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English football clubs in international competitions

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With 48 continental trophies won, English football clubs are the third-most successful in European football, behind Italy (50) and Spain (67). In the top-tier, the UEFA Champions League, a record six English clubs have won a total of 15 titles and lost a further 11 finals, behind Spanish clubs with 20 and 11, respectively.[1] In the second-tier, the UEFA Europa League, English clubs are third, with nine victories and eight losses in the finals.[2] In the former second-tier UEFA Cup Winners' Cup, English teams won a record eight titles and had a further five finalists.[3] In the non-UEFA organized Inter-Cities Fairs Cup, English clubs provided four winners and four runners-up, the second-most behind Spain with six and three, respectively.[4] In the newly created third-tier UEFA Conference League, English clubs have a joint-record one title so far.[5] In the former fourth-tier UEFA Intertoto Cup, England won four titles and had a further final appearance, placing it fifth in the rankings, although English clubs were notorious for treating the tournament with disdain, either sending "B" squads or withdrawing from it altogether.[6][7][8] In the one-off UEFA Super Cup, England has ten winners and ten runners-up, the second-most behind Spain with 17 and 15, respectively.[9]

Heysel ban

[edit]

English teams have participated in UEFA competitions every year save for 1955–56 and the years between 1985 and 1990, when in the aftermath of the Heysel Stadium disaster all English clubs were banned from Europe by UEFA; Liverpool, who had been playing at the Heysel Stadium against Italian side Juventus, were banned for six years, until 1991.

Non-UEFA competitions

[edit]

Prior to the establishment of official UEFA competitions in the 1950s, England had been pioneers in early continental football, organizing the Sir Thomas Lipton Trophy, which was won by West Auckland when they defeated Juventus in 1909. The Inter-Cities Fairs Cup began in 1955 and was taken over by FIFA in 1971, becoming the UEFA Cup. In 1969, due to the non-top-flight Swindon Town winning the Football League Cup, the Anglo-Italian League Cup was created to allow alternative European football outside UEFA regulations. It continued off-and-on until 1976. Several other teams have played in Europe while being outside the top flight, including more recently Birmingham City and Wigan Athletic.

Intercontinental football

[edit]

Similarly to the Intertoto Cup, English teams did not take the former Intercontinental Cup seriously enough, despite its international status of the Club World Championship. They made a total of six appearances in the one-off competition, winning only one of them, and withdrew a further three times.[10] English clubs have won the FIFA-organized Club World Cup four times, tied for the second-most with Brazil and behind only Spain, with eight.[11][8]

Team records

[edit]

Liverpool are the most successful English and British team internationally with fourteen honours, winning the most prestigious Champions League six times, also English and British records. A full list of winners is below.

Qualification for UEFA competitions

[edit]

From the 2021–22 season, the various permutations allow for a maximum of five English clubs to qualify for the UEFA Champions League, three for the UEFA Europa League and one for the UEFA Conference League.[12] From the 2018–19 season, the top four clubs in Europe's four highest ranked leagues qualify directly to the group stage.[13] These nations are currently England, Germany, Italy, and Spain. The minimum quota is for four English clubs to qualify for the UEFA Champions League and two for the UEFA Europa League.

Competition Who qualifies Notes
UEFA Champions League group stage Premier League 1st
Premier League 2nd
Premier League 3rd
Premier League 4th
UEFA Champions League winners Since the 2015–16 season, the UEFA Champions League winners gain entry to the UEFA Champions League in the group stages.[14]
UEFA Europa League winners Prior to the 2015–16 season, there was a limit of four clubs from each association entering the Champions League. If a club outside of England's top four won the Champions League, the 4th placed club would be demoted to the Europa League in the following season. This occurred in the 2011–12 season when Chelsea won the Champions League but only finished sixth in the Premier League. They replaced the fourth-placed team Tottenham Hotspur in the Champions League, who were demoted to the Europa League.

From the 2018–19 season, the UEFA Europa League winners gain entry to the UEFA Champions League in the group stage.[15]

Also from that season, if English clubs win both the UEFA Champions League and UEFA Europa League, and neither finish the Premier League in a position that qualifies them for the UEFA Champions League, the following will happen:

  • The club that won the UEFA Champions League will go straight into the group stage
  • The UEFA Europa League winners will go into the UEFA Champions League group stage
  • The club that finished fourth in the Premier League will transfer into the UEFA Europa League group stage

[16]

UEFA Europa League group stage FA Cup winners or Premier League 6th If the FA Cup winners qualify for the UEFA Champions League or the UEFA Europa League via the domestic league or European performance, by Regulation 3.04,[17] the highest ranking non-qualified league club qualifies, taking the lowest Europa League spot (the League Cup spot – the League Cup inherits the League spot, and the League inherits the FA Cup spot).
Premier League 5th
UEFA Conference League winners
UEFA Conference League play-off round League Cup winners or Premier League 6th/7th If the League Cup winners have already qualified for Europe through other means, then the next highest-finishing Premier League club gets this place
UEFA Europa League first qualifying round Premier League club with the best UEFA Fair Play ranking that has not already qualified for Europe, but only if England has one of the top three positions and has a fair play score of above eight. As of 2015, Fair Play no longer earns this Europa League spot. Instead, such teams will be awarded in cash prizes, with the money to be spent on related initiatives.[18]

Wales-based clubs

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Note that some Football League clubs are not based in England. Because they are members of the Football Association of Wales (FAW), the question of which country clubs like Cardiff City and Swansea City should represent in European competitions has caused long-running discussions in UEFA. Despite being a member of the FAW, Swansea took up one of England's three available places in the UEFA Europa League in 2013–14, thanks to winning the League Cup in 2012–13. The right of Welsh clubs to take up such English places was in doubt until UEFA clarified the matter in March 2012.[19]

European and World competition winners

[edit]
Club Number of titles
European competitions Intercontinental competitions Total
European Cup/Champions League UEFA Cup/Europa League Conference League Cup Winners' Cup Intertoto Cup Super Cup Inter-Cities Fairs Cup FIFA Club World Cup Intercontinental Cup
Liverpool 6 3 4 1 14
Chelsea 2 2 2 2 1 9
Manchester United 3 1 1 1 1 1 8
Manchester City 1 1 1 1 4
Nottingham Forest 2 1 3
Aston Villa 1 1 1 3
Tottenham Hotspur 2 1 3
West Ham United 1 1 1 3
Arsenal 1 1 2
Leeds United 2 2
Newcastle United 1 1 2
Ipswich Town 1 1
Everton 1 1
Fulham 1 1
Total 15 9 1 8 4 10 4 4 1 56

Chronology

[edit]
European Cup/Champions League UEFA Cup/Europa League Conference League Cup Winners' Cup Inter-Cities Fairs Cup Super Cup FIFA Club World Cup Intercontinental Cup Intertoto Cup
2022–23Manchester City 2018–19Chelsea 2022–23West Ham United 1997–98Chelsea 1970–71Leeds United 2023Manchester City 2023Manchester City 1999Manchester United 2006Newcastle United
2020–21Chelsea 2016–17Manchester United 1993–94Arsenal 1969–70Arsenal 2021Chelsea 2021Chelsea 2002Fulham
2018–19Liverpool 2012–13Chelsea 1990–91Manchester United 1968–69Newcastle United 2019Liverpool 2019Liverpool 2001Aston Villa
2011–12Chelsea 2000–01Liverpool 1984–85Everton 1967–68Leeds United 2005Liverpool 2008Manchester United 1999West Ham United
2007–08Manchester United 1983–84Tottenham Hotspur 1970–71Chelsea 2001Liverpool
2004–05Liverpool 1980–81Ipswich Town 1969–70Manchester City 1998Chelsea
1998–99Manchester United 1975–76Liverpool 1964–65West Ham United 1991Manchester United
1983–84Liverpool 1972–73Liverpool 1962–63Tottenham Hotspur 1982Aston Villa
1981–82Aston Villa 1971–72Tottenham Hotspur 1979Nottingham Forest
1980–81Liverpool 1977Liverpool
1979–80Nottingham Forest
1978–79Nottingham Forest
1977–78Liverpool
1976–77Liverpool
1967–68Manchester United

Full European record for English league clubs

[edit]

Note: Clubs in bold won the corresponding competition that season.

European Cup/UEFA Champions League

[edit]

English clubs have won the competition fifteen times and been runners-up on eleven occasions.

