UEFA Champions League Winners by Season and Number of Titles
Fifteen European Cups for Real Madrid, Red Star Belgrade’s famous night in Bari, and back-to-back titles for Paris Saint-Germain. The history of Europe’s premier club competition features teams that dominated for years, as well as those whose place in football history was secured by a single memorable final. The list of Champions League winners also includes the champions of its predecessor, the European Cup.
Real Madrid lead the all-time rankings with 15 titles, while Paris Saint-Germain are the reigning champions, having won the 2025/26 season. By the end of that campaign, 24 different clubs had lifted the trophy. Below is the complete list of winners by season, along with the results of every final and each club’s total number of titles.
Whether you follow European football as a fan or enjoy sports betting, this guide offers useful historical context for understanding the clubs competing today. However, past success does not guarantee future results.
From the European Cup to the Champions League
The competition began in the 1955/56 season as the European Champion Clubs’ Cup, better known as the European Cup. It was rebranded as the UEFA Champions League for the 1992/93 season, ushering in a new identity for the competition. However, the group stage had already been introduced in 1991/92, the final season still officially regarded as part of the European Cup era.
That is why the all-time title count includes winners from both eras. Red Star Belgrade’s 1991 triumph and Real Madrid’s European Cup victories in the 1950s belong on the same historical list as more recent successes by Barcelona, Chelsea, and Paris Saint-Germain. If we count only titles won since the 1992/93 season, the figures are different: Real Madrid have won nine Champions League titles, compared with 15 European titles overall.
All Champions League Winners and Titles by Club
Real Madrid top the all-time rankings with 15 titles, followed by AC Milan with seven, and Bayern Munich and Liverpool with six each. Barcelona have won five titles, while Ajax have four. Several clubs have won the trophy just once, including Red Star Belgrade.
The table covers the European Cup and the UEFA Champions League through the 2025/26 season. The number of final appearances includes both wins and defeats. The 1974 final replay is counted as part of the same final, so it does not add an extra appearance for either Bayern Munich or Atlético Madrid.
| Club | Titles | Finals |
|---|---|---|
| Real Madrid | 15 | 18 |
| AC Milan | 7 | 11 |
| Bayern Munich | 6 | 11 |
| Liverpool | 6 | 10 |
| Barcelona | 5 | 8 |
| Ajax | 4 | 6 |
| Inter Milan | 3 | 7 |
| Manchester United | 3 | 5 |
| Benfica | 2 | 7 |
| Nottingham Forest | 2 | 2 |
| Juventus | 2 | 9 |
| Porto | 2 | 2 |
| Chelsea | 2 | 3 |
| Paris Saint-Germain (PSG) | 2 | 3 |
| Celtic | 1 | 2 |
| Feyenoord | 1 | 1 |
| Aston Villa | 1 | 1 |
| Hamburg | 1 | 2 |
| Steaua Bucharest | 1 | 2 |
| PSV Eindhoven | 1 | 1 |
| Red Star Belgrade | 1 | 1 |
| Olympique de Marseille | 1 | 2 |
| Borussia Dortmund | 1 | 3 |
| Manchester City | 1 | 2 |
Source: UEFA. Data covers both the European Cup and the UEFA Champions League through the 2025/26 season.
Champions League Winners by Season Since 1992/93.
Using the season rather than the calendar year provides a more accurate reference point. For example, the 2026 final belongs to the 2025/26 season, while the 2025 final was part of the 2024/25 season. The list below is arranged in reverse chronological order, from the most recent completed season to the first season played under the Champions League name.
All results are shown from the winners’ perspective. The label “after extra time” indicates the score at the end of the 120 minutes. For finals decided by a penalty shootout, the score after extra time is listed first, followed by the shootout result. Penalty shootout goals are not included in the match score.
