The UEFA Champions League is a club competition held each season involving 24 leading clubs from the major European football associations. The winner holds the prestigious honor of being the best club team in Europe.

	Real Madrid celebrates with the trophy after clinching the Champions League title at Hampden Park in Glasgow, Scotland. (Adrian Dennis - AFP)

A group competition is held in the first half of the season, known as the First Phase, with the teams divided into eight groups of four. Individual teams play each team within their respective groups in a home-and-away series.

The group-winners and runners-up advance to the Second Phase. Similar to the First Phase, the Second Phase holds further elimination matches in a group home-and-away series format.

The top two clubs in each group advance to the Quarterfinals. This knockout round is another home-and-away series between four separate matchups that determine who goes through to the Semifinals.

The winners of the Semifinals home-and-away matchups advance to the
Final Phase, where a single-game Champions League Final is played.

Current Champion: Real Madrid