Season Club Progress Score Opponents Venue(s)
1955–56 None entered
1956–57 Manchester United Semi-finals 3–5 Spain Real Madrid 1–3 at Santiago Bernabéu
2–2 at Old Trafford
1957–58 2–5 Italy Milan 2–1 at Old Trafford
0–4 at San Siro
1958–59 First round Switzerland Young Boys Walkover – United withdrawn by the Football League
Wolverhampton Wanderers 3–4 West Germany Schalke 04 2–2 at Molineux
1–2 at Glückauf-Kampfbahn
1959–60 Quarter-finals 2–9 Spain Barcelona 0–4 at Camp Nou
2–5 at Molineux
1960–61 Burnley 4–5 West Germany Hamburger SV 3–1 at Turf Moor
1–4 at Volksparkstadion
1961–62 Tottenham Hotspur Semi-finals 3–4 Portugal Benfica 1–3 at Estádio da Luz
2–1 at White Hart Lane
1962–63 Ipswich Town First round 2–4 Italy Milan 0–3 at San Siro
2–1 at Portman Road
1963–64 Everton Preliminary round 0–1 Italy Inter Milan 0–0 at Goodison Park
0–1 at Stadio Giuseppe Meazza
1964–65 Liverpool Semi-finals 3–4 3–1 at Anfield
0–3 at Stadio Giuseppe Meazza
1965–66 Manchester United 1–2 Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia Partizan 0–2 at Partizan
1–0 at Old Trafford
1966–67 Liverpool Second round 3–7 Netherlands Ajax 1–5 at De Meer
2–2 at Anfield
1967–68 Manchester United Winners 4–1 aet. Portugal Benfica Wembley Stadium
1968–69 Manchester City First round 1–2 Turkey Fenerbahçe 0–0 at Maine Road
1–2 at Şükrü Saracoğlu Stadium
Manchester United Semi-finals Italy Milan 0–2 at San Siro
1–0 at Old Trafford
1969–70 Leeds United 1–3 Scotland Celtic 0–1 at Elland Road
1–2 at Hampden Park
1970–71 Everton Quarter-finals 1–1 (a) Greece Panathinaikos 1–1 at Goodison Park
0–0 at Leoforos Alexandras Stadium
1971–72 Arsenal 1–3 Netherlands Ajax 1–2 at De Meer Stadion
0–1 at Highbury Stadium
1972–73 Derby County Semi-finals 1–3 Italy Juventus 1–3 at Stadio Comunale
0–0 at Baseball Ground
1973–74 Liverpool Second round 2–4 Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia Red Star Belgrade 1–2 at Red Star Stadium
1–2 at Anfield
1974–75 Leeds United Final 0–2 West Germany Bayern Munich Parc des Princes
1975–76 Derby County Second round 5–6 (a.e.t.) Spain Real Madrid 4–1 at Baseball Ground
1–5 at Santiago Bernabéu
1976–77 Liverpool Winners 3–1 West Germany Borussia Mönchengladbach Stadio Olimpico
1977–78 Winners 1–0 Belgium Club Brugge Wembley Stadium
1978–79 Liverpool First round 0–2 England Nottingham Forest 0–2 at City Ground
0–0 at Anfield
Nottingham Forest Winners 1–0 Sweden Malmö FF Olympiastadion Munich
1979–80 Liverpool First round 2–4 Soviet Union Dinamo Tbilisi 2–1 at Anfield
0–3 at Boris Paichadze Stadium
Nottingham Forest Winners 1–0 West Germany Hamburger SV Santiago Bernabéu
1980–81 Nottingham Forest First round 0–2 Bulgaria CSKA Sofia 0–1 at Balgarska Armia Stadium
0–1 at City Ground
Liverpool Winners 1–0 Spain Real Madrid Parc des Princes
1981–82 Liverpool Quarter-finals 1–2 (a.e.t.) Bulgaria CSKA Sofia 0–1 at Anfield
2–0 at Balgarska Armia Stadium
Aston Villa Winners 1–0 West Germany Bayern Munich De Kuip
1982–83 Liverpool Quarter-finals 3–4 Poland Widzew Łódź 0–2 at Stadion Widzewa
3–2 at Anfield
Aston Villa 2–5 Italy Juventus 1–2 at Villa Park
1–3 at Stadio Olimpico di Torino
1983–84 Liverpool Winners 1–1 aet. (4–2 p) Italy Roma Stadio Olimpico
1984–85 Final 0–1 Italy Juventus Heysel Stadium
1985–86 Banned
1986–87
1987–88
1988–89
1989–90
1990–91[a]
1991–92 Arsenal Second round 2–4 (a.e.t.) Portugal Benfica 1–1 at Estádio da Luz
1–3 at Highbury
1992–93 Leeds United 2–4 Scotland Rangers 1–2 at Elland Road
1–2 at Ibrox
1993–94 Manchester United 3–3 (a) Turkey Galatasaray 3–3 at Old Trafford
0–0 at Ali Sami Yen Stadium
1994–95 Manchester United 3rd in group stage N/A Sweden IFK Göteborg, Spain Barcelona, Turkey Galatasaray
1995–96 Blackburn Rovers 4th in group stage N/A Russia Spartak Moscow, Poland Legia Warsaw, Norway Rosenborg
1996–97 Manchester United Semi-finals 0–2 Germany Borussia Dortmund 0–1 at Signal Iduna Park
0–1 at Old Trafford
1997–98 Newcastle United 3rd in group stage N/A Ukraine Dynamo Kyiv, Netherlands PSV Eindhoven, Spain Barcelona
Manchester United Quarter-finals 1–1 (a) France Monaco 0–0 at Stade Louis II
1–1 at Old Trafford
1998–99 Arsenal 3rd in group stage N/A Ukraine Dynamo Kyiv, France Lens, Greece Panathinaikos
Manchester United Winners 2–1 Germany Bayern Munich Camp Nou
1999–2000 Arsenal 3rd in first group stage UEFA Spain Barcelona, Italy Fiorentina, Sweden AIK
Chelsea Quarter-finals 4–6 (a.e.t.) Spain Barcelona 3–1 at Stamford Bridge
1–5 at Camp Nou
Manchester United 2–3 Spain Real Madrid 0–0 at Santiago Bernabéu
2–3 at Old Trafford
2000–01 Arsenal Quarter-finals 2–2 (a) Spain Valencia 2–1 at Highbury
0–1 at Mestalla
Manchester United 1–3 Germany Bayern Munich 0–1 at Old Trafford
1–2 at Olympiastadion
Leeds United Semi-finals 0–3 Spain Valencia 0–0 at Elland Road
0–3 at Mestalla
2001–02 Arsenal 3rd in second group stage N/A Germany Bayer Leverkusen, Spain Deportivo La Coruña, Italy Juventus
Liverpool Quarter-finals 3–4 Germany Bayer Leverkusen 1–0 at Anfield
2–4 at BayArena
Manchester United Semi-finals 3–3 (a) 2–2 at Old Trafford
1–1 at BayArena
2002–03 Liverpool 3rd in first group stage UEFA Spain Valencia, Switzerland Basel, Russia Spartak Moscow
Newcastle United 3rd in second group stage N/A Spain Barcelona, Italy Inter Milan, Germany Bayer Leverkusen
Arsenal Spain Valencia, Netherlands Ajax, Italy Roma
Manchester United Quarter-finals 5–6 Spain Real Madrid 1–3 at Santiago Bernabéu
4–3 at Old Trafford
2003–04 Newcastle United Third qualifying round 1–1 (3–4 p)
(UEFA)
Federal Republic of Yugoslavia Partizan 1–0 at Partizan Stadium
0–1 at St James' Park
Manchester United Round of 16 2–3 Portugal Porto 1–2 at Estádio do Dragão
1–1 at Old Trafford
Arsenal Quarter-finals 2–3 England Chelsea 1–1 at Stamford Bridge
1–2 at Highbury
Chelsea Semi-finals 3–5 France Monaco 1–3 at Stade Louis II
2–2 at Stamford Bridge
2004–05 Manchester United Round of 16 0–2 Italy Milan 0–1 at Old Trafford
0–1 at San Siro
Arsenal 2–3 Germany Bayern Munich 1–3 at Allianz Arena
1–0 at Highbury
Chelsea Semi-finals 0–1 England Liverpool 0–0 at Stamford Bridge
0–1 at Anfield
Liverpool Winners 3–3 (a.e.t.) (3–2 p) Italy Milan Atatürk Olympic Stadium
2005–06 Everton Third qualifying round 2–4
UEFA
Spain Villarreal 1–2 at Goodison Park
1–2 at Estadio El Madrigal
Manchester United 4th in group stage N/A

Spain Villarreal, Portugal Benfica, France Lille

Chelsea Round of 16 2–3 Spain Barcelona 1–2 at Stamford Bridge
0–1 at Camp Nou
Liverpool 0–3 Portugal Benfica 0–1 at Estádio da Luz
0–2 at Anfield
Arsenal Final 1–2 Spain Barcelona Stade de France
2006–07 Arsenal Round of 16 1–2 Netherlands PSV Eindhoven 0–1 at Philips Stadion
1–1 at Emirates Stadium
Chelsea Semi-finals 1–1 (1–4 p) England Liverpool 1–0 at Stamford Bridge
0–1 at Anfield
Manchester United Semi-finals 3–5 Italy Milan 3–2 at Old Trafford
0–3 at San Siro
Liverpool Final 1–2 Olympic Stadium
2007–08 Arsenal Quarter-finals 3–5 England Liverpool 1–1 at Emirates Stadium
2–4 at Anfield
Liverpool Semi-finals 3–4 (a.e.t.) England Chelsea 1–1 at Anfield
2–3 at Stamford Bridge
Chelsea Final 1–1 (5–6 p) England Manchester United Luzhniki Stadium
Manchester United Winners 1–1 (6–5 p) England Chelsea Luzhniki Stadium
2008–09 Liverpool Quarter-finals 5–7 England Chelsea 1–3 at Anfield
4–4 at Stamford Bridge
Chelsea Semi-finals 1–1 (a) Spain Barcelona 0–0 at Camp Nou
1–1 at Stamford Bridge
Arsenal 1–4 England Manchester United 0–1 at Old Trafford
1–3 at Emirates Stadium
Manchester United Final 0–2 Spain Barcelona Stadio Olimpico
2009–10 Liverpool 3rd in group stage UEFA

