UEFA Champions League trophy: All you need to know
Tuesday, June 30, 2026
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What is it called? How big is it? What does it weigh? Get the key details on the most desirable piece of silverware in world club football.
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What is the Champions League trophy?
The most coveted piece of silverware in world club football, the Champions League trophy is the prize awarded to the winners of the competition after the annual final.
How big is the Champions League trophy?
The current Champions League trophy is 73.5cm tall and weighs around 7.5kg.
It is slightly lighter than the Henry Delaunay Cup, which is given to the winners of the UEFA European Championship, which weighs around 8kg.
Both are considerably lighter than the Conference League trophy (11kg) and the Europa League trophy, which at 15kg is the heaviest of the major UEFA trophies.
What is the name of the Champions League trophy?
The trophy is usually referred to simply as the Champions League trophy, but the inscription on the front of the trophy reads 'Coupe des Clubs Champions Européens'.
This harks back to the competition's original incarnation as the European Champion Clubs' Cup (or European Cup for short).
The trophy was not changed when the European Cup morphed into the Champions League in 1992/93, so the inscription is a reminder of the competition's long, illustrious history.
Do the winners get to keep the Champions League trophy?
According to the official regulations, the original trophy, which is used for the official presentation ceremony at the final and at other official events approved by UEFA, remains in UEFA's keeping and ownership at all times. A full-size replica trophy is awarded to the winning club.
The winners also get 50 gold medals while the runner-up receive 50 silver medals.
Did the Champions League trophy always look this way?
'Old Big Ears' (as the current trophy is sometimes known) did not always have such substantial handles. A gift from French sports magazine L'Équipe, the trophy handed out at the first European Cup final, in 1956, had much smaller ears.
Who has an original copy of the Champions League trophy?
A rule introduced in 1968/69 stipulated that the trophy became the property of any club who won the competition five times or three years in a row. The club would then start a new cycle from zero.
Five teams thus claimed an original version of the trophy:
Real Madrid (following sixth win in 1966)
Ajax (following third successive win in 1973)
Bayern (following third successive win in 1976)
Milan (following fifth win in 1994)
Liverpool (following fifth win in 2005)
That rule was changed ahead of the 2008/09 season, with the original trophy now remaining with UEFA while the clubs are awarded a replica, with their name engraved on it.
The current trophy is the fifth version of the current design.
Who designed the Champions League trophy?
The European Cup was designed and made in Berne (near UEFA's then headquarters) by Jürg Stadelmann. It was commissioned by then-UEFA General Secretary Hans Bangerter after Real Madrid were allowed to keep the original following their 1966 success.
Stadelmann recalled: "My father Hans and I went along to Herr Bangerter's office and covered the whole floor with drawings. He made comments like: 'The Bulgarians would like the bottom of that. The Spaniards would like this but the Italians would prefer that and the Germans would go for this.' We put the design together like a jigsaw puzzle."
The trophy took 340 hours to make, with Stadelmann meeting a strict deadline. "It had to be finished before 28 March," Stadelmann added, "because I was getting married and taking my wife on a ten-day boat trip to Los Angeles. I did the finer work, then it was finished off by the engraver, Fred Bänninger. On time, I am glad to say."