2009/2010


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Round of 32

FC Porto - Arsenal FC
Wednesday, February 17
1st Leg - 2-1
Scorers: Varela 11", Falcao 51"
Tuesday, March 9
1st Leg - @ Arsenal FC

Group Stage

COMPETITION INFORMATION

The UEFA Champions League (usually referred to as simply the Champions League or less frequently as the European Cup) is an annual football cup competition organised by UEFA since 1955 for the top football clubs in Europe. It is the most prestigious club trophy in European football.

Prior to 1992 the tournament was officially called the European Champion Clubs' Cup but was usually referred to as simply the European Cup or European Champions' Cup. The competition was initially a straight knockout competition open only to the champion club of each country. During the 1990s the tournament began to be expanded, incorporating a round-robin group phase and more teams. Europe's strongest national leagues now provide up to four teams each for the competition. The UEFA Champions League should not be confused with the UEFA Europa League, formerly known as the UEFA Cup.

The title has been won by 21 different clubs, 12 of which have won the title more than once. The all-time record-holders are Real Madrid, who have won the competition nine times, including the first five seasons it was contested. Barcelona are the current champions. Since the tournament changed name and structure in 1992, no club has managed consecutive wins.

Eligibility
The UEFA Champions League is open to each national association's domestic champions, as well as clubs who finish just behind them in their respective domestic championship. The number of clubs that can be entered by an association and their entry point in the competition depends on the association's position in UEFA's coefficient ranking list.

For more information on how many European competition positions will be granted to the each country (based on UEFA Coefficient Ranking) please visit the following website:
UEFA Coefficient Rankings

Competition Format
The UEFA Champions League, UEFA's most prestigious club competition, will undergo a series of significant changes from 2009/10 following a decision from the UEFA Executive Committee in November 2007.

The main points are:

• No changes to the format of the main competition, which will still involve 32 teams, split into eight groups of four in the group stage, followed by the knockout phase. The eight teams that finish the groups in third place cross over into the knockout phase of the new UEFA Europa League, formerly the UEFA Cup.

• The 2009/10 access list has been changed according to the following principles: 22 teams (21 teams + the titleholder) qualify directly for the group phase instead of 16. The three national associations with the highest UEFA coefficient ranking will each have three teams who gain automatic entry to the group stage, with the countries ranked 4 to 6 in the standings having two automatic qualifiers and the associations ranked 7 to 12 having one.

• As from the 2009/10 season onwards, there will be four qualifying rounds (including a play-off round), to be played in home-and-away ties, to complete the 32 participants in the UEFA Champions League group stage. There are two qualifying routes; the Champions Path and the Non-Champions Path.

• Champions Path: The first qualifying round comprises two two-legged ties involving the champions of the countries ranked 50 to 53 in UEFA competition. The winners of those ties progress to the second qualifying round where they are joined by the champions of the 32 countries ranked 17 to 49 (except Liechtenstein). The victorious sides from those 17 ties join the champions from the associations ranked 14 to 16 in the third qualifying round, with the winners of those ten pairings reaching the play-off round. These five play-off ties will take place on a home-and-away basis with the winners qualifying for the UEFA Champions League group stage.

• Non-Champions Path: The third-placed side from the sixth-ranked member association, plus the runners-up from the associations ranked 7 to 15, start the competition in the third qualifying round. The winners of these five ties progress to the play-off round, where they are joined by the fourth-placed sides from the associations ranked 1 to 3 and the third-placed teams from the associations ranked 4 and 5. The victorious teams from the five play-off ties qualify for the UEFA Champions League group stage.

• Teams from the Champions Path and the Non-Champions Path cannot meet in UEFA Champions League qualifying.

• The losing team from each of the UEFA Champions League third qualifying round ties will go into the UEFA Europa League play-offs.

• The losing team from each of the UEFA Champions League play-off ties will go into the UEFA Europa League group stage.

• The team who finishes in third position in each of the UEFA Champions League groups goes into the UEFA Europa League Round of 32. The four best third-ranked teams will be seeded for the Round of 32 with the group winners of the UEFA Europa League group stage.

• The matches in the UEFA Champions League first knockout round will be split over four weeks instead of two, using dates reserved for the UEFA club competition in February and March to maximise live match opportunities.

Qualifying
In matches in the three qualifying rounds and the play-off stage, clubs play two matches against each other on a home and away basis, with the club scoring the greater aggregate of goals qualifying for the next round. In the event of both teams scoring the same number of goals, the team which scores more goals away qualifies.

Group stage
The ten winners in the play-off round ties – five from the best-placed path and five from the champions path – join 22 automatic entrants in the 32-team group stage. The clubs are split into eight groups of four teams, who play home and away against each of their pool opponents between September and December to decide which two teams from each pool advance to the first knockout round. The third-place finishers in each pool enter the UEFA Cup Round of 32.

