The Champions League 2023 is well under way with four teams left in the competition. But who are this year’s favourites?
The 2022 Champions League was won by Real Madrid when they beat Liverpool 1-0 in Stade de France, thanks to a goal from Vinícius.
Real Madrid return again this season in a bid to add another title to the 14 they have already won. If they can reign victorious, it will be their sixth win in ten years.
Champions League Semi Finals 2023
With eight groups and four teams in each group, the competition started with 32 teams this season.
Group stages began in September 2022 and by the time the six rounds were complete, 16 teams had progressed to the next stage. That is known as the Round of 16 and it had two legs.
That set up the quarterfinals in which Real Madrid, Manchester City, Inter Milan and AC Milan all won, sending them all into the semi finals of the Champions League 2023.
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The draw was made and the following teams played each other for a coveted spot in the Champions League Final 2023.
- Inter Milan V AC Milan – Tuesday May 16th
- Manchester City V Real Madrid – Wednesday May 17th
When Is The Champions League Final 2023 On?
We expect two very dramatic semi-finals to find out which two teams will be playing for the Champions League trophy in 2023.
As soon as both games have been played in May, the diaries will be out for June 10th 2023 when the final will take place in Istanbul, Turkey.
So who do the bookies have as favourites and is there any value in the odds?
Champions League 2023 Odds
Odds are from Betfred and are correct as of 15th May 2023.
Manchester City |
4/6 |
Inter Milan |
3/1 |
Real Madrid |
9/2 |
AC Milan |
25/1 |
Which Team Has Won The Champions League The Most?
The team that has won the UEFA Champions League the most times is Real Madrid.
They have won the competition a record 14 times, with their victories coming in the following years: 1956, 1957, 1958, 1959, 1960, 1966, 1998, 2000, 2002, 2014, 2016, 2017, 2018 and 2022.
French footballer Karim Benzema was also the top goalscorer in the tournament in 2022, scoring 15 goals for Real Madrid.
How Much Does A Team Get For Winning The Champions League?
The prize money on offer for the UEFA Champions League is quite staggering, which is just one of the reasons teams want to win it so badly.
Here is the breakdown of prize money for the tournament in 2022:
- Play-off round: €5,000,000
- Base fee for group stage: €15,640,000
- Group match victory: €2,800,000
- Group match draw: €900,000
- Round of 16: €9,600,000
- Quarter-finals: €10,600,000
- Semi-finals: €12,500,000
- Runners-up: €15,500,000
- Champions: €20,000,000
Under this structure, a club can potentially earn up to €85,140,000 in prize money alone, excluding shares from qualifying rounds, play-off rounds, or the market pool.
A significant portion of the revenue distribution in the UEFA Champions League is associated with the “market pool.”
This pool’s distribution is based on the value of the television market in each participating nation. In the 2019-20 season, Paris Saint-Germain, the runners-up, earned a total of nearly €126.8 million, with €101.3 million coming from prize money.
On the other hand, Bayern Munich, the tournament winners, earned €125.46 million, including €112.96 million in prize money.
How Did The UEFA Champions League Start?
The UEFA Champions League, formerly known as the European Champion Clubs’ Cup, originated from the idea of creating a competition to determine the best club team in Europe.
The tournament was officially established in 1955, following discussions between French sports journalist Gabriel Hanot, who worked for the French newspaper L’Équipe, and the French Football Federation.
Hanot proposed the concept of a pan-European club competition to UEFA (Union of European Football Associations), the governing body for football in Europe, as a means to determine the true champions of the continent.
UEFA embraced the idea, and the inaugural European Champion Clubs’ Cup was held in the 1955-1956 season.
Initially, participation in the tournament was limited to the champions of each national league from the UEFA member associations. However, over time, the format evolved to include multiple teams from top leagues and incorporate runners-up and other high-ranking clubs as well.
The competition steadily grew in popularity, attracting significant attention and support from football fans across Europe.
It underwent various modifications, including the introduction of group stages in the 1992-1993 season and subsequent rebranding as the UEFA Champions League.
Today, the UEFA Champions League remains one of the most prestigious and widely followed club competitions in the world, featuring top clubs from Europe’s national leagues battling it out for the coveted title.
How Does A Team Qualify For The UEFA Champions League?
A football team can qualify for the UEFA Champions League through several different avenues, depending on the regulations and criteria established by their national football association and the Union of European Football Associations (UEFA).
The primary methods of qualification are as follows:
Domestic League Performance:
The most common path to qualification is through a team’s performance in their domestic league.
Each national association receives a specific number of allocated spots in the Champions League based on the UEFA coefficient ranking, which takes into account the historical performance of teams from that country.
Typically, the highest-ranked teams in the domestic league, often the champions and sometimes runners-up, secure qualification for the Champions League.
UEFA Champions League Qualifying Rounds:
Teams that finish below the automatic qualification spots in their domestic league may enter the qualifying rounds of the Champions League.
These rounds consist of knockout matches between teams from various countries, with the winners advancing to the group stage of the tournament.
UEFA Europa League Performance:
If a team does not qualify for the Champions League through their domestic league position, they may have another opportunity by performing well in the UEFA Europa League.
The winners of the Europa League gain automatic entry into the following season’s Champions League group stage.
UEFA Champions League Title Defence:
The team that wins the previous season’s Champions League title automatically qualifies for the next edition of the tournament.
It’s important to note that the specific qualification rules and criteria may vary from season to season, and UEFA periodically reviews and adjusts them.
Additionally, teams must meet certain eligibility requirements related to licensing, financial fair play, and other regulations set by UEFA in order to participate in the Champions League.
