After more than 160 games without a trophy in the competition, Paris Saint-Germain defeated Inter Milan 5-0 to win their first-ever Champions League.
Even the most talented teams have failed to win the Champions League.
Three of the teams on this list have participated in at least 200 Champions League or European Cup matches but have never taken home the trophy.
Paris Saint-Germain won their first Champions League title on May 31, which was regarded as the last game of the 2024–25 season at the top level. The Parisians have given up on signing big-name players under Luis Enrique’s leadership; the last of these, Kylian Mbappe, left for Real Madrid in the summer of 2024.
Enrique has assembled a youthful, dynamic squad in lieu of Mbappe, Neymar, and Lionel Messi, which blends well with both seasoned pros and up-and-coming players. PSG was a machine throughout the season, with players like Georgian Kvitcha Kvaratskhelia, Bradley Barcola, the spectacular adolescent Desire Doue, and a revitalized Ousmane Dembele in the attack.
In addition to winning the Champions League for the first time against Inter Milan, PSG accomplished a feat no team has ever accomplished before: they put five goals past the Italians. Whether they were scoring, helping, or supporting the team without the ball, the club’s aforementioned attackers were instrumental in the resounding victory.
One of the longest Champions League droughts on the continent came to an end with the final, which was PSG’s 168th Champions League match overall, including its time as the European Cup. But which other teams have participated in the most renowned championship in Europe the most without ever taking home the trophy?
Ranking Elements
This article’s data, which includes the Champions League in its present incarnation as well as the European Cup prior to that, was all collected from the official UEFA website.
Teams With the Most Champions League Games Played But No Tournament Wins
Rank
Group
Played Games
15.
Valencia
128
14.
Brugge Club
139
13.
Lyon
148
12.
Rosenborg
152
11.
Prague’s Sparta
162
10Panathinaikos
163 games
Being a top-flight team since 1929, Panathinaikos is one of the few teams to have never been demoted from the Greek first division, making them one of the biggest footballing powers in Greece along with teams like Olympiacos and PAOK. With eight doubles victories under their belt, the so-called Greens have won the Greek Cup and the Greek crown 20 times.
Due to their local success, Panathinaikos has participated in multiple European campaigns, making it to the Champions League quarterfinals in 1992 and 2002. Despite their popularity, Panathinaikos has yet to won the Champions League despite playing 163 games in the competition. Their closest victory came in the 1970–71 European Cup, where they lost to Ajax in the championship match.
9Shakhtar Donetsk
166 games
In the 34-year history of the Ukrainian Premier League, Shakhtar Donetsk has won 15 titles under the current management of former Atletico Madrid star Arda Turan. One of the biggest teams in Ukraine, the club won the UEFA Cup in 2009, making them the first team from an independent Ukraine to win a European title.
Due in large part to the quality of players they have drawn over the seasons, Shakhtar’s name has gained more recognition in recent years. The club has made a significant amount of money from the sales of players like Henrikh Mkhitaryan, Willian, Fernandinho, Douglas Costa, and others who have played for the Ukrainians in the last ten years.
Shakhtar has been a regular in the Champions League since the beginning of the twenty-first century, however despite playing 166 games, the team has not advanced past the quarterfinals, which they most recently achieved in the 2010–11 campaign.
8Dinamo Zagreb
170 games
Soon after Croatia attained independence in the early 1990s, the HNL, the top division of Croatian football, was established. Few teams in Croatia are as linked with success as Dinamo Zagreb, who have won the current top division 25 times in their more than three decades of existence.
Being a top flight team since the late 1940s, Zagreb has also won the Croatian Cup 16 times, solidifying their standing as the best Croatian team thanks to their past achievements. When they were a Yugoslavian team, they made their debut in the European Cup in 1958, becoming only the third team from that nation to do so.
With 170 games played since then, Zagreb has been a reasonably constant presence in the competition, but they have never advanced past the Champions League’s group round or league phase.
7Rangers
179 games
As of this writing, Rangers, one of the two largest clubs in Scotland and one of the biggest sides in British football, need to bridge the gap that has grown between themselves and bitter rivals Celtic. In 2021, the Gers won the Premiership for the 55th time in their history, which spans well over a century.
