Champions League: 5 Clubs With Most Finals Played After Real Madrid Reached Its 18th

Champions League: 5 Clubs With Most Finals Played After Real Madrid Reached Its 18th

Elijah Odetokun
updated at May 30, 2024 at 8:02 AM
In this article:
Real Madrid logo
Real Madrid
Spain
37
AC Milan logo
AC Milan
Italy
45
Bayern Munich logo
Bayern Munich
Germany
38
Liverpool logo
Liverpool
England
45
Juventus logo
Juventus
Italy
40
UEFA Champions League logo
UEFA UCL
Europe
  • Real Madrid beat Bayern Munich to reach the UEFA Champions League final
  • Los Blancos will play an 18th European final on June 1 at Wembley Stadium
  • They have won the UCL the most times and have not lost in a final in 43 years

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Real Madrid beat Bayern Munich 4-3 on aggregate after a pulsating 2-1 second-leg win at Estadio Santiago Bernabeu on May 8, reaching yet another UEFA Champions League final.

Los Blancos are aiming for their 15th European title and their sixth victory in 11 years against Bundesliga side, Borussia Dortmund, who had eliminated Paris Saint-Germain.

Vinicius Jr, Dani Carvajal, Joselu Mato, Eduardo Camavinga, Nacho Fernandez, Brahim Diaz, Real Madrid, Bayern Munich, Santiago Bernabeu, Madrid, Spain, UEFA Champions League.
Real Madrid players celebrate after Joselu scores the winner against Bayern Munich on May 8, 2024, to send Real Madrid to the 2024 Champions League final. Photo by Alvaro Medranda.
Source: Getty Images

Sports Brief looks at the five teams with the most UCL/European finals played, ahead of the last round on June 1 at the iconic Wembley Stadium.

Clubs with most Champions League finals

1. Real Madrid

Madrid have reached the final of Europe’s most prestigious club competition a staggering 18 times. Of the 17 games they have played, they have won 14 and lost three. Per AS English, the last time they lost a final was in the 1980/81 season against Liverpool in Paris.

Since the competition was rebranded in 1992, they have reached eight finals and won all of these, including three consecutive wins between 2016 and 2018.

2. AC Milan

The Italian giants have reached 11 finals and won the competition seven times, only behind the most successful team, Real Madrid. Their last appearance in the final was in 2007 when they beat Liverpool 2-1, avenging the 2005 edition where the Reds staged a dramatic comeback.

3. Bayern Munich

The German champions were denied a shot at surpassing Milan after losing yesterday’s semi-final. They have reached the final 11 times and won it six times. Their last appearance in the final was a successful attempt where Kingsley Coman’s goal helped them beat Paris Saint-Germain.

4. Liverpool

The most successful English club in the competition, Liverpool, has reached 10 finals and won six times. They've reached three finals under Jurgen Klopp, winning in 2019 but losing the 2018 and 2022 editions to Madrid.

5. Juventus

Per Khel, the Old Lady are the unluckiest team in the competition. They have reached nine finals but have won just two. Their most recent appearance was in the 2017 final, which they lost to Real Madrid, while their last triumph came in 1996 against Ajax.

Rudiger celebrates with Alaba's chair

Sports Brief reported on Antonio Rudiger's celebration with David Alaba's chair after helping Real Madrid reach the 2023/24 UCL final with a 4-3 aggregate victory over Bayern Munich.

The German defender assisted Joselu for the winning goal in the second-leg match and will play in his second final. He won the competition before with his former club, Chelsea, in 2021.

Authors
Elijah Odetokun photo
Elijah Odetokun
Elijah Odetokun is Reuters-trained journalist with three years of experience having previously worked at Daily Times Nigeria, OmaSports and El Futbolero.