"European Champions League" and "European Cup" redirect here. For other uses, see Champions League (disambiguation) and European Cup (disambiguation). This article is about the men's competition. For the women's competition, see UEFA Women's Champions League. "UEFA CL" redirects here. For the third tier competition, see UEFA Conference League. UEFA Champions League Organiser(s) UEFA Founded 1955; 70 years ago (rebranded in 1992) Region Europe Teams 36 (league phase) 81 (total) Qualifier for UEFA Super Cup FIFA Intercontinental Cup FIFA Club World Cup Related competitions UEFA Europa League (2nd tier) UEFA Conference League (3rd tier) UEFA Youth League (Youth competition) Current champions France Paris Saint-Germain (1st title) Most championships Spain Real Madrid (15 titles) Broadcasters List of broadcasters Website uefa.com/uefachampionsleague 2025–26 UEFA Champions League The UEFA Champions League (UCL), usually known simply as the Champions League, is an annual club association football competition organised by the Union of European Football Associations (UEFA) that is contested by top-division European clubs. The competition begins with a round robin league phase to qualify for the double-legged knockout rounds, and a single-leg final. It is the most-watched club competition in the world and the third most-watched football competition overall, behind only the FIFA World Cup and the UEFA European Championship. It is one of the most prestigious football tournaments in the world and the most prestigious club competition in European football, played by the national league champions (and, for some nations, one or more runners-up) of their national associations.