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Champions League Winners by Year: Complete List of Past Champions
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 23 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
European Cup Era (1955-1992)
Year | Winner |
|---|---|
1955-56 | Real Madrid |
1956-57 | Real Madrid (2) |
1957-58 | Real Madrid (3) |
1958-59 | Real Madrid (4) |
1959-60 | Real Madrid (5) |
1960-61 | Benfica |
1961-62 | Benfica (2) |
1962-63 | AC Milan |
1963-64 | Inter Milan |
1964-65 | Inter Milan (2) |
1965-66 | Real Madrid (6) |
1966-67 | Celtic |
1967-68 | Manchester United |
1968-69 | AC Milan (2) |
1969-70 | Feyenoord |
1970-71 | Ajax |
1971-72 | Ajax (2) |
1972-73 | Ajax (3) |
1973-74 | Bayern Munich |
1974-75 | Bayern Munich (2) |
1975-76 | Bayern Munich (3) |
1976-77 | Liverpool |
1977-78 | Liverpool (2) |
1978-79 | Nottingham Forest |
1979-80 | Nottingham Forest (2) |
1980-81 | Liverpool (3) |
1981-82 | Aston Villa |
1982-83 | Hamburger SV |
1983-84 | Liverpool (4) |
1984-85 | Juventus |
1985-86 | Steaua București |
1986-87 | Porto |
1987-88 | PSV Eindhoven |
1988-89 | AC Milan (3) |
1989-90 | AC Milan (4) |
1990-91 | Red Star Belgrade |
1991-92 | FC Barcelona |
Champions League Era (1993-)
Year | Winner |
|---|---|
1992-93 | Marseille |
1993-94 | AC Milan (5) |
1994-95 | Ajax (4) |
1995-96 | Juventus (2) |
1996-97 | Borussia Dortmund |
1997-98 | Real Madrid (7) |
1998-99 | Manchester United (2) |
1999-00 | Real Madrid (8) |
2000-01 | Bayern Munich (4) |
2001-02 | Real Madrid (9) |
2002-03 | AC Milan (6) |
2003-04 | Porto (2) |
2004-05 | Liverpool (5) |
2005-06 | FC Barcelona (2) |
2006-07 | AC Milan (7) |
2007-08 | Manchester United (3) |
2008-09 | FC Barcelona (3) |
2009-10 | Inter Milan (3) |
2010-11 | FC Barcelona (4) |
2011-12 | Chelsea |
2012-13 | Bayern Munich (5) |
2013-14 | Real Madrid (10) |
2014-15 | FC Barcelona (5) |
2015-16 | Real Madrid (11) |
2016-17 | Real Madrid (12) |
2017-18 | Real Madrid (13) |
2018-19 | Liverpool (6) |
2019-20 | Bayern Munich (6) |
2020-21 | Chelsea (2) |
2021-22 | Real Madrid (14) |
2022-23 | Manchester City |
2023-24 | Real Madrid (15) |
2024-25 | Paris Saint-Germain |
Current Champions: Paris Saint-Germain
After years of European heartbreak, Paris Saint-Germain finally conquered the continent in 2025—and in spectacular fashion.
Once seen as a collection of global superstars who couldn’t quite click, the post–Lionel Messi, Neymar, and Kylian Mbappé era ushered in a new identity. Under Luis Enrique, PSG evolved into a slick, united, and relentless machine built around balance rather than celebrity. The result? A historic treble and a record-breaking 5–0 demolition of Inter Milan in the Champions League final.
That victory marked the biggest winning margin ever in a Champions League final, cementing PSG’s place not just as champions, but among the pantheon of truly great teams in European soccer history.
Fun Facts About Champions League Winners
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.
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Barnaby Lane is a highly experienced sports writer who has written for The Times, FourFourTwo Magazine, TalkSPORT, and Business Insider. Over the years, he's had the pleasure of interviewing some of the biggest names in world sport, including Usain Bolt, Rafael Nadal, Christian Pulisic, and more.