Italy Fiorentina, France Lyon, Hungary Debrecen

Chelsea Round of 16 1–3 Italy Inter Milan 1–2 at San Siro
0–1 at Stamford Bridge
Arsenal Quarter-finals 3–6 Spain Barcelona 2–2 at Emirates Stadium
1–4 at Camp Nou
Manchester United 4–4 (a) Germany Bayern Munich 1–2 at Allianz Arena
3–2 at Old Trafford
2010–11 Arsenal Round of 16 3–4 Spain Barcelona 2–1 at Emirates Stadium
1–3 at Camp Nou
Chelsea Quarter-finals 1–3 England Manchester United 0–1 at Stamford Bridge
1–2 at Old Trafford
Tottenham Hotspur 0–5 Spain Real Madrid 0–4 at Santiago Bernabéu
0–1 at White Hart Lane
Manchester United Final 1–3 Spain Barcelona Wembley Stadium
2011–12 Manchester City 3rd in group stage UEFA Germany Bayern Munich, Italy Napoli, Spain Villarreal
Manchester United Portugal Benfica, Switzerland Basel, Romania Oțelul Galați
Arsenal Round of 16 3–4 Italy Milan 0–4 at San Siro
3–0 at Emirates Stadium
Chelsea Winners 1–1 (a.e.t.) (4–3 p) Germany Bayern Munich Allianz Arena
2012–13 Manchester City 4th in group stage N/A Germany Borussia Dortmund, Spain Real Madrid, Netherlands Ajax
Chelsea 3rd in group stage UEFA Italy Juventus, Ukraine Shakhtar Donetsk, Denmark Nordsjælland
Manchester United Round of 16 2–3 Spain Real Madrid 1–1 at Santiago Bernabéu
1–2 at Old Trafford
Arsenal 3–3 (a) Germany Bayern Munich 1–3 at Emirates Stadium
0–2 at Allianz Arena
2013–14 Arsenal Round of 16 1–3 Germany Bayern Munich 0–2 at Emirates Stadium
1–1 at Allianz Arena
Manchester City 1–4 Spain Barcelona 0–2 at Etihad Stadium
1–2 at Camp Nou
Manchester United Quarter-finals 2–4 Germany Bayern Munich 1–1 at Old Trafford
1–3 at Allianz Arena
Chelsea Semi-finals 1–3 Spain Atlético Madrid 0–0 at Vicente Calderón
1–3 at Stamford Bridge
2014–15 Liverpool 3rd in group stage UEFA Spain Real Madrid, Switzerland Basel, Bulgaria Ludogorets Razgrad
Manchester City Round of 16 1–3 Spain Barcelona 1–2 at Etihad Stadium
0–1 at Camp Nou
Arsenal 3–3 (a) France Monaco 1–3 at Emirates Stadium
2–0 at Stade Louis II
Chelsea 3–3 (a
(a.e.t.)
France Paris Saint-Germain 1–1 at Parc des Princes
2–2 at Stamford Bridge
2015–16 Manchester United 3rd in group stage UEFA Germany VfL Wolfsburg, Netherlands PSV Eindhoven, Russia CSKA Moscow
Arsenal Round of 16 1–5 Spain Barcelona 0–2 at Emirates Stadium
1–3 at Camp Nou
Chelsea 2–4 France Paris Saint-Germain 1–2 at Parc des Princes
1–2 at Stamford Bridge
Manchester City Semi-finals 0–1 Spain Real Madrid 0–0 at Etihad Stadium
0–1 at Santiago Bernabéu
2016–17 Tottenham Hotspur 3rd in group stage UEFA France Monaco, Germany Bayer Leverkusen, Russia CSKA Moscow
Arsenal Round of 16 2–10 Germany Bayern Munich 1–5 at Allianz Arena
1–5 at Emirates Stadium
Manchester City 6–6 (a) France Monaco 5–3 at Etihad Stadium
1–3 at Stade Louis II
Leicester City Quarter-finals 1–2 Spain Atlético Madrid 0–1 at Vicente Calderón
1–1 at King Power Stadium
2017–18 Chelsea Round of 16 1–4 Spain Barcelona 1–1 at Stamford Bridge
0–3 at Camp Nou
Manchester United 1–2 Spain Sevilla 0–0 at Ramón Sánchez Pizjuán
1–2 at Old Trafford
Tottenham Hotspur 3–4 Italy Juventus 2–2 at Juventus Stadium
1–2 at Wembley Stadium
Manchester City Quarter-finals 1–5 England Liverpool 0–3 at Anfield
1–2 at Etihad Stadium
Liverpool Final 1–3 Spain Real Madrid NSC Olimpiyskiy Stadium
2018–19 Manchester United Quarter-finals 0–4 Spain Barcelona 0–1 at Old Trafford
0–3 at Camp Nou
Manchester City 4–4 (a) England Tottenham Hotspur 0–1 at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium
4–3 at Etihad Stadium
Tottenham Hotspur Final 0–2 England Liverpool Wanda Metropolitano
Liverpool Winners 2–0 England Tottenham Hotspur
2019–20 Chelsea Round of 16 1–7 Germany Bayern Munich 0–3 at Stamford Bridge
1–4 at Allianz Arena
Tottenham Hotspur 0–4 Germany RB Leipzig 0–1 at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium
0–3 at Red Bull Arena
Liverpool 2–4 (a.e.t.) Spain Atlético Madrid 0–1 at Wanda Metropolitano
2–3 at Anfield
Manchester City Quarter-finals 1–3 France Lyon Estádio José Alvalade
2020–21 Manchester United 3rd in group stage UEFA France Paris Saint-Germain, Germany RB Leipzig, Turkey İstanbul Başakşehir
Liverpool Quarter-finals 1–3 Spain Real Madrid 1–3 at Alfredo Di Stéfano
0–0 at Anfield
Manchester City Final 0–1 England Chelsea Estádio do Dragão
Chelsea Winners 1–0 England Manchester City
2021–22 Manchester United Round of 16 1–2 Spain Atlético Madrid 1–1 at Wanda Metropolitano
0–1 at Old Trafford
Chelsea Quarter-finals 4–5 (a.e.t.) Spain Real Madrid 1–3 at Stamford Bridge
3–2 at Santiago Bernabéu
Manchester City Semi-finals 5–6 (a.e.t.) 4–3 at Etihad Stadium
1–3 at Santiago Bernabéu
Liverpool Final 0–1 Stade de France
2022–23 Liverpool Round of 16 2–6 Spain Real Madrid 2–5 at Anfield
0–1 at Santiago Bernabéu
Tottenham Hotspur 0–1 Italy Milan 0–1 at San Siro
0–0 at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium
Chelsea Quarter-finals 0–4 Spain Real Madrid 0–2 at Santiago Bernabéu
0–2 at Stamford Bridge
Manchester City Winners 1–0 Italy Inter Milan Atatürk Olympic Stadium
2023–24 Manchester United 4th in group stage N/A Germany Bayern Munich, Denmark Copenhagen, Turkey Galatasaray
Newcastle United Germany Borussia Dortmund, France Paris Saint-Germain, Italy Milan
Arsenal Quarter-finals 2–3 Germany Bayern Munich 2–2 at Emirates Stadium
0–1 at Allianz Arena
Manchester City 4–4 (3–4 p) Spain Real Madrid 3–3 at Santiago Bernabéu
1–1 at Etihad Stadium

Note: UEFA denotes qualified for the UEFA Cup/Europa League.

  1. ^ The Heysel ban for English clubs was lifted for 1990–91, apart from for Liverpool who served an additional year.

UEFA Cup/Europa League

[edit]

English clubs have won the competition nine times and reached the final on eight other occasions (including 1972 and 2019 when both finalists were from England).

