You have probably heard of FIFA, but have you heard of the UEFA Champions League?
Club football is contested by top-division European clubs, and it’s organized by the Union of European Football Associations (UEFA).
The league, was founded in 1955, and was open only to the champion club of each country’s knockout tournament. A knockout tournament is when multiple teams from the same country play against each other, the team that wins, competes with the other winning teams from other countries in the prestigious Champions League. In 1992, the competition was renamed the UEFA.
The UEFA Champions League plays in a specific way. They begin in mid-July with 78 or 79 teams, which compete in 3 consecutive knockout rounds. Teams have to win in order to advance. After all of the games are played, only 32 teams remain. Then, teams pair up in another knockout tournaments until there are only 2 teams left.
In 2016, Real Madrid moved to the finals against Atletico de Madrid and tied 1-1, resulting in a suspenseful penalty shootout. However, Cristiano Ronaldo (CR7) shot an exiting goal and made Real Madrid an 11th time champion!
Football, or soccer, as it is referred to in the United States, is an international sport, that is played in many different ways around the world. Watching the UEFA Champions League games on TV is just one of many ways to enjoy this amazing international sport.
[Sources:
www.uefa.com; Wikipedia
]
