LEN Champions League
Current season, competition or edition: 2018–19 LEN Champions League | |
| Sport | Water polo |
|---|---|
| Founded | 1963 |
| President | Gianni Lonzi |
| No. of teams | 24 (preliminary stage) 16 (group stage) |
| Country | LEN members |
| Continent |  Europe |
| Most recent champion(s) |  FTC Telekom Budapest(1st title) |
| Most titles |  Pro Recco(8 titles) |
| Level on pyramid | 1st Tier (Europe) |
| Official website | len.eu |
The LEN Champions League is the top-tier European professional water polo club competition with teams from up to 18 different countries. It is organized by the Ligue Européenne de Natation.
The competition started in 1963 as Champions Cup. A change of name and format occurred in 1996, with the competition being renamed Champions League and the final four system being established as the format of choice, for the first time during the 1996–97 LEN Champions League. From 2003 to 2011 the competition was named LEN Euroleague (with the change of name being simply a re-branding) and from 2011 and on LEN Champions League, its current name.
LEN Champions League is the most popular water polo league in the European continent. It has been won by 24 different clubs, 10 of which have won the title more than once. The most successful club in the competition is Pro Recco, with eight titles. The current European champion is Olympiacos, who secured their second title after defeating Pro Recco in the 2017–18 LEN Champions League Final in Genoa.
History
Names of the competition
- 1963–1996: Champions Cup
- 1996–2003: Champions League
- 2003–2011: LEN Euroleague
- 2011–present: LEN Champions League
Title holders
|
|
Finals
Titles by club
| Rank | Club | Titles | Runner-up | Champion Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | Pro Recco
|
8 | 7 | 1964–65, 1983–84, 2002–03, 2006–07, 2007–08, 2009–10, 2011–12, 2014–15 |
| 2. |  Mladost
|
7 | 4 | 1967–68, 1968–69, 1969–70, 1971–72, 1989–90, 1990–91, 1995–96 |
| 3. |  Partizan
|
7 | 3 | 1963–64, 1965–66, 1966–67, 1970–71, 1974–75, 1975–76, 2010–11 |
| 4. | Jug
|
4 | 4 | 1980–81, 2000–01, 2005–06, 2015–16 |
| 5. |  Spandau 04
|
4 | 4 | 1982–83, 1985–86, 1986–87, 1988–89 |
| 6. | Posillipo
|
3 | 1996–97, 1997–98, 2004–05 | |
| 7. | OSC
|
2 | 2 | 1972–73, 1978–79 |
| 8. |  Olympiacos
|
2 | 3 | 2001–02, 2017–18 |
| 9. | Vasas
|
2 | 1 | 1979–80, 1984–85 |
| 10. | Jadran Split
|
2 | 1991–92, 1992–93 | |
| 11. | Honvéd
|
1 | 3 | 2003–04 |
| 12. |  CSKA Moscow
|
1 | 2 | 1976–77 |
| 13. | Újpest
|
1 | 2 | 1993–94 |
| 14. |  Catalunya
|
1 | 2 | 1994–95 |
| 15. | Napoli
|
1 | 1 | 1977–78 |
| 16. | Pescara
|
1 | 1 | 1987–88 |
| 17. |  Bečej
|
1 | 1 | 1999–00 |
| 18. |  Primorac Kotor
|
1 | 1 | 2008–09 |
| 19. | MGU Moscow
|
1 | 1973–74 | |
| 20. | Barcelona
|
1 | 1981–82 | |
| 21. | POŠK
|
1 | 1998–99 | |
| 22. | Crvena zvezda
|
1 | 2012–13 | |
| 23. | Atlètic-Barceloneta
|
1 | 2013–14 | |
| 24. | Szolnok
|
1 | 2016–17 | |
| 25. | Ferencvárosi TC
|
1 | 2018–19 | |
| 25. | Dynamo Moscow
|
3 | ||
| 26. | Primorje
|
2 | ||
| 27. |  Dynamo Magdeburg
|
1 | ||
| 28. |  Dinamo București
|
1 | ||
| 29. |  Zian
|
1 | ||
| 30. | Montjuïc
|
1 | ||
| 31. | Dynamo Alma-Ata
|
1 | ||
| 32. | Alphen
|
1 | ||
| 33. | BVSC
|
1 | ||
| 34. | Savona
|
1 | ||
| 35. | Jadran
|
1 | ||
| 36. | Radnički Kragujevac
|
1 |
Titles by nation
| Rank | Country | Titles | Runners-up |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. |  Yugoslavia [A]
|
14 | 6 |
| 2. | Italy
|
13 | 10 |
| 3. | Hungary
|
8 | 9 |
| 4. | Croatia
|
7 | 9 |
| 5. | Germany [B]
|
4 | 4 |
| 6. | Spain
|
3 | 3 |
| 7. | Soviet Union [C]
|
2 | 6 |
| 8. | Greece
|
2 | 2 |
| 9. | Serbia
|
2 | 1 |
| 10. | Montenegro
|
1 | 1 |
| 11. | Netherlands
|
2 | |
| 12. | East Germany
|
1 | |
| 13. | Romania
|
1 |
*A Results until the breakup of Yugoslavia in 1991 and the self-determination of its rump state Serbia and Montenegro in 2006. Clubs from present day Serbia won the title 6 times and were runners-up additional 4 times, clubs from present day Croatia won the title 7 and were runners-up once time, clubs from present day Montenegro were runners-up once time.
*B The results of West Germany counted with those of Germany.
*C Results until the dissolution of the Soviet Union in 1991. Clubs from present day Russia won the title 2 times and were runners-up additional 5 times, clubs from present day Kazakhstan were runners-up once time.
Records
- Pro Recco has been the most successful club, having won the competition a record eight times.
- Mladost is the only club to have won the competition three times in a row (1968, 1969, 1970).
- Partizan is the only club to have won the European Championship twice in a row for two times (1966, 1967 & 1975, 1976).
- Spandau 04 (1986, 1987), Mladost (1990, 1991), Jadran Split (1992, 1993), Posillipo (1997, 1998) and Pro Recco (2007, 2008) are the other five teams to have won the European Championship twice in a row, only for one time.
References
External links
| European Cup (1963–1996) |
|
|---|---|
| Champions League (1996–2003) | |
| Euroleague (2003–2011) | |
| Champions League (2011–present) | |