Season Club Progress Score Opponents Venue(s)
1971–72 Southampton First round 2–3 Spain Athletic Bilbao 2–1 at The Dell
0–2 at San Mamés
Leeds United 2–4 Belgium Lierse 2–0 at Lierse
0–4 at Elland Road
Wolverhampton Wanderers Final 2–3 England Tottenham Hotspur 1–2 at Molineux
1–1 at White Hart Lane
Tottenham Hotspur Winners 3–2 England Wolverhampton Wanderers 2–1 at Molineux
1–1 at White Hart Lane
1972–73 Manchester City First round 3–4 Spain Valencia 2–2 at Maine Road
1–2 at Mestalla
Stoke City 3–5 West Germany 1. FC Kaiserslautern 3–1 at Victoria Ground
0–4 at Fritz-Walter-Stadion
Tottenham Hotspur Semi-finals 2–2 (a) England Liverpool 0–1 at Anfield
2–1 at White Hart Lane
Liverpool Winners 3–2 West Germany Borussia Mönchengladbach 3–0 at Anfield
0–2 at Bökelbergstadion
1973–74 Wolverhampton Wanderers Second round 4–4 (a) East Germany Lokomotive Leipzig 0–3 at Bruno-Plache-Stadion
4–1 at Molineux
Leeds United Third round 2–3 Portugal Vitória de Setúbal 1–0 at Elland Road
1–3 at Estádio do Bonfim
Ipswich Town Quarter-finals 1–1 (3–4 p) East Germany Lokomotive Leipzig 1–0 at Portman Road
0–1 at Bruno-Plache-Stadion
Tottenham Hotspur Final 2–4 Netherlands Feyenoord 2–2 at White Hart Lane
0–2 at De Kuip
1974–75 Ipswich Town First round 3–3 (a) Netherlands Twente 2–2 at Portman Road
1–1 at Diekman Stadion
Stoke City 1–1 (a) Netherlands Ajax 1–1 at Victoria Ground
0–0 at De Meer Stadion
Wolverhampton Wanderers 4–5 Portugal Porto 1–4 at Estádio das Antas
3–1 at Molineux
Derby County Third round 4–5 Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia Velež Mostar 3–1 at Baseball Ground
1–4 at Bijeli Brijeg Stadium
1975–76 Aston Villa First round 1–5 Belgium Royal Antwerp 1–4 at Bosuilstadion
0–1 at Villa Park
Everton 0–1 Italy Milan 0–0 at Goodison Park
0–1 at San Siro
Ipswich Town Second round 3–4 Belgium Club Brugge 3–0 at Portman Road
0–4 at Olympiastadion
Liverpool Winners 4–3 Belgium Club Brugge 3–2 at Anfield
1–1 at Olympiastadion
1976–77 Manchester City First round 1–2 Italy Juventus 1–0 at Maine Road
0–2 at Stadio Comunale di Torino
Derby County Second round 2–5 Greece AEK Athens 0–2 at Nikos Goumas Stadium
2–3 at Baseball Ground
Manchester United 1–3 Italy Juventus 1–0 at Old Trafford
0–3 at Stadio Comunale di Torino
Queens Park Rangers Quarter-finals 3–3 (6–7 p) Greece AEK Athens 3–0 at Loftus Road
0–3 at Nikos Goumas Stadium
1977–78 Manchester City First round 2–2 (a) Poland Widzew Łódź 2–2 at Maine Road
0–0 at Stadion Widzewa
Newcastle United Second round 2–5 (a) France Bastia 1–2 at Stade Armand Cesari
1–3 at St James' Park
Ipswich Town Third round 3–3 (1–3 p) Spain Barcelona 3–0 at Portman Road
0–3 at Camp Nou
Aston Villa Quarter-finals 3–4 2–2 at Villa Park
1–2 at Camp Nou
1978–79 Everton Second round 2–2 (a) Czechoslovakia Dukla Prague 2–1 at Goodison Park
0–1 at Stadion Juliska
Arsenal Third round 1–2 Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia Red Star Belgrade 0–1 at Red Star Stadium
1–1 at Highbury
West Bromwich Albion Quarter-finals 1–2 0–1 at Red Star Stadium
1–1 at The Hawthorns
Manchester City 2–4 West Germany Borussia Mönchengladbach 1–1 at Maine Road
1–3 at Bökelbergstadion
1979–80 West Bromwich Albion First round 1–4 East Germany Carl Zeiss Jena 0–2 at Ernst-Abbe-Sportfeld
1–2 at The Hawthorns
Everton 0–2 Netherlands Feyenoord 0–1 at Feyenoord Stadion
0–1 at Goodison Park
Leeds United Second round 0–4 Romania Universitatea Craiova 0–2 at Stadionul Central
0–2 at Elland Road
Ipswich Town 1–1 (a) Switzerland Grasshopper 0–0 at Hardturm
1–1 at Portman Road
1980–81 Wolverhampton Wanderers First round 2–3 Netherlands PSV Eindhoven 1–3 at Philips Stadion
1–0 at Molineux
Manchester United 1–1 (a) Poland Widzew Łódź 1–1 at Old Trafford
0–0 at Stadion Widzewa
Ipswich Town Winners 5–4 Netherlands AZ 3–0 at Portman Road
2–4 at Olympic Stadium
1981–82 West Bromwich Albion First round 1–4 Switzerland Grasshopper 0–1 at Hardturm
1–3 at The Hawthorns
Ipswich Town 2–4 Scotland Aberdeen 1–1 at Portman Road
1–3 at Pittodrie Stadium
Southampton Second round 2–4 Portugal Sporting CP 2–4 at The Dell
0–0 at Estádio José Alvalade
Arsenal 2–2 (a) Belgium SV Winterslag 0–1 at Genk
2–1 at Highbury
1982–83 Arsenal First round 4–8 Russia Spartak Moscow 2–3 at Luzhniki Stadium
2–5 at Highbury
Manchester United 1–2 Spain Valencia 0–0 at Old Trafford
1–2 at Mestalla
Ipswich Town 3–4 Italy Roma 0–3 at Stadio Olimpico
3–1 at Portman Road
Southampton 2–2 (a) Sweden IFK Norrköping 2–2 at The Dell
0–0 at Idrottsparken
1983–84 Aston Villa Second round 3–4 Soviet Union Spartak Moscow 2–2 at Luzhniki Stadium
1–2 at Villa Park
Watford Third round 2–7 Czechoslovakia Sparta Prague 2–3 at Vicarage Road
0–4 at Letná Stadium
Nottingham Forest Semi-finals 2–3 Belgium Anderlecht 2–0 at City Ground
0–3*[20] at Constant Vanden Stock Stadium
Tottenham Hotspur Winners 2–2 (4–3 p) 1–1 at Constant Vanden Stock Stadium
1–1 at White Hart Lane
1984–85 Nottingham Forest First round 0–1 Belgium Club Brugge 0–0 at City Ground
0–1 at Olympiastadion
Southampton 0–2 Germany Hamburger SV 0–0 at The Dell
0–1 at Volksparkstadion
Queens Park Rangers Second round 6–6 (a) Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia Partizan 6–2 at Highbury
0–4 at Partizan Stadium
Tottenham Hotspur Quarter-finals 0–1 Spain Real Madrid 0–1 at White Hart Lane
0–0 at Santiago Bernabéu
Manchester United 1–1 (4–5 p) Hungary Videoton 1–0 at Old Trafford
0–1 at Stadion Sostoi
1985–86 Banned
1986–87
1987–88
1988–89
1989–90
1990–91[a] Aston Villa Second round 2–3 Italy Inter Milan 2–0 at Villa Park
0–3 at San Siro
1991–92[b] Liverpool Quarter-finals 1–4 Italy Genoa 0–2 at Stadio Luigi Ferraris
1–2 at Anfield
1992–93[c] Manchester United First round 0–0 (3–4 p) Russia Torpedo Moscow 0–0 at Old Trafford
0–0 at Luzhniki Stadium
Sheffield Wednesday Second round 3–5 Germany 1. FC Kaiserslautern 1–3 at Fritz Walter Stadion
2–2 at Hillsborough Stadium
1993–94[d] Aston Villa 1–2 Spain Deportivo La Coruña 1–1 at Estadio Riazor
0–1 at Villa Park
Norwich City Third round 0–2 Italy Inter Milan 0–1 at Carrow Road
0–1 at San Siro
1994–95[e] Blackburn Rovers First round 2–3 Sweden Trelleborgs FF 0–1 at Ewood Park
2–2 at Vångavallen
Newcastle United Second round 3–3 (a) Spain Athletic Bilbao 3–2 at St James' Park
0-1 at San Mamés
Aston Villa 2–2 (a) Turkey Trabzonspor 0–1 at Hüseyin Avni Aker Stadium
2–1 at Villa Park
1995–96[f] Manchester United First round 2–2 (a) Russia Rotor Volgograd 0–0 at Rotor Stadium
2–2 at Old Trafford
Liverpool Second round 0–1 Denmark Brøndby 0–0 at Brøndby Stadium
0–1 at Anfield
Leeds United 3–8 Netherlands PSV Eindhoven 3–5 at Elland Road
0–3 at Philips Stadion
Nottingham Forest Quarter-finals 2–7 Germany Bayern Munich 1–2 at Olympic Stadium
1–5 at City Ground
1996–97[g] Arsenal First round 4–6 Germany Borussia Mönchengladbach 2–3 at Highbury
2–3 at Müngersdorfer Stadion
Aston Villa 1–1 (a) Sweden Helsingborgs IF 1–1 at Villa Park
0–0 at Olympia
Newcastle United Quarter-finals 0–4 France Monaco 0–1 at St James' Park
0–3 at Stade Louis II
1997–98 Arsenal First round 1–2 Greece PAOK 0–1 at Toumba Stadium
1–1 at Highbury
Leicester City 1–4 Spain Atlético Madrid 1–2 at Vicente Calderón
0–2 at Filbert Street
Liverpool Second round 2–3 France Strasbourg 0–3 at Stade de la Meinau
2–0 at Anfield
Aston Villa Quarter-finals 2–2 (a) Spain Atlético Madrid 0–1 at Vicente Calderón
2–1 at Villa Park
1998–99 Blackburn Rovers First round 2–3 France Lyon 0–1 at Ewood Park
2–2 at Stade de Gerland
Leeds United Second round 0–1 Italy Roma 0–1 at Stadio Olimpico
0–0 at Elland Road
Aston Villa 2–3 Spain Celta Vigo 1–0 at Villa Park
1–3 at Balaídos
Liverpool Third round 2–3 1–3 at Balaídos
1–0 at Anfield
1999–2000 West Ham United Second round 0–2 Romania Steaua București 0–2 at Stadionul Steaua
0–0 at Boleyn Ground
Tottenham Hotspur 1–2 Germany 1. FC Kaiserslautern 1–0 at White Hart Lane
0–2 at Fritz Walter Stadion
Newcastle United Third round 0–1 Italy Roma 0–1 at Stadio Olimpico
0–0 at St James' Park
Leeds United Semi-finals 2–4 Turkey Galatasaray 0–2 at Ali Sami Yen Stadium
2–2 at Elland Road
Arsenal Final 0–0 (1–4 p) Parken Stadium
2000–01 Leicester City First round 2–4 Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia Red Star Belgrade 1–1 at Filbert Street
1–3 at Wien
Chelsea First round 1–2 Switzerland St. Gallen 1–0 at Stamford Bridge
0–2 at Espenmoos
Liverpool Winners 5–4 (g.g.) Spain Alavés Westfalenstadion
2001–02 Aston Villa First round 3–3 (a) Croatia Varteks 2–3 at Villa Park
1–0 at Stadion Varteks
Chelsea Second round 1–3 Israel Hapoel Tel Aviv 0–2 at Bloomfield Stadium
1–1 at Stamford Bridge
Ipswich Town Third round 2–4 Italy Inter Milan 1–0 at Portman Road
1–4 at San Siro
