stage before moving into a knockout format, with the top two clubs in each group advancing to the final.
During the league phase, all teams are seeded into four pots based on their UEFA coefficients, and each team plays eight matches in total (four home and four away) against the other teams in their group. A randomized draw determines each group’s composition, with some restrictions in place to ensure that no two teams from the same national association compete against each other. Teams earn three points for a win, one point for a tie, and zero points for a defeat.
Depending on their finishing position in the group, teams qualify for the knockout phase through either the league path or the bracket path. The former is open to all national champions, and the latter is available to second-place and third-place teams from associations ranked fifth through seventh, as well as some runners-up from lower-ranked nations.