European club finals by the numbers: Appearances, trophies and winning rate for each represented country since 2000
Two German, two Italian, one Spanish and one Greek team will appear in the 2023/24 UEFA club tournaments finals. With less than a week until the showdown in Europa League between Atalanta and Bayer Leverkusen, Sportingpedia decided to identify clubs from which countries have made the most appearances, won most trophies, and have the highest winning rate in European finals since the turn of 2000. We have added up the countries of origin of all finalists in the Champions League, Europa League, Europa Conference League, and the UEFA Super Cup since the year 2000 to calculate the success rate for each of the 11 nations.
The data shows that teams from LaLiga have been present in 42 out of a total 74 European finals, with 9 being all-Spanish. Across the 33 cases where teams from Spain meet foreign opposition, 26 have ended in wins, representing a win rate of 79%.
This season there is no English representative in the trophy deciding matches, but Premier League sides have appeared in 5 all-English and 26 finals against teams from other nations, winning 11 titles and forming a success rate of 42%. German and Italian teams have played in 13 finals, with the Bundesliga clubs having 46%, and Serie A representatives 38%. French teams have lost every time when reaching a final – 4 times.
Key Takeaways:
- Turkiye is the only country to boast a 100% winning record in European club finals since 2000, with 2 titles from 2 finals
- Teams from France and Scotland have lost all the finals they have reached
- Portugal, Germany, England, Italy, and Spain are the only nations to enjoy one-country finals
- The score in the head-to-head battle between German and Spanish teams in Champions League finals is tied at 1-1
- Spanish teams have won 11 of the 12 Champions League finals win LaLiga presence
- Real Madrid has 100% win rate in Champions League finals, triumphing in 7 out of 7
- German teams have 60% win rate in Champions League finals
- Bayer Leverkusen – Atalanta will be the 1st German – Italian final in Europa League since 2000
- Serie A teams have appeared in 2 Europa League finals, both times losing to Spanish opposition
- Bundesliga sides have reached 3 Europa League finals, having 33% win rate
General talk(excluding finals where teams from the same country meet one another)
There have been 74 UEFA club tournaments finals since the turn of 2000. From a total of 42 finals with Spanish presence, 9 have been all-Spanish. LaLiga clubs have emerged as winners in 26 of the 33 cases when they meet foreign opposition, which represents a 79% win rate. Teams from Spain have contested 11 Champions League, 12 Europa League, and a further 19 UEFA Super Cup finals. If we exclude the UEFA Super Cup finals, as it comes as a bonus for the winners of the two main continental competitions, then Spanish teams have won 19 out of 21 finals, with both losses dating over 20 years ago to 2001.
Then Bayern Munich defeats Valencia in the Champions League, and Liverpool prevails over Alaves in the UEFA Cup. The nation with the next highest winning rate is Germany. Teams from the Bundesliga have met foreign sides in 13 European finals across the Champions League and Europa League, triumphing in 6 while losing 7 times, to register a 42% success rate. Premier League sides rank 3rd among the usual suspects, after appearing in 26 finals and winning 11.
Italian clubs come in 4th, lifting 5 out of possible 13 titles, while France is yet to produce a winning team in Europe. Ligue 1 have been represented unsuccessfully in 4 European finals since the turn of 2000. Almost identical is Scotland’s case, with Premiership clubs reaching 3 finals, but have lost them all. On the other hand, Turkiye enjoys a perfect 100% record, thanks to Galatasaray. The Istanbul giants initially triumphed in UEFA Cup in 2000 by defeating Arsenal in the final, and then went on to lift the European Super Cup with a 2-1 win against Real Madrid.
Europa League
In Europa League, Spanish teams have enjoyed the most success, triumphing in 12 of the 24 finals since the turn of 2000. Besides the 2 all-Spanish finals in 2007 and 2012, where one of the teams is guaranteed to lose, only Alaves in 2001 has tasted defeat to a foreign side, when going down to Liverpool in the then UEFA Cup. From then on when a Spanish team appears in the final,they are winning it! Next week, Atalanta and Bayer Leverkusen will come up against one another, with this being the first occasion when teams from those two countries fight for the title. So far, 2 Italian clubs have reached the Europa League final, but on both occasions they have lost to Spanish teams. German sides have emerged in 3 finals, most recently in 2022, when Eintracht Frankfurt defeated Rangers, but that remains their only victory, after losing the previous two.
Champions League
When Real Madrid and Borussia Dortmund clash at the Wembley Stadium in London on 1st of June, it will be the 3rd time in the XXI century when Spanish and German teams meet in a Champions League final. The score so far is tied at 1-1, but the German teams might already consider themselves as the winners in that head-to-head battle. Bayern Munich’s penalty win over Valencia in 2001 is the only occasion when a side from Spain has lost a final in the elite European tournament. A year later, in 2002, Real Madrid got one back for LaLiga, as Los Blancos triumphed over Bayer Leverkusen to lift their 9th Champions League trophy. LaLiga clubs boast an incredible 91% winning rate, with Los Blancos and Barcelona triumphing in every final they reach. The only other team to appear and not taste defeat in a Champions League final since the turn of 2000 is Porto, as the Dragons won 3-0 against Monaco in 2004.