For a variety of reasons, the governing body of European football has already barred five clubs from participating in the league.
Throughout the history of the UEFA Champions League/European Cup, five clubs have been prohibited from participating.
With 15 titles, Real Madrid has more than any other club in the UEFA Champions League, which is usually regarded as the most desired trophy in club football.
In May, Paris Saint-Germain defeated Inter Milan 5-0 in Munich to win the competition’s 2024–2025 edition.
Rangers will play the Czech team Viktoria Plzen in the opening leg of the third qualifying round on Tuesday night, marking the start of the 2025–26 season.
Champions PSG will undoubtedly be confident of keeping their title going into the group stage, while regular heavyweights Barcelona, Bayern Munich, and Liverpool will probably make it to the later stages.
However, for a variety of reasons, certain teams have been denied the opportunity to participate in the Champions League.
In the history of the competition, UEFA has barred five clubs from the Champions League.
Due to their involvement in match-fixing, Turkish powerhouse Besiktas was barred from participating in UEFA competitions in 2013.
The club then lost their appeal when a one-year ban imposed by UEFA was upheld by the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS).
In 2013, Besiktas lost their appeal at CAS, and Fenerbahce, another Istanbul team, was also given a three-year UEFA suspension for alleged match-fixing.
Juventus, two-time European champions and Serie A powerhouses, were banned from UEFA play for the 2023–2024 season after UEFA judged the team guilty of violating the Financial Fair Play (FFP) regulations from 2012 to 2019.
FK Pobeda of North Macedonia was given an eight-year UEFA suspension for match-fixing in 2009; this penalty was upheld by CAS after an appeal.
Aleksandar Zabrcanec, the club president at the time, was also banned for life by UEFA.
Following an investigation into “alleged violations of the UEFA Disciplinary Regulations” during a match between Alashkert FC and FK Arsenal Tivat in July 2023, the Montenegrin club was fined €500,000 and banned from European competition for ten years in July 2025.
More generally, after the Heysel Stadium tragedy in 1985, which claimed 39 lives during the European Cup final between Juventus and Liverpool in Brussels, Belgium, English clubs were prohibited from playing in Europe for five years.
In 1991, Liverpool was prohibited for a further year.
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