This season, the Champions League underwent its biggest change in format since the second group stage was scraped ahead of the 2003/04 season.
Following 20 seasons of 32 entrants being split into eight groups of four with the top two qualifying for the knockout phase, UEFA revamped the format ahead of the 2024/25 campaign.
Now 36 teams play in one group stage, playing eight matches rather than six in previous editions. The top eight reach the knockout stage, while those between 9th and 24th compete in a playoff to reach the last 16.
The bottom eight sides are eliminated and won’t drop into the Europa League. The new format appears to be working fairly well and it could prove to be a huge success.
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Big names such as Real Madrid and Paris Saint-Germain are way off the pace as we head into the new year. Both clubs have a history of winning games at this level, but they’ll need to pull their socks up to remain in this year’s competition.
In this list, we have taken a look at the top ten clubs with the most wins in Champions League matches since its previous revamp in 1992.
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Most wins in Champions League matches (since 1992/93)
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Rank
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Club
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CL matches
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CL wins
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1
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Real Madrid
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323
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194
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2
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Bayern Munich
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300
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177
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3
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Barcelona
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301
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175
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4
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Man Utd
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248
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127
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5
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Juventus
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226
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113
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6
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Chelsea
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197
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101
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7
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Porto
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228
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101
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8
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Milan
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203
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93
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9
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Arsenal
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193
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92
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10
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Liverpool
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159
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86
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10
Liverpool
86 wins
Liverpool had to wait until the 2001/02 season to make their debut in the Champions League and reached the quarter-finals that season. They won the competition in 2005 after a miraculous comeback against Milan in the final, while reaching another final two years later, with the Rossoneri gaining revenge with a 2-1 win.
The Anfield side had to wait until 2018 to reach another final. Jürgen Klopp’s side lost to Real Madrid before defeating Tottenham Hotspur in 2019 to claim their sixth continental crown.
Another final loss to Madrid in 2022 is the last time they have reached this stage of the competition, earning 86 victories since 2001.
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9
Arsenal
92 wins
Despite Arsenal being one of the most decorated sides in England, their record in Europe is relatively disappointing.
Indeed, since making their Champions League bow during the 1998/99 season, they have reached the final just once, in 2006.
The Gunners lost 2-1 against Barcelona in Paris as Arsène Wenger came so close to triumphing in the competition.
However, the club did have a remarkable consistency in the tournament, reaching the group stages for 17 consecutive seasons, earning 92 wins since their debut.
8
Milan
93 wins
It may sound surprising that Milan are only ranked eighth on this list, having racked up 93 wins in the history of the competition, especially considering they have won the title on three occasions in the post-European Cup era while reaching finals on three others.
They failed to qualify for the competition on several occasions in recent years, which is a key reason they haven’t won as many games as the likes of Real Madrid and Bayern Munich.
Indeed, since winning the Champions League in 2007, Milan have reached the semi-finals only once, with Inter defeating them over two legs in 2023.
7
Porto
101 wins
Porto were no strangers to Europe prior to the inception of the Champions League, winning the European Cup in 1987 against Bayern.
José Mourinho led them to their second continental crown in 2004, surprising the whole of Europe in the process.
Since that spectacular triumph, they have qualified for the group stage 20 times, but have yet to make it past the quarter-finals, being stopped at that particular stage on four separate occasions.
Despite this, the club have still managed to win a total of 101 games in the competition since the 1992/93 season.
6
Chelsea
101 wins
Like Liverpool, Chelsea were relative latecomers to the Champions League, having to wait until 1999 to make their debut.
The Blues suffered agonising semi-final defeats to Monaco and Liverpool in 2004 and 2005 respectively, not making their first final until 2008.
They lost to Manchester United then, but glory finally arrived four years later, defeating Bayern in their own backyard to win the tournament for the first time.
A surprising win over Manchester City in 2021 saw the Stamford Bridge side claim their second title, and they rank sixth on this list with 101 wins, coming in fewer matches (197) than Porto (228).
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5
Juventus
113 wins
No European club has lost as many European Cup/Champions League finals as Juventus, with seven losses occurring at the last hurdle between 1973 and 2017.
Two of those losses arrived before the inception of the Champions League, but since 1993, the Old Lady have tasted defeat on no fewer than five occasions.