Knockout phase
From the last 16 until the semi-finals, clubs play two matches against each other on a home and away basis with the same rules as the qualifying and play-off rounds applied. In the last 16, group winners play runners-up other than teams from their own pool or nation, while from the quarter-finals on the draw is free.

Final
The final is decided by a single match - which this season will be played in Madrid.

The Santiago Bernabéu will host its fourth European Champion Clubs' Cup final – but the first of the UEFA Champions League era – when the 2009/10 final takes place in Madrid on 22 May 2010 (20.45CET).

The stadium, home to Real Madrid CF, last hosted the final of Europe's premier club competition in 1979/80 when Nottingham Forest FC overcame Hamburger SV 1-0. Eleven years earlier, AC Milan beat AFC Ajax 4-1 in the showpiece while the first final in the Spanish capital took place in 1956/57 when Madrid themselves claimed the trophy in its second season since conception. Inaugurated in December 1947, the Santiago Bernabéu has also staged the final of the 1964 European Nations' Cup and 1982 FIFA World Cup.

Tiebreaking format
If in the group stage of the Champions League two or more teams finish equal on points after all the group matches have been played, the following criteria are applied to determine the group rankings:

1. Higher number of points obtained in the matches between the teams in question
2. Superior goal difference from the matches between the teams in question
3. Higher number of goals scored away from home in the matches between the teams in question
4. Superior goal difference from all group matches played
5. Higher number of goals scored
6. Coefficient points accumulated by the club in question, as well as its association, over the previous five seasons

The UEFA Champions League comprises of three qualifying rounds, a group stage, and four knockout rounds.

Prize Money
UEFA awards €3 million to each team that qualifies for the UEFA Champions League, plus €2.4 million for participating in the Group stage. A Group stage win is worth €600,000 and a draw is worth €300,000.

In addition, UEFA pays each quarter finalist €2.5 million, €3 million for each semi-finalist, €4 million for the runners-up and €7 million for the winners.

Regulations
The regulations for the UEFA Champions League are initially drawn up by the UEFA Administration before being submitted to the Club Competitions Committee. They are then forwarded upon that committee's approval to the UEFA Executive Committee for ratification.

Current regulations
The current regulations can be downloaded here.
(Adobe Acrobat required)

Previous Winners
2008 - 2009 FC Barcelona
2007 - 2008 Manchester United FC
2006 - 2007 AC Milan
2005 - 2006 FC Barcelona
2004 - 2005 Liverpool FC
2003 - 2004 FC Porto
2002 - 2003 AC Milan
2001 - 2002 Real Madrid CF
2000 - 2001 FC Bayern München
1999 - 2000 Real Madrid CF
1998 - 1999 Manchester United FC
1997 - 1998 Real Madrid CF
1996 - 1997 BV Borussia Dortmund
1995 - 1996 Juventus
1994 - 1995 AFC Ajax
1993 - 1994 AC Milan
1992 - 1993 Olympique de Marseille
1991 - 1992 FC Barcelona
1990 - 1991 FK Crvena Zvezda
1989 - 1990 AC Milan
1988 - 1989 AC Milan
1987 - 1988 PSV Eindhoven
1986 - 1987 FC Porto
1985 - 1986 FC Steaua Bucuresti
1984 - 1985 Juventus
1983 - 1984 Liverpool FC
1982 - 1983 Hamburger SV
1981 - 1982 Aston Villa FC
1980 - 1981 Liverpool FC
1979 - 1980 Nottingham Forest FC
1978 - 1979 Nottingham Forest FC
1977 - 1978 Liverpool FC
1976 - 1977 Liverpool FC
1975 - 1976 FC Bayern München
1974 - 1975 FC Bayern München
1973 - 1974 FC Bayern München
1972 - 1973 AFC Ajax
1971 - 1972 AFC Ajax
1970 - 1971 AFC Ajax
1969 - 1970 Feyenoord
1968 - 1969 AC Milan
1967 - 1968 Manchester United FC
1966 - 1967 Celtic FC
1965 - 1966 Real Madrid CF
1964 - 1965 FC Internazionale Milano
1963 - 1964 FC Internazionale Milano
1962 - 1963 AC Milan
1961 - 1962 SL Benfica
1960 - 1961 SL Benfica
1959 - 1960 Real Madrid CF
1958 - 1959 Real Madrid CF
1957 - 1958 Real Madrid CF
1956 - 1957 Real Madrid CF
1955 - 1956 Real Madrid CF

Official Ball

The official UEFA Champions League match ball ("official ball") must be usedfor all matches of the 2009/10 UEFA Champions League season as from the first match of the group stage and for the official training sessions prior to such matches.

The Champions League Finale 9 Adidas match ball for 2009/10 season. This new Champions League Finale is the 9th edition of the Adidas match ball, designed specifically with performance and quality in mind.

This Adidas football is the official ball to be used in all Champions League games this season by some of the world's best footballers. The Adidas ball is styled in a metallic white colourway featuring black and red Champions League stars on the outer.