Leeds United Fourth round 0–1 Netherlands PSV Eindhoven 0–0 at Philips Stadion
0–1 at Elland Road
2002–03 Chelsea First round 4–5 Norway Viking 2–1 at Stamford Bridge
2–4 at Stavanger Stadion
Ipswich Town Second round 1–1 (2–4 p) Czech Republic Slovan Liberec 1–0 at Portman Road
0–1 at U Nisy Stadium
Blackburn Rovers 0–3 Scotland Celtic 0–1 at Celtic Park
0–2 at Ewood Park
Leeds United Third round 1–2 Spain Málaga 0–0 at La Rosaleda
1–2 at Elland Road
Fulham 1–2 Germany Hertha BSC 1–2 at Olympic Stadium
0–0 at Craven Cottage
Liverpool Quarter-finals 1–3 Scotland Celtic 1–1 at Celtic Park
0–2 at Anfield
2003–04 Blackburn Rovers First round 2–4 Turkey Gençlerbirliği 1–3 at Ankara 19 Mayıs Stadium
1–1 at Ewood Park
Southampton 1–2 Romania Steaua București 1–1 at St Mary's Stadium
0–1 at Stadionul Steaua
Manchester City Second round 1–1 (a) Poland Dyskobolia Grodzisk Wielkopolski 1–1 at City of Manchester Stadium
0–0 at Stadion Dyskobolia
Liverpool Fourth round 2–3 France Marseille 1–1 at Anfield
1–2 at Stade Vélodrome
Newcastle United Semi-finals 0–2 0–0 at St James' Park
0–2 at Stade Vélodrome
2004–05 Millwall First round 2–4 Hungary Ferencváros 1–1 at The Den
1–3 at Stadion Albert Flórián
Middlesbrough Round of 16 2–4 Portugal Sporting CP 2–3 at Riverside Stadium
0–1 at Estádio José Alvalade
Newcastle United Quarter-finals 2–4 1–0 at St James' Park
1–4 at Estádio José Alvalade
2005–06 Everton First round 2–5 Romania Dinamo București 1–5 at Stadionul Dinamo
1–0 at Goodison Park
Bolton Wanderers Intermediate round 1–2 France Marseille 0–0 at Reebok Stadium
1–2 at Stade Vélodrome
Middlesbrough Final 0–4 Spain Sevilla Philips Stadion
2006–07 West Ham United First round 0–4 Italy Palermo 0–1 at Boleyn Ground
0–3 at Stadio Renzo Barbera
Blackburn Rovers Intermediate round 2–3 Germany Bayer Leverkusen 2–3 at BayArena
0–0 at Ewood Park
Newcastle United Round of 16 4–4 (a) Netherlands AZ 4–2 at St James' Park
0–2 at DSB Stadion
Tottenham Hotspur Quarter-finals 3–4 Spain Sevilla 1–2 at Ramón Sánchez Pizjuán
2–2 at White Hart Lane
2007–08 Blackburn Rovers First round 2–3 Greece AEL 0–2 at Alcazar Stadium
2–1 at Ewood Park
Everton Round of 16 2–2 (2–4 p) Italy Fiorentina 0–2 at Stadio Artemio Franchi
2–0 at Goodison Park
Bolton Wanderers 1–2 Portugal Sporting CP 1–1 at Reebok Stadium
0–1 at Estádio José Alvalade
Tottenham Hotspur 1–1 (5–6 p) Netherlands PSV Eindhoven 0–1 at White Hart Lane
1–0 at Philips Stadion
2008–09 Everton First round 3–4 Belgium Standard Liège 2–2 at Goodison Park
1–2 at Stade Maurice Dufrasne
Portsmouth Group stage N/A Germany VfL Wolfsburg, Italy Milan, Portugal Braga, Netherlands Heerenveen
Aston Villa Intermediate round 1–3 Russia CSKA Moscow 1–1 at Villa Park
0–2 at Luzhniki Stadium
Tottenham Hotspur Ukraine Shakhtar Donetsk 0–2 at Donbass Arena
1–1 at White Hart Lane
Manchester City Quarter-finals 3–4 Germany Hamburger SV 1–3 at HSH Nordbank Arena
2–1 at City of Manchester Stadium
2009–10 Aston Villa Play-off round 2–2 (a) Austria Rapid Wien 0–1 at Gerhard Hanappi Stadium
2–1 at Villa Park
Everton Round of 32 2–4 Portugal Sporting CP 2–1 at Goodison Park
0–3 at Estádio José Alvalade
Liverpool Semi-finals 2–2 (a
(a.e.t.)
Spain Atlético Madrid 0–1 at Vicente Calderón
2–1 at Anfield
Fulham Final 2–1 (a.e.t.) HSH Nordbank Arena
2010–11 Aston Villa Play-off round 3–4 Austria Rapid Wien 1–1 at Gerhard Hanappi Stadium
2–3 at Villa Park
Liverpool Round of 16 0–1 Portugal Braga 0–1 at Estádio Municipal de Braga
0–0 at Anfield
Manchester City 1–2 Ukraine Dynamo Kyiv 0–2 at Valeriy Lobanovskyi Dynamo Stadium
1–0 at Etihad Stadium
2011–12 Tottenham Hotspur 3rd in group stage N/A Greece PAOK, Russia Rubin Kazan, Republic of Ireland Shamrock Rovers
Birmingham City Belgium Club Brugge, Portugal Braga, Slovenia Maribor
Fulham Netherlands Twente, Poland Wisła Kraków, Denmark Odense
Stoke City Round of 32 0–2 Spain Valencia 0–1 at Britannia Stadium
0–1 at Mestalla
Manchester United Round of 16 3–5 Spain Athletic Bilbao 2–3 at Old Trafford
1–2 at San Mamés
Manchester City 3–3 (a) Portugal Sporting CP 0–1 at Estádio José Alvalade
3–2 at Etihad Stadium
2012–13 Liverpool Round of 32 3–3 (a) Russia Zenit Saint Petersburg 0–2 at Petrovsky Stadium
3–1 at Anfield
Newcastle United Quarter-finals 2–4 Portugal Benfica 1–3 at Estádio da Luz
1–1 at St James' Park
Tottenham Hotspur 4–4 (1–4 p) Switzerland Basel 2–2 at White Hart Lane
2–2 at St. Jakob-Park
Chelsea Winners 2–1 Portugal Benfica Amsterdam Arena
2013–14 Wigan Athletic 4th in group stage N/A Russia Rubin Kazan, Slovenia Maribor, Belgium Zulte Waregem
Swansea City Round of 32 1–3 Italy Napoli 0–0 at Liberty Stadium
1–3 at Stadio San Paolo
Tottenham Hotspur Round of 16 3–5 Portugal Benfica 1–3 at White Hart Lane
2–2 at Estádio da Luz
2014–15 Hull City Play-off round 2–2 (a) Belgium Lokeren 0–1 at Daknamstadion
2–1 at KC Stadium
Tottenham Hotspur Round of 32 1–3 Italy Fiorentina 1–1 White Hart Lane
0–2 at Stadio Artemio Franchi
Liverpool 1–1 (4–5 p) Turkey Beşiktaş 1–0 at Anfield
0–1 at Atatürk Olympic Stadium
Everton Round of 16 4–6 Ukraine Dynamo Kyiv 2–1 at Goodison Park
2–5 at Olympic Stadium
2015–16 West Ham United Third qualifying round 3–4 Romania Astra Giurgiu 2–2 at Boleyn Ground
1–2 at Stadionul Marin Anastasovici
Southampton Play-off round 1–2 Denmark Midtjylland 1–1 at St Mary's Stadium
0–1 at MCH Arena
Tottenham Hotspur Round of 16 1–5 Germany Borussia Dortmund 0–3 at Signal Iduna Park
1–2 at White Hart Lane
Manchester United 1–3 England Liverpool 0–2 at Anfield
1–1 at Old Trafford
Liverpool Final 1–3 Spain Sevilla St. Jakob-Park
2016–17 West Ham United Play-off round 1–2 Romania Astra Giurgiu 1–1 at Stadionul Marin Anastasovici
0–1 at Olympic Stadium
Southampton 3rd in group stage N/A Czech Republic Sparta Prague, Israel Hapoel Be'er Sheva, Italy Inter Milan
Tottenham Hotspur Round of 32 2–3 Belgium Gent 0–1 at Ghelamco Arena
2–2 at Wembley Stadium
Manchester United Winners 2–0 Netherlands Ajax Friends Arena
2017–18 Everton 3rd in group stage N/A Italy Atalanta, France Lyon, Cyprus Apollon Limassol
Arsenal Semi-finals 1–2 Spain Atlético Madrid 1–1 at Emirates Stadium
0–1 at Wanda Metropolitano
2018–19 Burnley Play-off round 2–4 Greece Olympiacos 1–3 at Karaiskakis Stadium
1–1 at Turf Moor
Arsenal Final 1–4 England Chelsea Baku Olympic Stadium
Chelsea Winners 4–1 England Arsenal
2019–20 Arsenal Round of 32 2–2 (a
(a.e.t.)
Greece Olympiacos 1–0 at Karaiskakis Stadium
1–2 at Emirates Stadium
Wolverhampton Wanderers Quarter-finals 0–1 Spain Sevilla MSV-Arena
Manchester United Semi-finals 1–2
2020–21 Leicester City Round of 32 0–2 Czech Republic Slavia Prague 0–0 at Sinobo Stadium
0–2 at King Power Stadium
Tottenham Hotspur Round of 16 2–3 (a.e.t.) Croatia Dinamo Zagreb 2–0 at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium
0–3 at Stadion Maksimir
Arsenal Semi-finals 1–2 Spain Villarreal 1–2 at Estadio de la Cerámica
0–0 at Emirates Stadium
Manchester United Final 1–1 (10–11 p) Stadion Miejski
2021–22 Leicester City 3rd in group stage N/A Russia Spartak Moscow, Italy Napoli, Poland Legia Warsaw
West Ham United Semi-finals 1–3 Germany Eintracht Frankfurt 1–2 at London Stadium
0–1 at Waldstadion
2022–23 Arsenal Round of 16 3–3 (3–5 p) Portugal Sporting CP 2–2 at Estádio José Alvalade
1–1 at Emirates Stadium
Manchester United Quarter-finals 2–5 Spain Sevilla 2–2 at Old Trafford
0–3 at Ramón Sánchez Pizjuán
2023–24 Brighton & Hove Albion Round of 16 1–4 Italy Roma 0–4 at Stadio Olimpico
1–0 at Falmer Stadium
Liverpool Quarter-finals 1–3 Italy Atalanta 0–3 at Anfield
1–0 at Stadio Atleti Azzurri d'Italia
West Ham United 1–3 Germany Bayer Leverkusen 0–2 at BayArena
1–1 at London Stadium
  1. ^ England had no coefficient points as a result of the Heysel ban, so only one club was granted entry.
  2. ^ England had only one year of coefficient points as a result of the Heysel ban, so only one club was granted entry.
  3. ^ England had only two years of coefficient points as a result of the Heysel ban, so only two clubs were granted entry.
  4. ^ England had only three years of coefficient points as a result of the Heysel ban, so only two clubs were granted entry.
  5. ^ England had only four years of coefficient points as a result of the Heysel ban, so only three clubs were granted entry.
  6. ^ England had the full five years of coefficient points but the limited berths from previous seasons affected their ranking, leaving them with three entrants. The introduction of the UEFA Intertoto Cup and the UEFA Fair Play ranking for 1995–96 allowed more UEFA Cup berths to open up.
  7. ^ England initially gained a UEFA Cup berth through the UEFA Fair Play ranking but it was revoked as punishment for its clubs fielding weakened teams in the 1995 UEFA Intertoto Cup.

