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One of the most prestigious competitions in European football is the European Cup, but is formerly called the UEFA Champions League or the UEFA Champions Cup.  The European Cup was renamed and rechristened during the 1992-1993 season.  The UEFA Champions League was formed by the Union of European Football Associations just as the UEFA Cup itself was, however, the UEFA Champions League was formed during the year 1955 while the UEFA Cup was not formed until the year 1971. 

The format of the UEFA Champions League is a little more organized than some of the other European football leagues, however, fans feel that this is a good thing and others don’t.  The first three rounds, of course, are “knock-out rounds” which will determine the teams who play in the qualifying rounds.  According to their high scores and players, each team will start at a different point during the “knock-out rounds” to even the playing field.  However, not all teams in the UEFA Champions League have to play in the preliminary rounds – the top sixteen teams overall qualify straight away and are given a “free pass” while the other teams play.  The winning teams of the preliminary round will face the top sixteen that did not have to play later during the heat of the UEFA Champions League championship.  Each round is considered “two-legged,” meaning that each round will consist of two games – each team will face each other twice, once at a “home” game and once at an “away” game.  The UEFA Champions League final is the one and only exemption to this format – this game is played only once between the two opposing teams (it is not “two-legged”) and it is always played at a neutral, pre-chosen stadium or other appropriate venue.

Unlike the FA Cup, the UEFA Champions League will award a “permanent trophy” to those with an exceptional number of wins (including an exceptional winning streak), whereas the FA Cup will be passed from one winner to the next.  Teams that currently hold a “permanent trophy” are Real Madrid (having won the first five UEFA Champions League competitions in a row), Ajax Amsterdam (having won three consecutive tournaments during the years 1971-1973), Bayern Munich (with three more consecutive wins in 1974, 1975 and 1976), AC Milan (whose 1994 trophy made their fifth win) as well as Liverpool (who topped their fifth win with a trophy in 2005).

Of course, for a team to be in the UEFA Champions League and make it past the preliminary rounds is a big deal in European football.  So much money from sponsors is poured back into the clubs and the reputation earned from a UEFA Champions League win is unbelievable.  You can imagine the fan frenzy at the higher-up levels of the championship – a UEFA Champions League game is absolutely amazing to watch live!  With fans, sponsors and world-renowned football players in the mix, watching live UEFA Champions League games is an unreal experience not only in person but on television as well.