European Cup

The European Cup was UEFA’s annual knockout competition for Europe’s leading men’s club teams, first played in 1955–56. In 1992 it became the UEFA Champions League, retaining the European Cup trophy.

Gabriel Hanot: French sports journalist and former footballer who proposed a European competition for domestic league champions. His proposal in 1954 helped prompt the competition’s creation.
European Cup format: The competition structure used for the European Cup, based primarily on home-and-away knockout ties and a single-match final. Knockout rounds made progress depend on eliminating opponents across successive ties.
1960 European Cup final: The final in which Real Madrid defeated Eintracht Frankfurt 7–3 at Hampden Park in Glasgow. Its record-setting score and attacking display became an emblem of the early competition.
Heysel Stadium disaster: A 1985 crowd disaster at Brussels’ Heysel Stadium that killed 39 people before the European Cup final. The disaster led UEFA to ban English clubs from European competition for five years.
UEFA: The governing body for football in Europe, responsible for organizing continental competitions and setting their regulations. UEFA established the European Cup and administered its evolution.
European Cup qualification: The rules determining which clubs could enter the European Cup, initially centered on national league champions. Qualification distinguished the original competition from later formats with multiple entrants per country.
1985 European Cup final: The final in which Juventus defeated Liverpool 1–0 at Heysel Stadium in Brussels before a stadium disaster. The match is inseparable from the Heysel disaster and its consequences for English clubs.
English football European ban: UEFA’s exclusion of English clubs from European competitions after the 1985 Heysel Stadium disaster. The ban disrupted the participation of a country whose clubs had recently dominated the competition.
L'Équipe: A French sports newspaper founded in 1946, known for its role in proposing and promoting international sporting competitions. The newspaper championed a European club tournament before UEFA adopted it.
Two-legged tie: A knockout contest in which two teams play one match at each other's venue, with aggregate goals determining the winner. Most European Cup knockout rounds used home-and-away ties.

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