The match ball has been FIFA approved, and includes the best of technologies and integrated materials, FIFA have named this ball the most advanced football ever due to its quality weight, balance, water intake and shape retention properties.

New thermal bonding panels are also designed into this Adidas match ball instead of original stitching, to give true flight and less drag in the air.

Official Trophy

The European Champion Clubs' Cup, or simply the European Cup, is a trophy awarded annually by UEFA to the football club that wins the UEFA Champions League. Prior to 1992, the competition in its older format shared its name with the trophy, being also known as the European Cup. The trophy is often, although erroneously, referred to as the Champions League Trophy.

Several different physical trophies have had the name, as a club is entitled to keep the cup after five wins or three consecutive wins, with a new cup having to be forged for the following season. The UEFA badge of honour is a badge awarded by UEFA to such clubs.

Champions League winners keep the real trophy for ten months after their victory, and receive a scaled-down replica to keep forever. Winning clubs are also permitted to make replicas of their own, however they must be clearly marked as such and can be a maximum of eighty percent the size of the actual trophy.

The original European Cup trophy was donated by L'Équipe, a French sports newspaper. This trophy was awarded permanently to Real Madrid in March 1967. At the time, they were the reigning champions, and had won six titles altogether, including the first five competitions from 1956 to 1960.

The replacement trophy, with a somewhat different design from the original, was commissioned by UEFA from Jörg Stadelmann, a jeweller from Berne in Switzerland. At a cost of 10,000 Swiss Francs, it was silver, 74 cm high, weighing 8 kg. Subsequent replacement trophies have replicated this design. In Spanish, it is nicknamed La Orejona ("big-ears") because of the shape of the handles and for this reason Luis Omar Tapia a long time ESPN ´S UCL announcer made the name "la Orejona" popular on the American continents.

The rule to allow a club to keep the trophy after five wins or three consecutive wins was introduced before the 1968-69 season. At that point, Real Madrid were the only club meeting either qualification, and indeed met both. Once a club has been awarded the trophy, its count is reset to zero. For example, a club with no prior titles which won six titles in a row would be permanently awarded trophies after the third and sixth wins (each for three-in-a-row) but not after their fifth win.



UEFA Badge of Honor
Multiple winners of the UEFA Champions League (three consecutive times or a minimum of five times) may wear a “badge of honour”, subject to a licence being granted by UEFA. UEFA will provide the clubs concerned with sufficient badges to cover their needs (as determined by UEFA) throughout the competition

The UEFA badge of honour was introduced for the start of the 2000-01 competition. The badge itself adorns the left sleeve of the team's shirt during Champions League and UEFA Cup matches. It is a navy blue oval on which is an outline of the current trophy in white, overlaid with part of the Champions League starball logo. Above the trophy is the total number of titles held by the club.



Honoured clubs
Five clubs have kept the actual trophy, and so have been awarded the badge of honour:

Real Madrid CF after six wins, 1956-60 and 1966. They have since won it three more times, in 1998, 2000, and 2002.
AFC Ajax after their third consecutive win in 1973. They won a fourth in 1995.
FC Bayern München, after their third consecutive win in 1976. They won a fourth in 2001.
AC Milan, after their fifth title in 1994. They have since won it twice more, in 2003 and 2007.
Liverpool FC, after their fifth title in 2005.

Title-holder logo
The reigning title-holder may wear the UEFA Champions League title-holder logo badge, subject to a licence being granted by UEFA. UEFA will provide the club concerned with sufficient badges to cover its needs (as determined by UEFA) throughout the competition. The UEFA Champions League title-holder logo may not be used in any other competition.


Competition logo badge
From the first match in the group stage, the UEFA Champions League competition logo badge must appear on the right sleeve of the shirt, between the shoulder seam and the elbow. UEFA will provide the clubs concerned with sufficient badges to cover their needs (as determined by UEFA) throughout the competition. The UEFA Champions League logo may not be used in any other competition.


Official Song



2009/2010 Match Calendar

First qualifying round
1st leg 30.06/01.07.2009
2nd leg 07/08.07.2009
Second qualifying round
1st leg 14/15.07.2009
2nd leg 21/22.07.2009
Third qualifying round
1st leg 28/29.07.2009
2nd leg 04/05.08.2009
Play-off
1st leg 18/19.08.2009
2nd leg 25/26.08.2009
Group stage
Matchday 1
15/16.09.2009
Matchday 2
29/30.09.2009
Matchday 3
20/21.10.2009
Matchday 4
03/04.11.2009
Matchday 5
24/25.11.2009
Matchday 6
08/09.12.2009
First knockout round
1st leg 16/17.02.2010 & 23/24.02.2010
2nd leg 09/10.03.2010 & 16/17.03.2010
Quarter-finals
1st leg 30/31.03.2010
2nd leg 06/07.04.2010
Semi-finals
1st leg 20/21.04.2010
2nd leg 27/28.04.2010
Final (Madrid, Spain)
22.05.2010