Champions League winners without losing a game

Manchester City players celebrate their Champions League final win over Inter in June 2023.
(Image credit: Getty Images)

Every team in the league phase of the revamped Champions League was beaten at least once.

So there will be no unbeaten winner in the 2024/25 edition of the continental competition.

But in the history of the European Cup, 12 clubs have gone through to win the trophy without losing a single match. And some have done it more than once.

Here, a look at the European champions that went unbeaten through an entire campaign...

Inter (1963/64)

Real Madrid's Francisco Gento and Inter's Armando Picchi shake hands ahead of the 1964 European Cup final.

Real Madrid's Francisco Gento and Inter's Armando Picchi shake hands ahead of the 1964 European Cup final. (Image credit: Getty Images)

Inter won the European Cup for the first time in 1963/64, beating Real Madrid 3-1 in the final at Vienna's Praterstadion in late May.

The Nerazzurri went unbeaten in the continental competition, with two draws and seven wins en route to the title. The Milan club won the trophy again the following season.

Ajax (1971/72)

The Ajax squad and coaches pose with the European Cup in 1972.

The Ajax squad and coaches pose with the European Cup in 1972. (Image credit: Getty Images)

The great Ajax side of the early 1970s won the second of three consecutive European Cups in 1971/72, beating Inter 2-0 in the final in Rotterdam thanks to two goals from Johan Cruyff.

That result saw the Amsterdam club complete an unbeaten European campaign, taking the title after seven wins and two draws in their nine matches.

Nottingham Forest (1978/79)

Trevor Francis on the ball for Nottingham Forest against Malmo in the 1979 European Cup final.

Trevor Francis on the ball for Nottingham Forest against Malmo in the 1979 European Cup final. (Image credit: Getty Images)

Nottingham Forest finished as runners-up to Liverpool in the First Division in 1978/79, but Brian Clough's side knocked the Reds out of the European Cup in the first round.

Forest went all the way to the trophy, edging out Swedish side Malmö by a single goal in the final at Munich's Olympiastadion and finishing their continental campaign unbeaten, with six wins and three draws.

Liverpool (1980/81)

Liverpool players celebrate victory over Real Madrid in the 1981 European Cup final at the Parc des Princes.

Liverpool players celebrate victory over Real Madrid in the 1981 European Cup final at the Parc des Princes. (Image credit: Getty Images)

Alan Kennedy's 82nd-minute goal gave Liverpool a 1-0 win over Real Madrid in the 1981 European Cup final at the Parc des Princes in Paris.

The Reds won six and drew three of their nine fixtures to finish the campaign unbeaten, but beat Bayern Munich in the last four without a victory, advancing after a 0-0 draw at Anfield and a 1-1 tie in Germany.

Liverpool (1983/84)

Liverpool players celebrate victory over Roma in the 1984 European Cup final.

Liverpool players celebrate victory over Roma in the 1984 European Cup final. (Image credit: Getty Images)

Liverpool won the European Cup again in 1984, beating Roma on penalties at the Italian side's Stadio Olimpico home after a 1-1 draw.

The Reds also drew 0-0 away to Athletic Club in the second round, but beat the Basques 1-0 at Anfield and won their other six matches en route to the final.

AC Milan (1988/89)

AC Milan players and staff celebrate with the European Cup after victory over Steaua Bucharest in the 1989 final.

AC Milan players and staff celebrate with the European Cup after victory over Steaua Bucharest in the 1989 final. (Image credit: Getty Images)

AC Milan are seven-time European Cup winners and the Rossoneri took the title without losing a single match in the 1988/89 edition.

In the second round of the continental competition, Milan were a goal down away to Red Star Belgrade when the match was suspended due to thick fog. In a replay played the following night, Arrigo Sacchi's side won on penalties after a 1-1 draw and went on to thrash Real Madrid 6-1 on aggregate in the last four before a 4-0 victory over Steaua Bucharest in the final. In total, Milan won five and drew four of their nine games.

Red Star Belgrade (1990/91)

Red Star Belgrade players celebrate with the European Cup after victory over Marseille in the 1991 final.

Red Star Belgrade players celebrate with the European Cup after victory over Marseille in the 1991 final. (Image credit: Getty Images)

Denied by AC Milan and thick fog in 1989, Red Star Belgrade enjoyed better luck in the 1990/91 European Cup, going on to win the trophy with victory on penalties against Marseille in the final.

That followed a goalless 120 minutes in Bari. Previously, the Yugoslavian champions (a Serbian side these days) had knocked out Grasshoppers, Rangers, Dynamo Dresden and Bayern Munich, winning five and drawing three en route to the final.

Olympique Marseille (1992/93)

Olympique Marseille players celebrate victory over AC Milan in the 1993 Champions League final.

Olympique Marseille players celebrate victory over AC Milan in the 1993 Champions League final. (Image credit: Getty Images)

Two years after missing out to Red Star Belgrade in the 1989 European Cup final, Olympique Marseille won the trophy with a 1-0 win over AC Milan at Munich's Olympiastadion.

Marseille won three and drew three to finish a point above Rangers in the group stage, with Basile Boli's goal securing victory in the final. OM had previously won three and drawn one in the preliminary rounds. Inaugural winners of the Champions League after the competition was rebranded for the 1992/93 season, Marseille also became the first French team to get their hands on the European Cup.