| Season | Winners | Final opponent | Result |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2025/26 | Paris Saint-Germain (PSG) | Arsenal | 1–1 (penalties 4–3) |
| 2024/25 | Paris Saint-Germain (PSG) | Inter Milan | 5–0 |
| 2023/24 | Real Madrid | Borussia Dortmund | 2–0 |
| 2022/23 | Manchester City | Inter Milan | 1–0 |
| 2021/22 | Real Madrid | Liverpool | 1–0 |
| 2020/21 | Chelsea | Manchester City | 1–0 |
| 2019/20 | Bayern Munich | Paris Saint-Germain (PSG) | 1–0 |
| 2018/19 | Liverpool | Tottenham Hotspur | 2–0 |
| 2017/18 | Real Madrid | Liverpool | 3–1 |
| 2016/17 | Real Madrid | Juventus | 4–1 |
| 2015/16 | Real Madrid | Atlético Madrid | 1–1 (penalties 5–3) |
| 2014/15 | Barcelona | Juventus | 3–1 |
| 2013/14 | Real Madrid | Atlético Madrid | 4–1 (after extra time) |
| 2012/13 | Bayern Munich | Borussia Dortmund | 2–1 |
| 2011/12 | Chelsea | Bayern Munich | 1–1 (penalties 4–3) |
| 2010/11 | Barcelona | Manchester United | 3–1 |
| 2009/10 | Inter Milan | Bayern Munich | 2–0 |
| 2008/09 | Barcelona | Manchester United | 2–0 |
| 2007/08 | Manchester United | Chelsea | 1–1 (penalties 6–5) |
| 2006/07 | AC Milan | Liverpool | 2–1 |
| 2005/06 | Barcelona | Arsenal | 2–1 |
| 2004/05 | Liverpool | AC Milan | 3–3 (penalties 3–2) |
| 2003/04 | Porto | Monaco | 3–0 |
| 2002/03 | AC Milan | Juventus | 0–0 (penalties 3–2) |
| 2001/02 | Real Madrid | Bayer Leverkusen | 2–1 |
| 2000/01 | Bayern Munich | Valencia | 1–1 (penalties 5–4) |
| 1999/00 | Real Madrid | Valencia | 3–0 |
| 1998/99 | Manchester United | Bayern Munich | 2–1 |
| 1997/98 | Real Madrid | Juventus | 1–0 |
| 1996/97 | Borussia Dortmund | Juventus | 3–1 |
| 1995/96 | Juventus | Ajax | 1–1 (penalties 4–2) |
| 1994/95 | Ajax | AC Milan | 1–0 |
| 1993/94 | AC Milan | Barcelona | 4–0 |
| 1992/93 | Olympique de Marseille | AC Milan | 1–0 |
European Cup Winners from 1955/56 to 1991/92
Real Madrid lifted the first European Cup in 1956, while Barcelona won the final edition under the competition’s original name in 1992. Over the years, the competition crowned several generations of European champions, including Ajax, Bayern Munich, Liverpool, and AC Milan.
The 1973/74 season was an unusual case. Bayern Munich and Atlético Madrid drew 1–1 after extra time in the first final. As penalty shootouts were not used to decide the winner, a replay was played, with Bayern winning 4–0. Both matches are listed under the same season below, as they formed part of a single final and resulted in one title.
| Season | Winners | Final opponent | Result |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1991/92 | Barcelona | Sampdoria | 1–0 (after extra time) |
| 1990/91 | Red Star Belgrade | Olympique de Marseille | 0–0 (penalties 5–3) |
| 1989/90 | AC Milan | Benfica | 1–0 |
| 1988/89 | AC Milan | Steaua Bucharest | 4–0 |
| 1987/88 | PSV Eindhoven | Benfica | 0–0 (penalties 6–5) |
| 1986/87 | Porto | Bayern Munich | 2–1 |
| 1985/86 | Steaua Bucharest | Barcelona | 0–0 (penalties 2–0) |
| 1984/85 | Juventus | Liverpool | 1–0 |
| 1983/84 | Liverpool | Roma | 1–1 (penalties 4–2) |
| 1982/83 | Hamburg | Juventus | 1–0 |
| 1981/82 | Aston Villa | Bayern Munich | 1–0 |
| 1980/81 | Liverpool | Real Madrid | 1–0 |
| 1979/80 | Nottingham Forest | Hamburg | 1–0 |
| 1978/79 | Nottingham Forest | Malmö | 1–0 |
| 1977/78 | Liverpool | Club Brugge | 1–0 |
| 1976/77 | Liverpool | Borussia Mönchengladbach | 3–1 |
| 1975/76 | Bayern Munich | Saint-Étienne | 1–0 |
| 1974/75 | Bayern Munich | Leeds United | 2–0 |
| 1973/74 | Bayern Munich | Atlético Madrid | 1–1; replay 4–0 |
| 1972/73 | Ajax | Juventus | 1–0 |
| 1971/72 | Ajax | Inter Milan | 2–0 |
| 1970/71 | Ajax | Panathinaikos | 2–0 |
| 1969/70 | Feyenoord | Celtic | 2–1 (after extra time) |
| 1968/69 | AC Milan | Ajax | 4–1 |
| 1967/68 | Manchester United | Benfica | 4–1 (after extra time) |
| 1966/67 | Celtic | Inter Milan | 2–1 |
| 1965/66 | Real Madrid | Partizan | 2–1 |
| 1964/65 | Inter Milan | Benfica | 1–0 |
| 1963/64 | Inter Milan | Real Madrid | 3–1 |
| 1962/63 | AC Milan | Benfica | 2–1 |
| 1961/62 | Benfica | Real Madrid | 5–3 |
| 1960/61 | Benfica | Barcelona | 3–2 |
| 1959/60 | Real Madrid | Eintracht Frankfurt | 7–3 |
| 1958/59 | Real Madrid | Reims | 2–0 |
| 1957/58 | Real Madrid | AC Milan | 3–2 (after extra time) |
| 1956/57 | Real Madrid | Fiorentina | 2–0 |
| 1955/56 | Real Madrid | Reims | 4–3 |
Who Are the Reigning Champions
Paris Saint-Germain won the Champions League in the 2025/26 season, beating Arsenal on penalties in the final at Budapest’s Puskás Aréna on 30 May 2026. The match finished 1–1 after extra time, before PSG prevailed 4–3 in the penalty shootout.
