As this season’s tournament reaches its final stages, we have looked back over Champions League history to see which nations have dominated it in various ways.
Where has the Champions League final been staged most often?
There have been 28 iterations of the Champions League since it was rebranded from the European Cup in the 1992-93 season. The first final was held in Munich, and Germany has gone on to host the showpiece event on five separate occasions: more than any other nation.
The trophy has been decided in Munich twice since then, making it the only city to have staged the Champions League final on three separate occasions.
Italy is the only other country to have hosted more than three finals, with Rome and Milan each staging two, while England and Spain have been the setting for three apiece.
Spanish clubs have enjoyed the most success in Champions League history, winning it more than twice as often as teams from any other nation.
Real Madrid have lifted the trophy seven times – including three wins in a row between 2016 and 2018 – with Barcelona’s four successes giving Spain a total of 11.
England and Italy have both produced five Champions League winners, with Milan one of only two other clubs to have won the tournament at least three times. The other is Bayern Munich, who have been responsible for three of Germany’s four triumphs to date
There are 20 nations whose clubs have qualified for the Champions League at least 10 times. Two of them – Spain and England – have already reached 100 participations with Italy and Germany not far behind.
All four of these countries are currently allocated four qualifying berths, collectively making up half of the 32 teams in the group stage. Therefore they should continue to dominate the competition unless poor performances cause their UEFA coefficients to drop.
If we count players who played some part in a Champions League final then there are 10 nations which have produced at least 10 winners.
Once again it is Spain who are on top: 72 Spaniards have either started or been substituted on in a Champions League final that their team went on to win.
The next most successful nationality is actually from outside Europe, with 40 Brazilians having helped to decide a Champions League final in their team’s favour.
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