The Champions League began in the 1950s, coming from the imagination of visionaries, notably Gabriel Hanot and Jacques Ferran, at the French newspaper L’Equipe. Their dream was to create an elite tournament that brought together the champions of Europe’s major leagues to determine the best team in all of Europe. Today it’s almost as coveted as the FIFA World Cup trophy and is associated with the greatest names in football, from Johan Cruyff to Lionel Messi.
In its early days, the competition was a straight knockout from the beginning to the end. By the 1994-95 season a group stage had been introduced and teams from multiple nations could qualify for the competition.
The format of the Champions League changed again in 1997-98 when the number of teams was expanded to 32 (excluding qualification). From that point on a round-robin group phase was used, with winners and runners-up from each group advancing into the knockout rounds.
The group stages are played through the autumn, and after a winter break the knockout rounds begin with quarter-finals, semi-finals (both two legged, without association draw protection) and then the final. The UEFA Champions League also uses a system of away goals, meaning that if the teams are tied on aggregate after the two legs the team with the most goals scored at their opponents’ stadium advances.