UEFA Conference League

[edit]

An English club has won the competition once.

Season Club Progress Score Opponents Venue(s)
2021–22 Tottenham Hotspur 3rd in group stage N/A France Rennes, Netherlands Vitesse, Slovenia Mura
Leicester City Semi-finals 1–2 Italy Roma 1–1 at King Power Stadium
0–1 at Stadio Olimpico
2022–23 West Ham United Winners 2–1 Italy Fiorentina Fortuna Arena
2023–24 Aston Villa Semi-finals 2–6 Greece Olympiacos 2–4 at Villa Park
0–2 at Karaiskakis Stadium

European/UEFA Cup Winners' Cup

[edit]

English clubs won the competition a record eight times and reached the final on five other occasions.

Season Club Progress Score Opponents Venue(s)
1960–61 Wolverhampton Wanderers Semi-finals 1–3 Scotland Rangers 0–2 at Ibrox Park
1–1 at Molineux Stadium
1961–62 Leicester City First round 1–3 Spain Atlético Madrid 1–1 at Filbert Street
0–2 at Estadio Metropolitano
1962–63 Tottenham Hotspur Winners 5–1 Spain Atlético Madrid De Kuip, Rotterdam
1963–64 Second round 3–4 England Manchester United 2–0 at Parc Lescure
1–4 at Old Trafford
Manchester United Quarter-finals 4–6 Portugal Sporting CP 4–1 at Old Trafford
0–5 at Estádio José Alvalade
1964–65 West Ham United Winners 2–0 West Germany 1860 Munich Wembley, London
1965–66 Semi-finals 2–5 West Germany Borussia Dortmund 1–2 at Boleyn Ground
1–3 at Stadion Rote Erde
Liverpool Final 1–2
(a.e.t.)
Hampden Park, Glasgow
1966–67 Everton Second round 1–2 Spain Zaragoza 0–2 at La Romareda
1–0 at Goodison Park
1967–68 Tottenham Hotspur Second round 4–4 (a) France Lyon 0–1 at Parc Lescure
4–3 at White Hart Lane
1968–69 West Bromwich Albion Quarter-finals 0–1 Scotland Dunfermline Athletic 0–0 at The Hawthorns
0–1 at East End Park
1969–70 Manchester City Winners 2–1 Poland Górnik Zabrze Praterstadion, Vienna
1970–71 Semi-finals 1–3 England Chelsea 0–1 at Stamford Bridge
0–1 at Maine Road
Chelsea Winners 2–1 Spain Real Madrid Karaiskakis Stadium, Piraeus
Replay after 1–1 draw at same venue
1971–72 Second round 1–1 (a) Sweden Åtvidaberg 0–0 at Kopparvallen
1–1 at Stamford Bridge
Liverpool 1–3 West Germany Bayern Munich 0–0 at Anfield
1–3 at Grünwalder Stadion
1972–73 Leeds United Final 0–1 Italy Milan Kaftanzoglio Stadium, Thessaloniki
1973–74 Sunderland Second round 2–3 Portugal Sporting CP 2–1 at Roker Park
0–2 at Estádio José Alvalade
1974–75 Liverpool Second round 1–1 (a) Hungary Ferencváros 1–1 at Anfield
0–0 at Stadion Albert Flórián
1975–76 West Ham United Final 2–4 Belgium Anderlecht Heysel Stadium, Brussels
1976–77 Southampton Quarter-finals 2–3 Belgium Anderlecht 0–2 at Émile Versé Stadium
2–1 at The Dell
1977–78 Manchester United Second round 5–6 Portugal Porto 0–4 at Estadio Das Antas
5–2 at Old Trafford
1978–79 Ipswich Town Quarter-finals 2–2 (a) Spain Barcelona 2–1 at Portman Road
0–1 at Camp Nou
1979–80 Arsenal Final 0–0 (a.e.t.)
(4–5 pen.)
Spain Valencia Heysel Stadium, Brussels
1980–81 West Ham United Quarter-finals 2–4 Soviet Union Dinamo Tbilisi 1–4 at Boleyn Ground
1–0 at Lenin Dinamo Stadium
1981–82 Tottenham Hotspur Semi-finals 1–2 Spain Barcelona 1–1 at White Hart Lane
0–1 at Camp Nou
1982–83 Second round 2–5 West Germany Bayern Munich 1–1 at White Hart Lane
1–4 at Olympiastadion
1983–84 Manchester United Semi-finals 2–3 Italy Juventus 1–1 at Old Trafford
1–2 at Stadio Comunale
1984–85 Everton Winners 2–1 Austria Rapid Wien De Kuip, Rotterdam
1985–86 Banned
1986–87
1987–88
1988–89
1989–90
1990–91 Manchester United Winners 2–1 Spain Barcelona De Kuip, Rotterdam
1991–92 Second round 1–4 Spain Atlético Madrid 0–3 at Vicente Calderon
1–1 at Old Trafford
Tottenham Hotspur Quarter-finals 0–1 Netherlands Feyenoord 0–1 at De Kuip
0–0 at White Hart Lane
1992–93 Liverpool Second round 2–6 Russia Spartak Moscow 2–4 at Luzhniki
0–2 at Anfield
1993–94 Arsenal Winners 1–0 Italy Parma Parken, Copenhagen
1994–95 Chelsea Semi-finals 3–4 Spain Zaragoza 0–3 at La Romareda
3–1 at Stamford Bridge
Arsenal Final 1–2
(a.e.t.)
Parc des Princes, Paris
1995–96 Everton Second round 0–1 Netherlands Feyenoord 0–0 at Goodison Park
0–1 at De Kuip
1996–97 Liverpool Semi-finals 2–3 France Paris Saint-Germain 0–3 at Parc des Princes
2–0 at Anfield
1997–98 Chelsea Winners 1–0 Germany VfB Stuttgart Råsunda Stadium, Stockholm
1998–99 Newcastle United First round 2–2 (a) Federal Republic of Yugoslavia Partizan 2–1 at St James' Park
0–1 at Partizan Stadium
Chelsea Semi-finals 1–2 Spain Mallorca 1–1 at Stamford Bridge
0–1 at Estadio Lluís Sitjar

Inter-Cities Fairs Cup

[edit]

English clubs won the competition four times and reached the final on four other occasions.

Season Club Progress Score Opponents Venue(s)
1955–58 Birmingham City Semi-finals 1–2 (Playoff) Spain Barcelona Nuevo Estadio
London XI Final 2–8 2–2 at Stamford Bridge
0–6 at Nuevo Estadio
1958–60 Chelsea Quarter-finals 2–4 Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia Belgrade XI 1–0 at Stamford Bridge
1–4 at Belgrade
Birmingham City Final 1–4 Spain Barcelona 0–0 at St Andrew's
1–4 at Camp Nou
1960–61 Birmingham City Final 2–4 Italy Roma 2–2 at St Andrew's
0–2 at Stadio Olimpico
1961–62 Nottingham Forest First round 1–7 Spain Valencia 0–2 at Mestalla
1–5 at City Ground
Birmingham City Second round 3–5 Spain Espanyol 2–5 at Estadi de Sarrià
1–0 at St Andrew's
Sheffield Wednesday Quarter-finals 3–4 Spain Barcelona 3–2 at Hillsborough Stadium
0–2 at Camp Nou
1962–63 Everton First round 1–2 Scotland Dunfermline Athletic 1–0 at Goodison Park
0–2 at East End Park
1963–64 Arsenal Second round 2–4 Belgium RFC Liège 1–1 at Highbury
1–3 at Liège
Sheffield Wednesday 3–5 West Germany 1. FC Köln 2–3 at Müngersdorfer Stadion
1–2 at Hillsborough Stadium
1964–65 Everton Third round 2–3 England Manchester United 1–1 at Old Trafford
1–2 at Goodison Park
Manchester United Semi-finals 1–2 (play-off) Hungary Ferencváros Stadion Albert Flórián
1965–66 Everton Second round 2–4 Hungary Újpesti Dozsa 0–3 at Szusza Ferenc Stadium
2–1 at Goodison Park
Chelsea Semi-finals 0–5 (play-off) Spain Barcelona Camp Nou
Leeds United 1–3 (play-off) Spain Zaragoza Elland Road
1966–67 West Bromwich Albion Third round 1–6 Italy Bologna 0–3 at Stadio Renato Dall'Ara
1–3 at The Hawthorns
Burnley Quarter-finals 2–3 West Germany Eintracht Frankfurt 1–1 at Waldstadion
1–2 at Turf Moor
Leeds United Final 0–2 Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia Dinamo Zagreb 0–2 at Maksimir Stadium
0–0 at Elland Road
1967–68 Nottingham Forest Second round 2–2 (a) Switzerland Zürich 2–1 at City Ground
0–1 at Letzigrund
Liverpool Third round 0–2 Hungary Ferencváros 0–1 at Stadion Albert Flórián
0–1 at Anfield
Leeds United Winners 1–0 1–0 at Elland Road
0–0 at Népstadion
1968–69 Liverpool First round 3–3 (coin toss) Spain Athletic Bilbao 1–2 at San Mamés
2–1 at Anfield
Chelsea Second round 0–0 (coin toss) Netherlands DWS 0–0 at Stamford Bridge
0–0 at Spieringhorn
Leeds United Quarter-finals 0–3 Hungary Újpesti Dozsa 0–1 at Elland Road
0–2 at Szusza Ferenc Stadium
Newcastle United Winners 6–2 Hungary Újpesti Dozsa 3–0 at St James' Park
3–2 at Szusza Ferenc Stadium
1969–70 Liverpool Second round 3–3 (a) Portugal Vitória de Setúbal 0–1 at Estádio do Bonfim
3–2 at Anfield
Southampton Third round 1–1 (a) England Newcastle United 0–0 at St James' Park
1–1 at The Dell
Newcastle United Quarter-finals 3–3 (a) Belgium Anderlecht 0–2 at Parc Astrid
3–1 at St James' Park
Arsenal Winners 4–3 1–3 at Parc Astrid
3–0 at Highbury
1970–71 Coventry City Second round 3–7 West Germany Bayern Munich 1–6 at Grünwalder Stadion
2–1 at Highfield Road
Newcastle United 2–2 (2–5 p) Hungary Pécsi Dózsa 2–0 at St James' Park
0–2 at Stadion PMFC
Arsenal Quarter-finals 2–2 (a) West Germany 1. FC Köln 2–1 at Highbury
0–1 at Müngersdorfer Stadion
Liverpool Semi-finals 0–1 England Leeds United 0–1 at Anfield
0–0 at Elland Road
Leeds United Winners 3–3 (a) Italy Juventus 2–2 at Stadio Comunale di Torino
1–1 at Elland Road
1971 Leeds United Runners-up 1–2 Spain Barcelona Single match play-off between the most successful clubs to decide the permanent keepers of the trophy; played at Camp Nou, Barcelona.

UEFA Intertoto Cup

[edit]
Year Club Progress Score Opponents Venue(s)
1995 Sheffield Wednesday 2nd in group stage N/A Germany Karlsruher SC, Switzerland Basel, Denmark AGF, Poland Górnik Zabrze
Tottenham Hotspur 4th in group stage N/A Germany 1. FC Köln, Switzerland Luzern, Sweden Östers IF, Slovenia Rudar Velenje
Wimbledon Turkey Bursaspor, Slovakia Košice, Belgium Charleroi, Israel Beitar Jerusalem
1996 No entrants
1997
1998 Crystal Palace Third round 0–4 Turkey Samsunspor 0–2 at Selhurst Park
0–2 at Samsun 19 Mayıs Stadium
1999 West Ham United Winners 3–2 France Metz 0–1 at Boleyn Ground
3–1 at Stade Saint-Symphorien
2000 Bradford City Fourth round 0–4 Russia Zenit Saint Petersburg 0–1 at Petrovsky Stadium
0–3 at Valley Parade
Aston Villa Fourth round 1–3 Spain Celta Vigo 0–1 at Balaídos
1–2 at Villa Park
2001 Newcastle United Final 4–4 (a) France Troyes 0–0 at Stade de l'Aube
4–4 at St James' Park
Aston Villa Winners 5–2 Switzerland Basel 1–1 at St. Jakob-Park
4–1 at Villa Park
2002 Fourth round 1–3 France Lille 1–1 at Stade Grimonprez-Jooris
0–2 at Villa Park
Fulham Winners 5–3 Italy Bologna 2–2 at Stadio Renato Dall'Ara
3–1 at Craven Cottage
2003 No entrants
2004
2005 Newcastle United Fourth round 2–4 Spain Deportivo La Coruña 1–2 at Estadio Riazor
1–2 at St James' Park
2006 Winners 4–1 Norway Lillestrøm 1–1 at St James' Park
3–0 at Åråsen Stadion
2007 Blackburn Rovers Won in third round 6–0 Lithuania Vėtra 2–0 at Vėtra Stadium
4–0 at Ewood Park
2008 Aston Villa Won in third round 3–2 Denmark Odense 2–2 at Fionia Park
1–0 at Villa Park

European/UEFA Super Cup

[edit]

English clubs have won the competition ten times and taken part on ten other occasions (only two clubs qualify).

