The Champions League and UEFA Cup

The Union of European Football Associations (UEFA) governs the Champions League and UEFA Cup. These tournaments are associated with soccer in Europe.

Most Prestigious Tournament

Champions League is a European tournament considered the most prestigious competition in the world. UEFA Cup is the second most prestigious tournament in Europe.

Who Plays in the Champions League and UEFA Cup?

Teams that come first and second in National leagues play against each other in the Champions League tournament. Teams that come third to the sixth position in the National Leagues play in the UEFA Cup. The best teams proceed to play the Champions League, while teams that hold the second place continue to play the UEFA Cup.

The current Champions League champion qualifies for this tournament directly. Other teams that participate in the Champions League tournament qualify through the domestic league matches.

A total of 32 teams compete in the prestigious Champions League. Teams that play at the domestic league matches and do not qualify for the Champions League tournament participate in the UEFA Cup tournament.

Champions League and UEFA Cup History

The very first Champions League tournament was held in 1955 and re-branded in 1992 to UEFA Champions League.

UEFA Cup was formed in 1971 and was re-branded in 2009 to UEFA Europa League. After it was founded, UEFA Cup replaced the Inter-Cities Fairs Cup.

The Champions League consists of a series of group competitions, and the 32 teams compete in five rounds to get the winner. Winners of Champions League qualify for the FIFA Club World Cup and UEFA Super Cup.

UEFA Cup is a single-elimination competition, and it is a qualifier for UEFA Champions League and UEFA Super Cup.

Winners of the Champions League and UEFA Cup compete in UEFA Super Cup. The current Champions League winner is Liverpool while Chelsea is the holder of the UEFA Cup.