UEFA Champions League is a cup competition organized by the Union of European Football Associations (UEFA) since 1955 for the top football clubs in Europe. It is widely considered to be the most prestigious football club competition in the world. The final of the competition is the most watched annual sporting event worldwide, drawing just over 100 million television viewers and even more than the NFL Superbowl.
It was originally called European Champion Clubs' Cup and it was straight knockout competition only for the champion club of each country. The name was changed to UEFA Champions League in 1992 and the competition expanded. More teams were allowed to play in the league and the system changed to round-robin group phase.
The tournament consists of several stages. In the present format it begins in mid-July with three knockout qualifying rounds and a play-off round. The 10 surviving teams join 22 seeded teams in the group stage, in which there are eight groups consisting of four teams each. The eight group winners and eight runners-up enter the final knockout phase, which ends 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.
The most recent match was the final match on May 28, 2011 at Wembley Stadium in London. FC Barcelona won against Manchester United with a score of 3-1.
Champions League is a good way to compare the different leagues and teams in Europe. For soccer fans, it is considered to be the best competition because the best club teams gather to play for the winner even more than the FIFA World Cup.
