Best of the best: The 5 teams that have won the most Champions Leagues in football history

The Champions League has a long and storied history. Always regarded as the most prestigious competition in Europe, the competition was known as the European Cup in the first stage of its life. In 1992, the competition was rebranded and since has been known as the Champions League.

The competition came to be known for its group stages in which four teams would battle against each other to try and progress deeper into the Champions League. This season, however, has seen a new format be introduced for the competition, scrapping the group stages in favor of a league table.

The new style of the Champions League means there are more teams and two more games for each side to play, the start of another chapter in an already impressive history. With all of this being considered, it is worth asking, just which five teams have won the most Champions Leagues, or European Cups, in history?

5. Barcelona - 5

Catalan giants Barcelona are no strangers to success. Alongside Real Madrid, Barcelona have held a dominance over Spanish football for decades. With such a reputation, it may seem surprising to know that the club’s first European triumph came in the 1990s. In 1992, Johan Cruyff’s Dream Team won what was the last ever European Cup before its rebranding.

Barca would have to wait for over a decade until their second continental triumph when they beat Arsenal in 2006. Soon after, under the guidance of a certain Pep Guardiola, Barca announced themselves as European juggernauts. The now-Manchester City manager guided the Catalan club to two Champions League titles, one in 2009 and another in 2011.

The latest Champions League victory for Barca came 10 years ago when they lifted the trophy for a fifth time in 2015 with a team that included the famous MSN attacking trio of Lionel Messi, Luis Suarez and Neymar. In recent years, the Catalonians have had well-documented struggles with their finances, but new manager Hansi Flick has them well-positioned for a potential deep push into this year’s competition.

4. Bayern Munich - 6

For generations, Bayern Munich have been a dominant force in their home country of Germany. They have won 33 top-flight titles, both in its form as the Bundesliga and prior to its foundation in the early 1960s. In recent years, the club have won 11 German titles since 2012. Unsurprisingly, they have a rich history in European competition too.

Between 1974 and 1976, Bayern won three consecutive European Cups. it would be over four decades until another club achieved such a feat when Real Madrid sealed three-straight Champions Leagues. They beat Atletico Madrid, Leeds United and Saint-Etienne in that order to secure their dominance over Europe.

Despite such a comprehensive ability to win on the continent, it would take the Bavarians a quarter-century to return to the position of European champions. Facing Valencia, Bayern took the game to penalties where they won their fourth Champions League title. Since then, the club have won two further trophies, one in 2013 and one in 2020. They can only hope they won’t have to endure a wait like they did between 1976 and 2001.

3. Liverpool - 6

Bayern Munich are not the only team to have won six European titles, for Liverpool have won the same number of honors. The Merseyside club first rose to the pantheon of Europe’s elite in 1977. Bayern Munich, fresh off three successive European Cup wins, had been eliminated by Dynamo Kyiv in the quarter-finals, opening the doors to a new champion.

In stepped Liverpool who, under the management of Bob Paisley, beat Borussia Monchengladbach 3-1 to clinch their first-ever European Cup. They successfully defended their title the following season and though they were unable to secure three in a row, they would only have to wait three years before lifting the trophy once again in 1981.

Such a pattern was followed once more by the Reds, who won their fourth European Cup in 1984. From there, Liverpool would have to wait over two decades to taste Champions League glory once again, which they did in 2005 when they beat AC Milan in what is widely regarded as the best Champions League final of all time.

Liverpool’s sixth Champions League victory came in recent memory, under the management of Jurgen Klopp. The German, who returned Liverpool to a position of contending for honors, lifted the cherished trophy in 2020.

2. AC Milan - 7

One of just two teams to have won seven or more European Cups/Champions Leagues, AC Milan first tasted continental glory in the 1960s, winning the European Cup both in 1963 and 1969. From there, Milan would have to wait for 20 years before reclaiming such a crown.

Under the management of Arrigo Sacchi, widely regarded as one of the best and most influential figures to have ever worked in football, Milan won two European Cups in his four-year stint as manager, lifting the trophy in back-to-back seasons in 1989 and 1990. Though Sacchi departed in 1991, he had set strong foundations at the club and they lifted the Champions League once more in 1994.

Milan’s latest two Champions League successes came in the 21st century. First, in 2003, when they beat Serie A rivals Juventus in the final. For their second modern success, Milan faced off with Liverpool, who they lost two in the 2005 final. There was no repeat of misery for Milan, who saw off Liverpool 2-1 to lift their seventh European title.

1. Real Madrid - 15

Real Madrid have a considerable margin between themselves and Milan in the rankings for Champions League triumphs. The Spanish giants have won a staggering 15 European titles in their history, eight more than Milan and 10 more than most other clubs to have lifted the trophy.

Madrid went through a golden age in the 1950s, winning five straight European Cups in 1956, 1957, 1958, 1959 and 1960. It would take Madrid more than five years to win another, which they did in 1966. From there, though, the club went through a European drought, failing to lift the trophy again for over 30 years.

Since winning the 1998 Champions League, Real Madrid have positioned themselves among the elite once more. They lifted the title in 2000 and 2002, then waited yet another decade before they lifted it again. Madrid became one of the few teams to win three straight Champions Leagues when, managed by Zinedine Zidane, they won the title in 2016, 2017 and 2018.

In the 2020s, they have won two of the four concluded Champions Leagues, including the latest one. Managed by Carlo Ancelotti, Madrid beat Borussia Dortmund earlier this year to lift their record-setting 15th European trophy.