Rangers’ relationship with the Champions League is longstanding; they participated in the competition for the first time in 1956–1957, the second season of the European Cup. Rangers advanced to the semi-finals of their third such tournament before losing to Eintracht Frankfurt in two legs.
Despite making many appearances in the Champions League since then, Rangers have never advanced to that stage of the competition again, and they are still seeking for their first Champions League championship after 179 games.
6Atletico Madrid
180 games
Diego Simeone has been the manager of Atletico Madrid since 2011. During the 2010s, the Argentinean has led the team to two Europa League and two La Liga championships as well as two Champions League finals. Despite his efforts, Simeone has yet to bring Atletico the Champions League trophy, which would be their first-ever honor.
The Madrid team made their European Cup debut in 1958 and only made five more appearances before the year 2000. Due in large part to Simeone’s efforts since joining, Atletico has only been a consistent Champions League team since the end of the 2000s.
Despite their greatest efforts, Atletico has yet to raise the legendary trophy in 180 Champions League games as of this writing.
5Olympiacos
186 games
At the time of writing, Olympiacos, a Greek football powerhouse with the previously mentioned Panathinaikos, is owned by Evangelos Marinakis, who also owns Nottingham Forest, a Premier League team. Marinakis will undoubtedly aspire to lead Olympiacos to European glory like Forest did in the past.
Olympiacos, who have long been used to winning at home, became the first team outside of the top European leagues to win a major European trophy in 2024 when they won the Conference League for the first time. Olympiacos won their first-ever continental championship with this victory.
Olympiacos has participated in around two hundred Champions League games. Their finest showing in the competition was in the 1998–1999 season, when they lost to Juventus of Italy only minutes from a spot in the semi-finals. The team has not yet regained this standing in the Champions League.
4Galatasaray
191 games
Galatasaray, the most successful club in Turkey, is one of only three teams to have been a regular fixture in the Super Lig since its inception in 1959. In addition to winning the top flight 25 times, they have won 17 Turkish Super Cups and 19 Turkish Cups.
When Galatasaray won the UEFA Cup in 2000, they became the first Turkish team to win a European championship, and no other Turkish team has done so since. The team has a lengthy history in the Champions League, having been to the semi-finals once and frequently finishing in the quarterfinals.
Gala has never played in a final, despite coming so close, and as a result, they have never won the Champions League in 191 games.
3Anderlecht
200 games
Only three of the teams who have participated in the Champions League have ever played in 200 or more games without taking home the trophy. During the 1955–56 season, the Belgian powerhouse Anderlecht participated in the inaugural European Cup.
Anderlecht, the most successful club in Belgian history, has previously seen success on the continent. They have won the Super Cup and the Cup Winners’ Cup twice, and they won the Europa League in 1983. This occurred one year after Anderlecht’s best Champions League comeback, which took place three years prior, when they participated in the semi-finals.
As of this writing, Anderlecht has yet to reach those heights in Europe’s most prestigious competition. They last participated in the Champions League in the 2017–18 season, losing in the group stages.
2Arsenal
225 games
Only three of the teams who have participated in the Champions League have ever played in 200 or more games without taking home the trophy. During the 1955–56 season, the Belgian powerhouse Anderlecht participated in the inaugural European Cup.
Anderlecht, the most successful club in Belgian history, has previously seen success on the continent. They have won the Super Cup and the Cup Winners’ Cup twice, and they won the Europa League in 1983. This occurred one year after Anderlecht’s best Champions League comeback, which took place three years prior, when they participated in the semi-finals.
As of this writing, Anderlecht has yet to reach those heights in Europe’s most prestigious competition. They last participated in the Champions League in the 2017–18 season, losing in the group stages.
1Dynamo Kyiv
261 games
Dynamo Kyiv is now the team with the most Champions League games played without ever winning the competition, with a significant gap between them and Arsenal. Kyiv, who have been in the Ukrainian first division since 1936, reached their zenith under the leadership of one of the best managers in the history of the sport, Valeriy Lobanovskyi.
Despite making it to the Champions League semi-finals three times, most recently in the 1998–1999 season when they lost to Bayern Munich, Kyiv has never experienced Champions League glory on the continent, despite winning two European Cup Winners’ Cups and a Super Cup during the 1970s and 1980s.
Kyiv is by far the team with the most Champions League experience without ever winning the coveted trophy, having played 261 games and not won any titles.
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