Champions League holders: Real Madrid still only back-to-back winners, will Paris join them?
Friday, May 15, 2026
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Only one club has won back-to-back titles in the UEFA Champions League era, but Paris have the chance to match that achievement in 2025/26.
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As they gear up to play Arsenal in the final in Budapest, Paris are hoping to become only the second side to defend the title in the UEFA Champions League era.
Real Madrid became the first club to complete back-to-back Champions League title wins in 2017, and they repeated the feat 12 months later for good measure. Paris have become the first holders to reach the final since Madrid in 2017/18, but Luis Enrique's side will be hoping to go one step further in Budapest, and avoid becoming the first defending champions to finish as runners-up since Manchester United lost to Barcelona in the 2008/09 final.
How Champions League holders have fared*
Only once have the holders failed to negotiate the first hurdle of their defence – Chelsea, group stage casualties in 2012/13 – with the rest dropping out in the knockout phase. Seven have succumbed in the last 16 (including the inaugural 1992/93 campaign), ten in the quarter-finals and eight in the semis. Six reigning champions have made it to the final, but only Real Madrid – twice – managed to avoid falling at the last hurdle.
| Season | Defending champions | Stage |
| 1992/93 | Barcelona | Second round |
| 1994/95 | AC Milan | Runners-up |
| 1995/96 | Ajax | Runners-up |
| 1996/97 | Juventus | Runners-up |
| 1997/98 | Dortmund | Semi-finals |
| 1998/99 | Real Madrid | Quarter-finals |
| 1999/00 | Man United | Quarter-finals |
| 2000/01 | Real Madrid | Semi-finals |
| 2001/02 | Bayern | Quarter-finals |
| 2002/03 | Real Madrid | Semi-finals |
| 2003/04 | AC Milan | Quarter-finals |
| 2004/05 | Porto | Round of 16 |
| 2005/06 | Liverpool | Round of 16 |
| 2006/07 | Barcelona | Round of 16 |
| 2007/08 | AC Milan | Round of 16 |
| 2008/09 | Man United | Runners-up |
| 2009/10 | Barcelona | Semi-finals |
| 2010/11 | Inter | Quarter-finals |
| 2011/12 | Barcelona | Semi-finals |
| 2012/13 | Chelsea | Group stage |
| 2013/14 | Bayern | Semi-finals |
| 2014/15 | Real Madrid | Semi-finals |
| 2015/16 | Barcelona | Quarter-finals |
| 2016/17 | Real Madrid | Winners |
| 2017/18 | Real Madrid | Winners |
| 2018/19 | Real Madrid | Round of 16 |
| 2019/20 | Liverpool | Round of 16 |
| 2020/21 | Bayern | Quarter-finals |
| 2021/22 | Chelsea | Quarter-finals |
| 2022/23 | Real Madrid | Semi-finals |
| 2023/24 | Man City | Quarter-finals |
| 2024/25 | Real Madrid | Quarter-finals |
| 2025/26 | Paris | Finalists |
*Marseille were barred from entering in 1993/94
How many sides defended the European Cup?
It was a very different story in the early days of the competition: Madrid won the first five editions! Seven other teams also successfully defended their title pre-1992/93: Benfica, Inter, Ajax (twice), Bayern (twice), Liverpool, Nottingham Forest and AC Milan.
How many teams have retained the trophy in the European Cup and Champions League eras?
European Cup era: 13/36
UEFA Champions League era: 2/32**
**not including 1993/94 or 2025/26