AC Milan (1993/94)

AC Milan players celebrate with the Champions League trophy after victory over Barcelona in the 1994 final.

AC Milan players celebrate with the Champions League trophy after victory over Barcelona in the 1994 final. (Image credit: Getty Images)

AC Milan thrashed Barcelona 4-0 in Athens to claim the European Cup for the third time in the space of five years.

It was a first title in the Champions League era for Milan, beaten by Olympique Marseille in the final the previous season, and completed an unbeaten European campaign for the Rossoneri. Including the qualifying rounds, Fabio Capello's side won seven games and drew five overall.

Ajax (1994/95)

Ajax players celebrate their Champions League final win over AC Milan in May 1995.

Ajax players celebrate their Champions League final win over AC Milan in May 1995. (Image credit: Getty Images)

Ajax won the Eredivisie title without losing a single match in 1994/95 season and the Amsterdam outfit replicated that feat in the Champions League.

Louis van Gaal's side won seven and drew four en route to the title, thrashing Bayern Munich 5-2 in the teams' semi-final second leg and going on to beat AC Milan 1-0 in the final in Vienna.

Manchester United (1998/99)

Manchester United players and manager Alex Ferguson celebrate victory against Bayern Munich in the 1999 Champions League final.

Manchester United players and manager Alex Ferguson celebrate victory against Bayern Munich in the 1999 Champions League final. (Image credit: Getty Images)

Manchester United came from a goal down in the closing stages against Bayern Munich to win the Champions League – and complete a treble – in epic fashion at Camp Nou in May 1999.

After a win and a draw in the second qualifying round, United won five matches and drew six in the group phase and knockout stages to seal an unbeaten European campaign in an unfortgettable season.

Barcelona (2005/06)

Barcelona players celebrate their Champions League final win over Arsenal in May 2006.

Barcelona players celebrate their Champions League final win over Arsenal in May 2006. (Image credit: Getty Images)

Barcelona won the European Cup for the first time in 1991/92, which was the final season before the competition was rebranded as the Champions League.

Under Frank Rijkaard, Barça went on to win the Champions League in 2005/06 and the Blaugrana took the title without losing a game, with nine wins and four draws culminating in a 2-1 victory over Arsenal in the final in Paris.

Manchester United (2007/08)

Manchester United players celebrate victory over Chelsea in the 2008 Champions League final in Moscow.

Manchester United players celebrate victory over Chelsea in the 2008 Champions League final in Moscow. (Image credit: Getty Images)

Manchester United won the Champions League for a second time under Alex Ferguson in 2008 and once again, the Red Devils completed an unbeaten campaign.

United beat Chelsea on penalties in the final after a 1-1 draw in Moscow to claim the European Cup for a third time overall, winning nine games and drawing four en route to the trophy.

Bayern Munich (2019/20)

Bayern Munich players celebrate with the Champions League trophy after victory over Paris Saint-Germain in the 2020 final.

Bayern Munich players celebrate with the Champions League trophy after victory over Paris Saint-Germain in the 2020 final. (Image credit: Getty Images)

Due to the Covid-19 pandemic, the Champions League was played in one-off ties at neutral venues, and behind closed doors, from the quarter-finals onwards.

Bayern Munich went on to win the competition, thrashing Barcelona 8-2 in Lisbon in the last eight and going on to edge out Paris Saint-Germain by a single goal in the final. Impressively, Hansi Flick's side won all 11 of their matches in a historic campaign, which also featured Bundesliga and DFB-Pokal victories in a treble triumph for the Bavarian giants.

Manchester City (2022/23)

Manchester City players celebrate victory over Inter in the 2023 Champions League final.

Manchester City players celebrate victory over Inter in the 2023 Champions League final. (Image credit: Getty Images)

Manchester City completed a historic treble in 2022/23, culminating in a 1-0 win over Inter in the Champions League final in Istanbul.

Pep Guardiola's side won eight and drew five of their 13 fixtures in the continental competition, beating Real Madrid 5-1 over two legs in the last four and going on to win the trophy for the first time courtesy of Rodri's goal against Inter in the final.

Real Madrid (2023/24)

Real Madrid players and coach Carlo Ancelotti celebrate with the Champions League trophy after victory over Borussia Dortmund in the 2024 final at Wembley.

Real Madrid players and coach Carlo Ancelotti celebrate with the Champions League trophy after victory over Borussia Dortmund in the 2024 final at Wembley. (Image credit: Getty Images)

It may seem logical that Real Madrid are one of the teams to have won the European Cup without losing a match. After all, Los Blancos are 15-time champions.

But Madrid had to wait until 2023/24 to go unbeaten in the competition, with Carlo Ancelotti's side winning nine games and drawing four en route to the title. Two of those draws came against Manchester City in the last eight, with Los Blancos prevailing in a penalty shootout. Real beat Borussia Dortmund 2-0 in the final at Wembley.

Ben Hayward
Weekend editor

Ben Hayward is a European football writer and Tottenham Hotspur fan with over 15 years’ experience, he has covered games all over the world - including three World Cups, several Champions League finals, Euros, Copa America - and has spent much of that time in Spain. Ben speaks English and Spanish, currently dividing his time between Barcelona and London, covering all the big talking points of the weekend on FFT: he’s also written several list features and interviewed Guglielmo Vicario for the magazine.