The French side successfully defended the title it had won the previous season. In the 2024/25 final in Munich, PSG swept aside Inter Milan with a 5–0 victory to claim their first Champions League title. It was the biggest winning margin in a final in the competition’s history, including the European Cup era.
Red Star Belgrade and Partizan in European Finals
For football fans in Serbia, 29 May 1991 remains a landmark date. Red Star Belgrade faced Marseille in Bari and, after a goalless draw following extra time, won 5–3 on penalties. It remains Red Star’s only European Cup title and secures the club’s place among Europe’s champions to this day.
Red Star lifted the trophy when the competition was still known as the European Cup. Although it was later rebranded as the UEFA Champions League, the club’s 1991 triumph remains part of the competition’s overall history.
Partizan reached the final in the 1965/66 season. At the Heysel Stadium in Brussels, they took the lead against Real Madrid through a goal from Velibor Vasović in the 55th minute, but the Spanish side fought back to win 2–1.
Records That Define the European Champions
Real Madrid won the first five editions of the European Cup, from 1955/56 to 1959/60, and remain the only club to have won five consecutive titles. They also hold the record for consecutive titles in the Champions League era, having lifted the trophy three times in a row from 2015/16 to 2017/18.
Ajax and Bayern Munich each enjoyed a three-year spell of dominance in the European Cup era. Ajax won the trophy from 1970/71 to 1972/73, followed by Bayern Munich from 1973/74 to 1975/76. Nottingham Forest also made history by winning both of their European Cup finals, in 1979 and 1980, to claim back-to-back titles.
Spanish clubs lead the all-time rankings with 20 European Cup and Champions League titles, followed by England with 15 and Italy with 12. England, however, has the widest spread of winners, with six different clubs having lifted the trophy: Liverpool, Manchester United, Nottingham Forest, Aston Villa, Chelsea, and Manchester City.
What Historical Titles Tell Us About Today’s Favourites
A club’s trophy haul reflects its success across different eras, but it does not necessarily indicate how strong the team is today. A club with a rich history may be going through a difficult season, while a team that has never won a European title can still reach the final.
That is why it is important to distinguish historical prestige from the form and circumstances surrounding a particular match. Current form, player availability, playing style, and the quality of the opposition are far more relevant to an upcoming fixture than a trophy won decades ago. Even winning the competition the previous season does not guarantee that a team will defend its title.
Fans naturally look at past achievements, but smart betting tips put a team’s current form first. The list of European champions provides valuable historical context, but it should never be used to identify a “sure winner”. In football, even the favourites can fall short in a final, and sometimes a single missed penalty can make all the difference.
A Place in History Must Be Earned on the Pitch
Champions League winners are remembered for the finals they have won, but the complete list tells a much bigger story: changing generations, periods of sustained dominance, and clubs that made the most of their opportunity to lift the trophy. Real Madrid remain the most successful club in the competition’s history, while PSG’s back-to-back titles mark the latest chapter in its story.
When comparing clubs, it is important to check whether the figures cover the competition’s entire history, dating back to 1955/56, or only the Champions League era, which began in 1992/93. Only then can Real Madrid’s 15 titles, AC Milan’s seven, and Red Star Belgrade’s historic triumph in Bari be compared on a like-for-like basis.
Frequently Asked Questions About Champions League Winners
Which club has won the most Champions League titles?
Real Madrid have won 15 European Cup and Champions League titles in total. Since the Champions League era began in 1992/93, they have won nine titles.
Who won the Champions League in 2026?
PSG beat Arsenal 4–3 on penalties in the 2025/26 final, following a 1–1 draw after extra time.
How many different clubs have won the title?
By the end of the 2025/26 season, 24 different clubs had won either the European Cup or the UEFA Champions League.
Who were the first winners?
Real Madrid won the inaugural edition in the 1955/56 season, beating Reims 4–3 in the final in Paris.
Who has won the most consecutive titles?
Real Madrid won five consecutive European Cup titles between 1956 and 1960. In the Champions League era, they hold the record with three consecutive titles between 2016 and 2018.
