FOOTBALL HISTORY / COMPETITIONS

European Cup

The European Champion Clubs’ Cup was launched in 1955 and is the predecessor and continuous historical identity of today’s UEFA Champions League.

Founded1955
THE STORY

History of European Cup

History

The competition grew from a proposal promoted by French newspaper L’Équipe and came under UEFA’s organisation in 1955. The first match was played in September 1955, and Real Madrid won the first five editions. From 1992/93 the competition was relaunched under the UEFA Champions League name.

Footballopedia uses the European Cup node to connect pre-1992 seasons and finals to the modern Champions League graph, avoiding a false break between the two naming eras.

EXPLORE FOOTBALLOPEDIA

Explore the competition

Follow the clubs, people and stories connected to this competition.

Clubs

Celtic

Players

Alfredo Di StéfanoBobby CharltonFerenc PuskásGeorge BestGerd MüllerDavid BeckhamKarim BenzemaLuka ModrićRonaldo Nazário

Stadiums

Santiago BernabéuWembley Stadium

National teams

Argentina national team

Awards

Ballon d'Or