English football clubs have a rich history in the Champions League. Since 1992/93, there have been seven English winners following Manchester United’s triumph in 1999.
Next year will see England will take their continental supremacy to another level, with five teams qualifying for the league phase via the Premier League – while they could be joined by this year’s Europa League winners.
And amid the fight for a top-five finish, some unlikely candidates have placed themselves in the race to qualify, with Nottingham Forest looking to compete for the first time in 45 years.
With the Reds hoping to join a growing list of clubs to make the final competition in its modern guise, here’s a look at every English team to play some form of Champions League football since its 1992/93 revamp.
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ByStephan GeorgiouApr 9, 2025 2 Aston Villa CL seasons: 1
Unai Emery delivered a superb Champions League finish in his first full season at Aston Villa, and has the Midlands side potentially 90 minutes away from the semi-finals at the time of writing.
Winners of the European Cup in 1982, Villa spent over a decade without European football before reaching the Conference League semi-finals in 2024.
While their European campaign is in danger of ending soon, the Villans have seemingly returned to the top table for good – and may yet qualify again next season.
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ByStephan GeorgiouMar 29, 2025 3 Blackburn Rovers CL seasons: 1
Upon winning the Premier League in 1994/95, Blackburn Rovers were England’s sole representative in the 1995/96 edition of the Champions League.
Unfortunately, it did not pan out too well for Rovers, with the Lancashire side finishing bottom of their group.
Their fixture against Spartak Moscow is perhaps best known for an incident where teammates David Batty and Graeme Le Saux came to blows as their European dream ended.
4 Chelsea CL seasons: 19
Only Manchester United and Arsenal have featured more often in the Champions League than Chelsea, with the Blues firmly in the race to return to the competition after two seasons away.
The Blues’ finest hours on the continental stage have come in the form of their two trophy wins – firstly in 2012, when a dramatic comeback and penalty shootout saw off favourites Bayern Munich.
They bagged a second Champions League crown against league rivals Manchester City in Porto as England boss Thomas Tuchel showcased his tournament credentials.
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ByRoss KilvingtonMar 7, 2025 5 Everton CL seasons: 1
Everton’s Champions League history is decidedly brief, though not for some questionable officiating, it could have been a little longer.
The Toffees’ fourth-place finish in the 2004/05 Premier League saw them enter the third qualifying round – the last round before the group stages.
Coming up against Villarreal, Everton had it all do in their second leg in Spain as they sought to overturn a 2-1 deficit.
But having battled to level the second leg at 1-1, a Duncan Ferguson header to force extra-time was inexplicably ruled out for a foul by Pierluigi Collina, before a sucker-punch strike from Diego Forlan broke Everton hearts.
6 Leeds United CL seasons: 2
As English league champions, Leeds United took part in the ‘first’ tournament of the post-European Cup era.
They came unstuck pretty quickly in the second round – which preceded the group stages – against Rangers, but put up a far better fight in their most recent appearance in 2000/01.
Leeds made the semi-finals, defeating the likes of Milan, Lazio and Deportivo along the way, before being beaten by Valencia in the last four.
7 Leicester City CL seasons: 1
Part of Leicester City’s reward for their fairytale Premier League triumph was a place in the following season’s Champions League.
While their domestic season fell totally flat (Claudio Ranieri was dismissed before their European exit), they ended up as the last English club standing in 2016/17.
After winning their group, they came from behind to defeat Sevilla on aggregate, though Diego Simeone’s Atletico Madrid proved a bridge too far in the quarter-finals.
8 Liverpool CL seasons: 19
Liverpool’s place in European Cup and Champions League history is assured, winning the famous trophy six times.
However, their first appearance in the Champions League didn’t come until 2001/02 under Gerard Houllier, whose successor, Rafael Benitez, led the Reds to their classic final victory over Milan in 2005.
They have since won it once more in 2019, with Jurgen Klopp’s side defeating Tottenham in Madrid.
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ByRoss KilvingtonNov 27, 2024 9 Manchester City CL seasons: 14
Manchester City have appeared in every edition of the Champions League since their debut in 2011/12.
After a number of false starts, they finally made the final in 2021, and although they were beaten by Chelsea on that occasion, they made up for it by sealing a historic treble in 2023 with a victory over Inter.
Having suffered on the pitch in 2024/25, their place in next season’s competition is not yet certain.
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ByRoss KilvingtonMay 21, 2025 10 Manchester United CL seasons: 26
Manchester United have been kings of Europe three times – including twice in the Champions League era.
United won Europe’s biggest prize in 1968, 1999 and 2008, but have only reached the last eight once in the last 11 seasons.
At their peak, United reached three finals in four years between 2008 and 2011, only to run into Pep Guardiola’s Barcelona on two occasions.
They have been England’s most frequent representatives since 1992, appearing 26 times.