Year Club Progress Score Opponents Venue(s)
1977 Liverpool Winners 7–1 West Germany Hamburger SV 1–1 at Volksparkstadion
6–0 at Anfield
1978 Liverpool Runners-up 3–4 Belgium Anderlecht 1–3 at Parc Astrid
2–1 at Anfield
1979 Nottingham Forest Winners 2–1 Spain Barcelona 1–0 at City Ground
1–1 at Camp Nou
1980 Nottingham Forest Runners-up 2–2 (a) Spain Valencia 2–1 at City Ground
0–1 at Estadio Luís Casanova
1981 (Liverpool) – no match played v Dinamo Tbilisi
1982 Aston Villa Winners 3–1 (a.e.t.) Spain Barcelona 0–1 at Camp Nou
3–0 at Villa Park
1984 Liverpool Runners-up 0–2 Italy Juventus Stadio Comunale, Turin
1985 Banned (Everton) – no match played v Juventus
1991 Manchester United Winners 1–0 Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia Red Star Belgrade Old Trafford, Manchester
1994 Arsenal Runners-up 0–2 Italy Milan 0–0 at Highbury
0–2 at San Siro
1998 Chelsea Winners 1–0 Spain Real Madrid Stade Louis II, Monte Carlo
1999 Manchester United Runners-up 0–1 Italy Lazio
2001 Liverpool Winners 3–2 Germany Bayern Munich
2005 Liverpool Winners 3–1 (a.e.t.) Russia CSKA Moscow
2008 Manchester United Runners-up 1–2 Russia Zenit Saint Petersburg
2012 Chelsea Runners-up 1–4 Spain Atlético Madrid
2013 Chelsea Runners-up 2–2 (a.e.t.)
(4–5 pen.)
Germany Bayern Munich Eden Aréna, Prague
2017 Manchester United Runners-up 1–2 Spain Real Madrid Philip II Arena, Skopje
2019 Liverpool Winners 2–2 (a.e.t.)
(5–4 pen.)
England Chelsea Vodafone Park, Istanbul
Chelsea Runners-up 2–2 (a.e.t.)
(4–5 pen.)
England Liverpool
2021 Chelsea Winners 1–1 (a.e.t.)
(6–5 pen.)
Spain Villarreal Windsor Park, Belfast
2023 Manchester City Winners 1–1
(5–4 pen.)
Spain Sevilla Karaiskakis Stadium, Piraeus

Performance summary by competition

[edit]

European Cup and UEFA Champions League

[edit]

The UEFA Champions League (previously known as the European Cup) is a seasonal club football competition organised by the Union of European Football Associations (UEFA) since 1955 for the most successful football clubs in Europe. The prize, the European Champion Clubs' Cup, is considered the most prestigious club trophy in the sport.

As of the end of the 2023–24 UEFA Champions League season, English clubs have fifteen European Cup wins. The most recent English win came in 2023 when Manchester City defeated Inter Milan 1–0 at the Atatürk Olympic Stadium. A record six English clubs have won Europe's premier club competition: Liverpool six times, the first English team to retain the cup (1977, 1978, 1981, 1984, 2005 and 2019), Manchester United three times and the first English team to win the European Cup (1968, 1999 and 2008), Nottingham Forest twice, being the second English team to retain the European Cup (1979 and 1980), Chelsea twice (2012 and 2021), Aston Villa once (1982) and Manchester City once (2023). English clubs also hold the records for the most consecutive tournament victories by clubs from one country (six wins between 1977 and 1982 by Liverpool, Forest and Villa) as well as the most consecutive defeats in the final (four teams were runners-up once each between 2006 and 2009).

Wolves' formative steps

[edit]

Wolverhampton Wanderers were a dominant English side in the 1950s, being league champions three times (1953–54, 1957–58 and 1958–59), under the management of Stan Cullis. Wolves also finished League runners-up on five occasions, most recently in 1959–60. In 1954, before anyone had really expanded the borders of domestic football, after recently winning the first division for the first time Wolves thought they would test themselves against Hungarian giants Honved.

At the time, Honved had Ferenc Puskás, who was a star player on the world stage. The match was part of Wolves' series of 'floodlit friendlies' which turned out to be the spark that created the European Cup as it came to be known. Wolves won 3–2, playing under the rare sight of floodlights in England, and it attracted attention all over Europe. The game was also broadcast live on the BBC and would become possibly the moment that the European Cup was truly born.

Wolves had also beaten a Spartak Moscow side earlier in the series, and the Daily Mail crowned them 'champions of the world' after sinking the Hungarians. But Gabriel Hanon, editor of L'Equipe at the time, hit back, saying the English side needed to win in Budapest or Moscow before they could claim that title. Hanon was at Molineux for the match and enjoyed it so much he started a campaign to introduce a competition where Europe's elite clubs would face off against each other regularly.

Early years: 1955–1967

[edit]

As champions of The Football League in 1954–55, Chelsea were scheduled to become England's representatives in the inaugural European Champions' Cup competition, to be staged the following season. Indeed, they were drawn to face Swedish champions Djurgården in the first round. However, Chelsea were denied by the intervention of The Football League, in particular their secretary Alan Hardaker, who persuaded them to withdraw, insistent that pan-European tournaments are a mere distraction to the English domestic season.[21][22]

Instead, the 1955–56 league champions, Manchester United, became the first English club to compete in the new tournament, with their manager Matt Busby determined time overcome objections from The Football League. They faced Anderlecht in the preliminary round, winning the first leg 2–0 away from home. Dennis Viollet scored the opening goal, the first for an English club in the European Cup, and he went on to become the tournament's top scorer that season, scoring nine goals. Four goals from Viollet and a hat-trick from Tommy Taylor helped United to achieve a 10–0 second leg victory as they progressed 12–0 on aggregate.[23] United's first three home ties of the competition were played at Manchester City's Maine Road ground, since the floodlights at Old Trafford were still in the process of being installed and were not switched on until March 1957.[24] After next eliminating Borussia Dortmund and Athletic Bilbao, United lost to holders Real Madrid in the semi-finals, 5–3 on aggregate.[23] They did retain their league title however, to ensure their place in the following season's European Cup. They reached the semi-finals again, but after the quarter-final tie eight of their players died in the Munich air disaster, while two of the nine surviving players were injured to such an extent that they never played again.

Tottenham Hotspur reached the semi-finals of the 1961–62 tournament, but were knocked out by Benfica.

The next two seasons were less successful in terms of progress by English clubs. Ipswich Town began the 1962–63 competition with a 14–1 aggregate victory over Floriana (including a 10–0 second leg win), but lost in the first round to AC Milan, who went on to win the final at Wembley. A year later Everton were beaten by another Milan club, Inter, in the preliminary round.

Manchester United win at Wembley: 1967–1976

[edit]
Wembley Stadium was the venue for two English victories in the European Cup: Manchester United won there in 1968, as did Liverpool ten years later.

Leeds United centre forward Mick Jones was the top scorer in the 1969–70 tournament; his eight goals helped his club to reach the semi-final stage, where they lost to Celtic. Jones scored a hat-trick in Leeds' 10–0 first round first leg win over Lyn Oslo, a match in which his teammate Michael O'Grady had opened the scoring after just 35 seconds, at the time believed to be the fastest goal in European Cup history.[25] In 1970–71, Everton reached the quarter-finals, where they lost to Panathinaikos on the away goals rule. In the early rounds, Everton had won the competition's first ever penalty shootout when they eliminated Borussia Mönchengladbach.[26] Arsenal made their first European Cup appearance in 1971–72. They were knocked out in the quarter-finals by Ajax, who went on to win the second of three consecutive European Cups, while Arsenal would not feature in the competition for another twenty years. In 1975, Leeds United faced Bayern Munich, of Germany in the final of the tournament in Paris. The game emerged as one of the most controversial matches in football history as it transpired that match fixing played a part in the latter's 2–0 victory with both goals benefiting from dubious refereeing decisions. Leeds United supporters often sing at both home and away matches proclaiming themselves 'champions of Europe,' after feeling aggrieved by the injustice of that night.

Derby County returned to the competition in 1975–76, but this time were defeated at the second round stage by Real Madrid. A Charlie George hat-trick gave Derby a 4–1 first leg victory, but Madrid progressed thanks to a 5–1 extra time win in the second leg.[27]

English domination: 1976–1984

[edit]

Liverpool led the way with domination in the late 1970s and until the mid 1980s. Beating any team out in front of them, they were unstoppable. Whereas the early to mid-1970s had seen three successive European Cup victories each for Ajax and Bayern Munich, the competition was dominated by English clubs in the late 1970s and early 1980s. Between 1977 and 1982, English teams won a record six successive finals. The sequence began when Liverpool, managed by Bob Paisley, beat Borussia Mönchengladbach 3–1 in the 1977 European Cup Final, in what was striker Kevin Keegan's last game for the club.[28] Keegan's replacement Kenny Dalglish scored the only goal of the 1978 final against Club Brugge as Liverpool became the first English club to retain the trophy.[29] Meanwhile, Brian Clough's Nottingham Forest had succeeded Liverpool as English champions, and the two teams faced each other in the first round of the 1978–79 European Cup in the first meeting of two English clubs in the competition. Nottingham Forest won the tie on the way to reaching the final, where they beat Malmö 1–0. Forest was the third club to win the tournament at their first attempt, after Real Madrid in 1955–56 and Inter Milan in 1963–64.[30]

Liverpool was again eliminated in the first round in 1979–80, while Forest retained the trophy, beating Hamburg 1–0 in the final. The following season it was Nottingham Forest's turn to make a first round exit as Liverpool went all the way to the final, where they beat Real Madrid 1–0 to secure their third European Cup under Bob Paisley. Liverpool's Terry McDermott and Graeme Souness were the tournament's joint top scorers, alongside Bayern Munich's Karl-Heinz Rummenigge, with six goals apiece.[31] Liverpool failed to retain the trophy on this occasion as they were beaten in the quarter-finals by CSKA Sofia in the 1981–82 competition. A sixth successive English victory was still achieved however, as Aston Villa, playing in the European Cup for the first time, beat Bayern Munich 1–0 in the final in Rotterdam.[32] The run of victories by English clubs came to an end in 1982–83 when both Liverpool and Aston Villa went out at the quarter-final stage after losing to Widzew Łódź and Juventus respectively.[33] In the 1983–84 competition, Liverpool once again reached the final, where they faced Roma in the latter's home stadium, the Stadio Olimpico. The match finished 1–1 after extra time and Liverpool won the subsequent penalty shootout 4–2 to lift their fourth European Cup. It was the first time that the final had been settled by spot kicks.[34]

Heysel and its repercussions: 1984–1992

[edit]

Liverpool's participation in the 1984–85 European Cup marked their ninth successive season in the competition. They again made it to the final, but lost out 1–0 to Juventus after Michel Platini scored a second-half penalty. 1985 was the year of the Heysel Stadium disaster, which led to all English clubs being banned from European competitions for the next five seasons. The ban was lifted in 1990, but there was no English representation in the 1990–91 European Cup due to English champions Liverpool being excluded from European competitions for an additional season.

