Who has won the most UEFA Champions League titles - Real Madrid first champions

In 1955, the Union of European Football Associations (UEFA) established the European Cup, also known as the European Champions Clubs' Cup, with 16 teams competing in knockout rounds for the inaugural season.

Real Madrid defeated Stade Reims 4-3 in the final to become the first European Cup champions, a feat they would replicate for another four seasons to become the only club to win the competition five consecutive times from 1956 to 1960. 

The 1960s saw the rise of Portuguese and Italian teams, with Benfica winning back-to-back titles in 1961 and 1962. AC Mian secured their first title in 1963 before rivals Inter won two successive European Cups in 1964 and 1965. 

Manchester United became the first English team to win the competition, defeating Benfica 4-1 in the 1968 final. 

During the first of the 1970s, Ajax and Bayern Munich battled for supremacy in the European Cup. The Dutch side clinched three consecutive titles from 1971 to 1973, while their German counterparts also secured three successive victories from 1974 to 1976. 

The remainder of the decade and into the early 1980s saw English teams' dominant proceedings, with Liverpool lifting the European Cup in 1977, 1978, 1981 and 1984. 

Nottingham Forest won back-to-back titles in 1979 and 1980 before Aston Villa clinched the 1982 edition of the European Cup. AC Milan rounded off the decade with two consecutive titles in 1989 and 1990.

For the 1992/93 season, the European Cup was renamed the UEFA Champions League, comprising 32 teams competing in the group stages and knockout rounds to decide the winner. Marseille edged AC Milan 1-0 in the final, becoming the inaugural winner of the Champions League and the only French team to win the competition. 

Arguably, the greatest comeback in the history of the Champions League took place between favourites AC Milan and Liverpool in the 2005 final. AC Milan swept aside Liverpool in the first half, going into the break with a 3-0 lead.

However, early in the second half, Liverpool overturned the deficit in five minutes to take the match to extra time, winning 3-2 on penalties to secure their fifth Champions League title. 

Real Madrid have been the most successful side during the 2000s, winning eight Champions League titles between 2000 and 2024, with rivals Barcelona clinching four. 

For the 2024/25 season, the Champions League will have a new format, comprising a 36-team league stage instead of group stages. Each team will play eight matches against eight different sides, playing four home games and four away. The top eight teams will advance directly to the round of 16. Teams finishing from ninth place to 24th will compete in a knockout round over two legs, with the winners progressing to the round of 16. 

Notable goal-scoring records achieved by individuals at the UEFA Champions League since its inception:

Cristiano Ronaldo holds the overall record for the most goals scored in the competition, with 141 in 183 matches.  

Ronaldo also has the record for the most goals scored in a season, with 17 for Real Madrid in 2013/14. 

Below is the list of the most successful teams to have won the UEFA Champions League.