When Manchester City walked out of the tunnel at the Ataturk Olympic Stadium in Istanbul for the 2023 UEFA Champions League final against Inter Milan, it meant that English clubs will have made the final of the competition 26 times throughout its history. 

It was the club’s second appearance in the showpiece final after Pep Guardiola’s side lost 1-0 to Chelsea back in 2021. This one ended more favourably for City, who triumphed 1-0 to become just the second English team after Manchester United to win the treble of Premier League, FA Cup and Champions League titles in the same season.

But overall, which English club has reached the Champions League final more times than any other and how many English sides have won the competition previously? 

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Which English side has reached the most Champions League finals?

Nine different English sides have previously reached the Champions League/European Cup final since its inception in 1956, though one team in particular has proven to be distinctly more successful than the others to date. 

Liverpool (10)

Of course, that’s Liverpool, who as mentioned before, will take part in their 10th Champions League final when they enter the fray on May 28 against La Liga champions Real Madrid. 

Starting from their European Cup victory in 1977, Liverpool have played their part in a lot of entertaining finals since, especially in the late 1970’s and early 1980’s as the Merseyside outfit reached four finals across an eight-year span. 

Their famous comeback win against AC Milan in Istanbul in 2005 is perhaps their fans’ most treasured Champions League final memory however, as goalkeeper Jerzy Dudek proved the hero in the penalty shoot-out after the Reds fought back from being 3-0 down on the night. 

Manchester United (5)

The next most successful club from England in terms of reaching the biggest final in European football is Manchester United with five previous appearances. 

The Red Devils were actually both the first English finalists and winners of the European Cup back in 1968 as Matt Busby’s side thrilled a full house at Wembley en route to a 4-1 extra-time victory against Portuguese outfit Benfica. 

United’s last Champions League final in 2011 also, by coincidence, took place at Wembley, though on this occasion Barcelona proved too strong for Sir Alex Ferguson’s side on the night as they ran out comfortable 3-1 victors. 

Chelsea (3)

The 2021 Champions League winners Chelsea slip into third spot on the list with three finals appearances to their name. 

The west London side’s first Champions League final saw them battle it out in an all-English clash with Manchester United on the turf at Moscow’s Luzhniki Stadium in 2008. A final perhaps best known for its famous picture of John Terry being consoled by manager Avram Grant after missing his penalty in the shoot-out, saw United lift the title.

Chelsea’s two finals appearances since have proved much more enjoyable for their fans though, as victories over Bayern Munich and Manchester City in 2012 and 2021 respectively have twice seen them lift the famous trophy. 

Nottingham Forest (2)

The last English side to make more than one Champions League final appearance is current Championship side Nottingham Forest. 

Under the great Brian Clough, Forest both reached and won back-to-back finals in 1979 and 1980.

The first of those saw them defeat Swedish side Malmo 1-0 at the Olympiastadion in Munich before the club then repeated the feat the very next season by defeating German outfit Hamburger SV 1-0 in Madrid. 

Manchester City (2)

After reaching the final back in 2021 only to lose to rivals Chelsea 1-0, Manchester City reached their second Champions League final in 2023. 

After winning both the Premier League and FA Cup already this season, Guardiola and his side then completed a famous treble by defeating Inter Milan 1-0. That saw them become just the second English side to managed that feat after city rivals Manchester United.

The others (1)

Four other English sides have also reached the Champions League final throughout competition history, but only on one occasion. 

The first of those saw Leeds United lose out to Bayern Munich 2-0 back in 1975, though Aston Villa would return the favour by defeating Bayern Munich 1-0 in 1982 as they claimed their first of four European titles. 

The other two English sides to all reach a single Champions League final throughout history are Arsenal and Tottenham, though both sides did end up on the losing end of results. 

Which English team has the most Champions League titles?

Liverpool remain the English team to have won this competition the most times throughout history. In 2023, Manchester City became the sixth English side to lift the famous trophy.  

Premier League 2023/24 TV channels, live streams

MORE: Watch every Premier League match in Canada on Fubo

UK: Matches are carried across Sky Sports and BT Sport streaming and TV platforms, with select matches on Amazon Prime.

USA: Select matches are televised on USA Network (English) and Telemundo or Universo (Spanish), and all three channels can be streamed on Fubo. The rest of the matches are streamed on NBC platform Peacock for subscribers.

Canada: Every Premier League game this season is live streaming exclusively via Fubo in Canada.

Australia: Fans in Australia can stream every match live and on demand on Optus Sport.

India: Star Sports network has the rights to show Premier League matches in India. As well as an English broadcast on Star Sports Select, select matches will be available via regional feeds on Star Sports 3 (in Bengali, English, Kannada, Malayalam), Star Sports 1 (Bangla) and Star Sports 1 (Tamil).