They won the tournament most recently in 1996, defeating holders Ajax in the final, yet lost the following two finals against Borussia Dortmund and Real Madrid respectively.
It looked as though they would end that barren run in 2003, but Milan prevailed at Old Trafford. Since then, both Madrid and Barcelona have defeated the Serie A side in the showpiece event.
Despite this, they have won an impressive 113 games in the Champions League, although they would surely love to claim another title in the next few years.
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4
Manchester United
127 wins
It took Manchester United and Sir Alex Ferguson a while to get to grips with the Champions League.
Domestic dominance between 1993 and 2001 was achieved fairly easily, but Europe was a different proposition. Of course, no one will forget the stunning comeback to win the trophy in 1999 with two injury-time goals, but this was their only final between 1993 and 2007.
United won another Champions League trophy in 2008, before reaching the finals in 2009 and 2011, losing to Barcelona and Pep Guardiola each time.
Since Fergie retired, the Red Devils have qualified for Europe’s premier club competition on just seven occasions, failing to make it past the quarter-final stage.
They rank fourth on the list of most victories in the Champions League with 127.
3
Barcelona
175 wins
Barcelona won the last edition of the old European Cup in 1992, claiming the prize for the first time in their history.
Johan Cruyff’s ‘dream team’ reached the final in 1994, but were thrashed 4-0 by Milan – and this was the last time they would reach the final until 2006.
That year, they won 2-1 against Arsenal before winning in 2009 and 2011 under the mercurial guidance of Guardiola, with Barcelona becoming one of the finest club sides of all time in the process.
Under Luis Enrique, the La Liga side reached another final in 2015, sending Juventus packing with a 3-1 win in Berlin, giving them their fourth Champions League crown in just nine years.
They rank third in terms of victories in the tournament, racking up a staggering 175 since their first match in 1993.
2
Bayern Munich
177 wins
Bayern Munich’s tally of six continental titles ranks them as the third-best team in European Cup/Champions League history. Since the Champions League’s inception in 1992, Bayern have won three titles, although the Bavarian club have lost a further three finals.
The German side claimed the title in 2001, 2013 and 2020, but given their stature among Europe’s elite, the club should perhaps have won more, especially when Pep Guardiola took charge between 2013 and 2016.
Since their last title, Bayern have reached just one semi-final, losing to Real Madrid in 2023/24. Under Vincent Kompany, they have a vibrant, young coach who has plenty of ambition. Could this culminate in a seventh European triumph in 2025?
They rank second on the all-time victory list in the competition, recording 177 since their first match in 1994.
1
Real Madrid
194 wins
It is certainly no surprise to see Real Madrid top this list of overall wins in the tournament, managing to secure 194 of them since the start of the 1995/96 season.
Winners of the Champions League in 1998, 2000, 2002, 2014, 2016, 2017, 2018, 2022 and 2024, Madrid are the undisputed kings of the competition.
Add in a further six European Cup triumphs, the 15 continental titles held by the club will be a record that they hold for the foreseeable future.
Such is their consistency, Madrid have failed to reach the last four on just two occasions since 2011, making them the masters of the finest club competition in the game.
This season has been more of a challenge, with the club losing three games in a row for the first time in the Champions League group stages.
Carlo Ancelotti has won this tournament five times, but extending this record might prove to be his biggest challenge.
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Teams who have won the Champions League (since 1992/93)
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Club
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Titles won
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Real Madrid
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9
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Barcelona
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4
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Milan
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3
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Bayern Munich
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3
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Liverpool
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2
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Man Utd
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2
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Chelsea
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2
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Man City
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1
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Inter
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1
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Juventus
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1
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Ajax
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1
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Marseille
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1
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Borussia Dortmund
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1
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Porto
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1
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Here are the teams with the most wins in Champions League matches since the 1992/93 season:
1. Real Madrid – 249 wins
2. Barcelona – 209 wins
3. Bayern Munich – 191 wins
4. Manchester United – 175 wins
5. Juventus – 164 wins
These teams have not only accumulated the most wins in Champions League matches, but they have also been successful in winning the tournament multiple times. Real Madrid, Barcelona, and Bayern Munich, in particular, have been the most dominant teams in the Champions League in recent years, with each team winning the competition multiple times.
As the 2021/22 Champions League season unfolds, these powerhouse clubs will once again be looking to add to their impressive win totals and compete for the prestigious title of European champions.
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