2021–22 UEFA Champions League Overview
The 2021–22 UEFA Champions League marked the 67th season of Europe's premier club football tournament, organized by UEFA, and the 30th season since it was renamed from the European Champion Clubs' Cup to the UEFA Champions League.
Tournament Details
- Dates:
- Qualifying rounds: 22 June – 25 August 2021
- Competition proper: 14 September 2021 – 28 May 2022
- Teams:
- Competition proper: 32 teams
- Total teams: 80 (from 54 UEFA associations)
- Final Venue: The final was held at the Stade de France in Saint-Denis, France.
- Champions: Real Madrid (Spain), securing their 14th title.
- Runners-up: Liverpool (England)
Key Statistics
- Matches played: 125
- Goals scored: 380 (average of 3.04 per match)
- Attendance: 4,402,255 (average of 35,218 per match)
- Top Scorer: Karim Benzema (Real Madrid, 15 goals)
- Best Player: Karim Benzema (Real Madrid)
Tournament Highlights
- Real Madrid defeated Liverpool 1–0 in the final, earning a record-extending 14th UEFA Champions League title, and their fifth title in the last nine years.
- The final was initially scheduled for the Allianz Arena in Munich, Germany. However, due to the rescheduling and relocation of the 2020 final, Saint Petersburg was designated to host the 2022 final. Following the Russian invasion of Ukraine, UEFA moved the final to the Stade de France in Saint-Denis, France.
- As champions, Real Madrid automatically qualified for the 2022–23 UEFA Champions League group stage. They also earned a spot in the 2022 UEFA Super Cup against Eintracht Frankfurt, winners of the 2021–22 UEFA Europa League. Additionally, Real Madrid typically would qualify for the FIFA Club World Cup, though the status of this tournament is uncertain due to potential format changes proposed by FIFA.
- Chelsea, the defending champions from the 2020–21 season, were eliminated in the quarter-finals by Real Madrid.
Format and Rule Changes
- This season was the first since 1999–2000, following the dissolution of the UEFA Cup Winners' Cup, to feature three major European club competitions: the UEFA Champions League, the UEFA Europa League, and the newly introduced UEFA Europa Conference League.
- While the format of the Champions League remained unchanged, a key adjustment was made for teams eliminated from the preliminary round and first qualifying round. These teams were now transferred to the Europa Conference League instead of the Europa League.
- On 24 June 2021, UEFA abolished the away goals rule in all its club competitions, which had been in place since 1965. Under the new rule, if two teams were tied on aggregate goals after both legs of a knockout round, the tie would be decided by 30 minutes of extra time, rather than the number of away goals scored. If the tie persisted after extra time, a penalty shoot-out would determine the winner.