Honestly, if you looked at the winners champions league list a few years ago, you could basically set your watch by it. Real Madrid wins. Maybe a stray English club makes a run. Bayern Munich looms. But 2025? That changed the vibe. Paris Saint-Germain—the team everyone loved to joke about for "bottling" it—finally did the thing. They didn't just win; they absolutely dismantled Inter Milan 5-0 in Munich.
It was a statement.
The history of this tournament is weirdly lopsided. You have Real Madrid sitting on 15 titles like they own the place. Then there’s everyone else. But as we move deeper into this new era of the "League Phase" and expanded brackets, that old list is starting to look a lot more crowded at the bottom and top-heavy in the middle.
The Heavy Hitters on the Winners Champions League List
Real Madrid is the undisputed king. There’s no debate. They won the first five in a row starting in 1956 and just never really stopped. When they beat Borussia Dortmund in 2024 to hit number 15, it felt like the natural order of the world.
But look at the chasing pack. AC Milan has seven, but they haven't touched the trophy since 2007. Liverpool and Bayern Munich are tied at six. It's a "heritage" club thing. These teams have an aura in Europe that other clubs—looking at you, Arsenal or Atletico—just haven't cracked yet.
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Speaking of Atletico Madrid, they’re the tragic heroes of the list. Or villains, depending on who you support. They’ve been to three finals and lost every single one. That’s a record nobody wants.
The Breakout Years
Sometimes the list throws a curveball. Remember Porto in 2004? Jose Mourinho running down the touchline at Old Trafford? That was the last time a team from outside the "Big Four" leagues (England, Spain, Germany, Italy) won the whole thing until PSG did it in 2025.
Wait. France is a big league, sure. But PSG's win was the first for a French club since Marseille in 1993. That’s a 32-year drought.
Recent Winners and Scores
- 2025: Paris Saint-Germain (5) vs Inter Milan (0)
- 2024: Real Madrid (2) vs Borussia Dortmund (0)
- 2023: Manchester City (1) vs Inter Milan (0)
- 2022: Real Madrid (1) vs Liverpool (0)
- 2021: Chelsea (1) vs Manchester City (0)
Notice a pattern? Usually, these games are tight. 1-0 or 2-0. That’s why the PSG 5-0 win was such a shock to the system. It was the biggest margin of victory in a final since AC Milan crushed Barcelona 4-0 back in 1994.
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The Nations That Dominate
Spain is winning the "country war" easily. With 20 titles shared between Real Madrid (15) and Barcelona (5), they are five ahead of England.
England has the most variety, though. Six different English clubs have lifted the "Old Big Ears" trophy. You’ve got the giants like Liverpool and Manchester United, but also the "how did they do that?" stories like Aston Villa in 1982 or Nottingham Forest winning back-to-back in '79 and '80.
Italy stays relevant mostly through Milan and Inter, though Juventus is the king of runners-up. They have two wins but seven losses in finals. Seven. That's a lot of heartbreak in Turin.
Why the List is Getting Harder to Join
Winning this thing isn't just about having the best players anymore. It's about depth. The 2024/25 season introduced the "Swiss Model" league phase, meaning teams play more matches before even hitting the knockouts.
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Luis Enrique, the PSG boss, basically said that winning the treble in 2025 was harder than his 2015 win with Barca because of the sheer volume of games. You can't just get lucky for four games in the spring. You have to be a machine from September to May.
What to Watch Next
If you’re a betting person or just a fan trying to predict the next name on the winners champions league list, watch the "nearly" teams.
Arsenal has the squad, but they seem to hit a wall against the big-game experience of Bayern or Madrid. Bayer Leverkusen under Xabi Alonso showed they can dominate a league, but Europe is a different beast.
Key Takeaways for the Fans
- Real Madrid isn't going anywhere. They treat this tournament like their private property.
- The "New Money" has arrived. Man City (2023) and PSG (2025) have finally broken the glass ceiling.
- Defense still matters. Even in the high-scoring 2025 final, PSG's clean sheet was the foundation.
- Don't ignore the historical giants. AC Milan is rebuilding, and a return to the top isn't impossible, though it's been a long road back.
The best way to keep track of this is to look at the "Finalists" column. Teams that make the final often come back and win it within three years. That’s what City did. That’s what PSG did.
Keep an eye on the 2026 final venue. The momentum is shifting toward a more tactical, high-pressing game that favors coaches like Luis Enrique or Pep Guardiola over the "individual brilliance" model that Madrid perfected for so long.