The UEFA Champions League, known simply as the Champions League, is an annual continental club
football competition organised by the Union of European
Football Associations (UEFA). It is one of the most prestigious tournaments in the world and the most prestigious club competition in European
football. The final of the
2012–13 tournament was the most watched UEFA Champions League final to
date, as well as the most watched annual sporting event worldwide in 2013, drawing
360 million television viewers.
Introduced in 1992, the competition replaced the European Champion Clubs' Cup, or simply European Cup, which had run since 1955, adding a group stage to the competition and allowing multiple entrants from certain countries. The pre-1992 competition was initially a straight knockout tournament open only to the champion club of each country. During the 1990s, the format was expanded, incorporating a round-robin group stage and more teams. Europe's strongest national leagues now provide up to four teams for the competition, and will provide up to
five teams from the 2015–16 season onwards.
In its present format, the UEFA Champions League begins in
mid-July with three knockout qualifying rounds and a play-off round. The 10 surviving teams enter the group stage, joining
22 other teams qualified in advance. The 32 teams are drawn into eight groups of four teams and play each other in a double round-robin system. The eight group winners and eight runners-up proceed to the knockout phase that culminates with the final match in May. The
winner of the UEFA Champions League qualifies for the UEFA
Super Cup and the FIFA Club World Cup.