The Champions League is where the best compete for the biggest prize in club football. Surviving is difficult enough. Prospering is even more so.
Only Europe’s elite teams harbor genuine ambitions for Champions League glory each season and there have been some historically impressive campaigns since the competition changed its name in 1992.
Obtaining a prolonged winning streak worthy of the title offers the toughest challenges, but there are a number of heavy hitters who have embarked on historic triumphal runs that defy logic.
With this in mind, here are the longest winning streaks in Champions League history.
The longest winning streaks in Champions League history
Bayern Munich comfortably boast the most impressive winning streak since the creation of the Champions League. An astonishing 15-match streak spanned more than a year – although the coronavirus pandemic lengthened it – beginning in September 2019 with a victory over Red Star Belgrade and concluding with an uneventful victory over RB Salzburg in November 2020.
During their remarkable run, Bayern won the 2019-20 Champions League crown by beating Paris Saint-Germain in the competition’s final, in addition to their famous 8-2 victory over Barcelona, in addition to thrashings of Tottenham Hotspur, Chelsea and Atlético de Madrid. The streak ended with a draw against the latter in the group stage of the 2020-21 season.
Bayern also own the second-longest winning streak in the competition (their 10-game streak between April and November 2013), while they also enjoyed an impressive run shortly after setting the record, winning eight games in a row between September 2022 and March 2023.
Manchester City is the English team with the longest streak and also lifted the trophy during their 10-match streak, which began with a 4-0 victory over Real Madrid in the semi-finals of the 2022-23 season. City beat Inter in the final before triumphing in their first eight European games of the following campaign, which ultimately ended with a quarter-final draw against Madrid in 2024.
Joining Bayern and Man City on 10-match winning streaks is Real Madrid, whose journey began with a 1-0 semi-final win over Bayern, continued with a victory over Atléti in the 2013-14 final and ended when they were surprisingly beaten 4-3 at home by Schalke in the second leg of the following season’s round of 16.
There have been two streaks of nine consecutive victories in the Champions League, both starring Barcelona. The first dates back to 2002 and lasted exactly five months before being interrupted by Juventus, the eventual runners-up, in the quarterfinals. The second was enjoyed during the 2014-15 season, in which they won the title, although it ended just before their final victory over Juve in Berlin.
In the 1996-97 season, Borussia Dortmund won its only Champions League title and began its eight-match winning streak in December of that same season. This streak continued into the following campaign, a streak that Arsenal could match in this year’s Champions League by beating Kairat Almaty at home in their final league match.
|
Equipment |
Matches won |
Start date |
End date |
|---|---|---|---|
|
Bayern Munich |
15 |
September 18, 2019 |
November 25, 2020September 18, 2019 |
|
Manchester City |
10 |
May 17, 2023 |
March 6, 2024 |
|
Real Madrid |
10 |
April 23, 2014 |
February 18, 2015 |
|
Bayern Munich |
10 |
April 2, 2013 |
November 27, 2013 |
|
Barcelona |
9 |
October 21, 2014 |
May 6, 2015 |
|
Barcelona |
9 |
September 18, 2002 |
February 18, 2003 |
|
Bayern Munich |
8 |
September 7, 2022 |
March 8, 2023 |
|
Borussia Dortmund |
8 |
December 4, 1996 |
October 1, 1997 |
