The UEFA Champions League is largely considered the pre-eminent club competition in the global game.
With Europe’s major leagues largely boasting the most wealthy, powerful and star-studded playing squads, taking part in the continent’s elite tournament has become the ultimate dream of many professional footballers.
The Champions League has undergone many changes since it began nearly 70 years ago — most recently in the 2024/25 season — and the prestige that comes with winning the trophy is arguably greater than ever.
But these changes to the format mean there is a bit of a technicality when it comes to the question of which team won the Champions League for the first time.
The Sporting News explains all below.
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Who won the first UEFA Champions League?
This question partly depends on your definition of the competition.
The very first European Cup tournament, played in the 1955/56 season, was won by Real Madrid.
The inaugural season of the Champions League in 1992/93 saw Marseille win the trophy.
In modern parlance, the two names have come to be integrated when discussing the history of the competition, which can lead to a little confusion.
The European Cup became the Champions League from 1992/93 after UEFA rebranded it and introduced a new format — one that has continued to evolve in the years since.
However, the actual trophy remains the same, and the winners of it are still declared champions of Europe, just as they were in the 1950s.
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All-time winners of the European Cup/UEFA Champions League
Real Madrid’s triumph in the very first tournament started a run of five consecutive European Cups for Los Blancos. They remain the most successful side in the history of the competition, with 15 titles.
Nine of those trophy wins have come in the Champions League era, which is still at least two more than any other team has managed since 1955/56.
| Club | No. of titles | Years won |
| Real Madrid | 15 | 1956, 1957, 1958, 1959, 1960, 1966, 1998, 2000, 2002, 2014, 2016, 2017, 2018, 2022, 2024 |
| AC Milan | 7 | 1963, 1969, 1989, 1990, 1994, 2003, 2007 |
| Bayern Munich | 6 | 1974, 1975, 1976, 2001, 2013, 2020 |
| Liverpool | 6 | 1977, 1978, 1981, 1984, 2005, 2019 |
| Barcelona | 5 | 1992, 2006, 2009, 2011, 2015 |
| Ajax | 4 | 1971, 1972, 1973, 1995 |
| Inter Milan | 3 | 1964, 1965, 2010 |
| Manchester United | 3 | 1968, 1999, 2008 |
| Juventus | 2 | 1985, 1996 |
| Benfica | 2 | 1961, 1962 |
| Chelsea | 2 | 2012, 2021 |
| Nottingham Forest | 2 | 1979, 1980 |
| Porto | 2 | 1987, 2004 |
| Borussia Dortmund | 1 | 1997 |
| Celtic | 1 | 1967 |
| Hamburg | 1 | 1983 |
| Steaua Bucharest | 1 | 1986 |
| Marseille | 1 | 1993 |
| Manchester City | 1 | 2023 |
| Feyenoord | 1 | 1970 |
| Aston Villa | 1 | 1982 |
| PSV | 1 | 1988 |
| Red Star | 1 | 1991 |