In the 1991–92 season, Arsenal were the first team to represent England in the European Cup after English teams were allowed back in. The Gunners lost out over two legs in the second round to Benfica.

1990s: Champions League introduced

[edit]
Ole Gunnar Solskjær scored the winning goal for Manchester United in the 1999 Champions League Final.

The 1992–93 season saw the competition rebranded as the UEFA Champions League, a move that formalised the mini-league format that had been introduced the previous year.[35] After winning the inaugural Premier League title, Manchester United entered the Champions League in 1993–94, the first time in a quarter of a century that they had played in European football's leading club competition. United failed to reach the group stage however, losing out on away goals to Galatasaray following a 3–3 aggregate scoreline in their second round tie.[36]

A further change to the competition occurred in 1994–95, when the first and second rounds were replaced by four mini-leagues of four teams each, with the top two teams in each group progressing to the quarter-finals.[37] As one of eight seeded teams, Manchester United were given a bye directly to the group stage, but missed out on the quarter-finals after finishing third, behind Barcelona on goal difference.[38] In 1995–96, Blackburn Rovers were England's Champions League representatives, but their campaign was not a successful one as they won just one of their six group games and failed to qualify for the latter stages.[39]

Manchester United's return to the Champions League in 1996–97 was the first of 18 consecutive seasons in which Manchester United qualified to enter the competition. They progressed through the group stages for the first time and went on to reach the semi-finals, losing to eventual winners Borussia Dortmund.[40] United topped their mini-league in the following season's group stages,[41] but were defeated by AS Monaco on away goals in the quarter-finals.[42] Also representing England in 1997–98 were Newcastle United, after the runners-up from Europe's top eight leagues were allowed to enter for the first time.[43] Newcastle successfully negotiated the second qualifying round, but could only finish third in their group, despite a victory over Barcelona in the opening group game.[44]

2000s: rise to European dominance and subsequent decline

[edit]

Premier League teams gradually improved their performance in the Champions League until a peak centred on the 2008 season, followed by a significant decline thereafter. They had no semi-finalists for the first four seasons (1993 to 1996). They then had four semi-finalists (Manchester United in 1997, 1999, and 2002, and Leeds United in 2001) over the next seven seasons (1997 to 2003), one of whom went on to become champions (Manchester United in 1999). They then had four semi-finalists (Chelsea in 2004 and 2005, Liverpool in 2005, and Arsenal in 2006) in the next three seasons (2004 to 2006), with Arsenal going on to be runners-up in 2006 and Liverpool winning in 2005.

English teams then peaked with nine semi-finalists (Chelsea, Manchester United and Liverpool in both 2007 and 2008, and Chelsea, Manchester United and Arsenal in 2009) in the next three seasons (2007 to 2009), with Liverpool (2007), Chelsea (2008), and Manchester United (2009) going on to be runners-up, and Manchester United going on to win an all-English final against Chelsea in 2008, a year in which none of the four English teams were eliminated by anybody except another English team. Around this time, then-UEFA president Michel Platini began to make statements which resulted in a widespread perception that he was anti-English,[45] which some attributed to his alleged fear of English domination in European club competition.[46][47]

However, this dominance did not produce a corresponding number of titles. At its most dominant, from 2007 to 2009, the Premier League had 75% (9 out of 12) of the semi-finalists, 67% (4 out of 6) of the finalists, 100% (3 out of 3) of the runners-up, but only 33% (1 out of 3) of the winners (Manchester United in 2008), with the other two titles going to Milan in 2007 and Barcelona in 2009. And English dominance did not last, with the Premier League managing only two semi-finalists (Manchester United in 2011, and Chelsea in 2012) over the next four seasons (2010 to 2013), although Manchester United went on to be runners-up in 2011, and Chelsea won in 2012. In 2013, no Premier League side reached the last eight for the first time since 1996 (in a time when England were only entitled to one Champions League place compared to 2013's four), only two (Manchester United and Arsenal) made it to the last 16, and Chelsea became the first defending champions to fail to make it past the group stage of the Champions League,[48] although by finishing third in their group they did manage to qualify for the UEFA Europa League, which they went on to win.

At that time, it was noted that if the decline continued for long enough, it could in theory eventually deprive the Premier League of its entitlement to have four teams in the Champions League each year, which it has had since 2005, but the coefficient tables gave little cause for concern from an English perspective, as all England's relevant coefficients were ahead of fourth-placed Italy's, and this did not change until 2018, when the quotas were adjusted by UEFA to guarantee four Champions League places to each of the top four nations, with those clubs going into the group stage directly rather than having to navigate qualifying rounds.[49]

Late 2010s and early 2020s: renewed success

[edit]

The following years would see two all-English finals, as well as Liverpool losing both the 2018 and 2022 finals to Real Madrid. In 2023, Manchester City won the tournament for the third English victory in five years.

2018–19
[edit]

The downward trend was reversed in 2018–19, when all four Premier League entrants (including Liverpool, who had reached the 2018 final as a sign of impending English resurgence) progressed to the quarter-finals. Despite the general decline in the levels of success from what English clubs had enjoyed a decade earlier, and the consistent high levels for other nations, particularly Spain, England remains the only nation to have four of the last eight participants in the competition, with 2018–19 joining 2007–08 and 2008–09 in that regard (Liverpool and Manchester United were involved in all three campaigns).[50] In addition, English sides sealed all of the final places in both UEFA competitions in the 2018–19 season. Liverpool won their sixth European Cup by defeating fellow English side Tottenham Hotspur in the 2019 Champions League final. An early penalty converted by Mohamed Salah and a late Divock Origi goal ensured a 2–0 victory for Jürgen Klopp's team.[51] Both finalists had achieved unlikely comebacks in their semi-finals, with Liverpool overcoming a first-leg 3–0 defeat by Barcelona with a second-leg 4–0 win and Tottenham scoring the three second-half goals they required to defeat Ajax in the second leg in Amsterdam and also on away goals.

2020–21
[edit]

The 2020–21 UEFA Champions League continued despite the COVID-19 pandemic, albeit with a condensed schedule. Porto and Chelsea were unlikely heroes when they won against Juventus and Atlético Madrid, respectively. Defending champions Bayern Munich were knocked out on away goals by previous finalists Paris Saint-Germain, after missing Robert Lewandowski with injury, in a rematch of the 2020 final. Chelsea made the semi-finals for the first time in seven years, facing Real Madrid for the first time. Manchester City defeated PSG 4–1 on aggregate en route to their first appearance in the final, while Chelsea defeated Real Madrid 3–1 on aggregate to set up the second all-English final in three years. Chelsea won the title for the second time after defeating City 1–0 at the Estádio do Dragão thanks to a goal by Kai Havertz.[52]

2021–22 and 2022–23
[edit]

Liverpool returned to the final in 2022, where they narrowly lost to rivals Real Madrid 1–0.[53][54] In 2023, Manchester City advanced to their second final in three years, defeating the likes of Bayern Munich and Real Madrid along the way. In the final, they faced Inter Milan, winning 1–0 for City's first-ever European Cup. Furthermore, the Blues became the second-ever English men's club to achieve a rare continental treble.[55][56]

English finalists in European Cup and UEFA Champions League

[edit]

Six English clubs have won either the European Cup or UEFA Champions League. Liverpool have won six times, which is the most of any English club.

Performance by clubs
Club Winners Runners-up Years won Years runners-up
Liverpool 6 4 1977, 1978, 1981, 1984, 2005, 2019 1985, 2007, 2018, 2022
Manchester United 3 2 1968, 1999, 2008 2009, 2011
Chelsea 2 1 2012, 2021 2008
Nottingham Forest 2 0 1979, 1980
Manchester City 1 1 2023 2021
Aston Villa 1 0 1982
Leeds United 0 1 1975
Arsenal 0 1 2006
Tottenham Hotspur 0 1 2019

FIFA Club World Cup

[edit]

The FIFA Club World Cup (or the FIFA Club World Championship, as it was originally called) has been won by English clubs four times (Manchester United in 2008, Liverpool in 2019, Chelsea in 2021 and Manchester City in 2023).[57] Liverpool and Chelsea were also runners-up once each.

English clubs in the FIFA Club World Cup

[edit]
Year Club Progress Score Opponents Venue(s)
2000 Manchester United Group Stage N/A Brazil Vasco da Gama, Mexico Necaxa, Australia South Melbourne Estádio do Maracanã, Rio de Janeiro
2005 Liverpool Runners-up 0–1 Brazil São Paulo International Stadium, Yokohama
2008 Manchester United Winners 1–0 Ecuador LDU Quito
2012 Chelsea Runners-up 0–1 Brazil Corinthians
2019 Liverpool Winners 1–0
(a.e.t.)
Brazil Flamengo Khalifa International Stadium, Doha
2021 Chelsea Winners 2–1
(a.e.t.)
Brazil Palmeiras Mohammed Bin Zayed Stadium, Abu Dhabi
2023 Manchester City Winners 4–0 Brazil Fluminense King Abdullah Sports City, Jeddah

Intercontinental Cup

[edit]

Before being supplanted by the FIFA Club World Cup, the now defunct Intercontinental Cup served as a de facto annual world club championship contested by the European and South American club champions. Manchester United won it in 1999, the only time an English team won. English clubs contested the cup on five other occasions (1968, 1980, 1981, 1982 and 1984), losing each time.

Additionally, English clubs have initially qualified for the Intercontinental Cup but withdrew from participation, namely Liverpool in 1977 and Nottingham Forest in 1979. Both berths were eventually taken by the respective European Cup losing finalists. Liverpool also qualified for the 1978 edition but they and opponents Boca Juniors declined to play each other, making it a no contest.

English clubs in the Intercontinental Cup

[edit]
Year Club Progress Score Opponents Venue(s)
1968 Manchester United Runners-up 1–2 Argentina Estudiantes 0–1 at La Bombonera, 1–1 at Old Trafford
1977 Liverpool declined to take part.
1978 Liverpool declined to take part – no match was played.
1979 Nottingham Forest declined to take part.
1980 Nottingham Forest Runners-up 0–1 Uruguay Nacional National Stadium, Tokyo
1981 Liverpool Runners-up 0–3 Brazil Flamengo
1982 Aston Villa Runners-up 0–2 Uruguay Peñarol
1984 Liverpool Runners-up 0–1 Argentina Independiente
1999 Manchester United Winners 1–0 Brazil Palmeiras

See also

[edit]

References

[edit]
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