For North American sports fans coming into the world of European soccer, there are several differences from the big four American sports to wrap one's mind around. Chief among those is the fact that clubs can compete in multiple competitions at once. Beyond the domestic league, there's usually at least one domestic cup; there's also European cups, for the teams who earn qualification into those tournaments. Chief among the continental engagements is the UEFA Champions League.
England's Arsenal FC was previously a fixture in that tournament under Arsene Wenger, but standards slipped toward the end of the Frenchman's reign. After what felt like an eternity in the wilderness, the Gunners are back at Europe's top table.
With that return to glory in mind, let's take a look at the North London club's history on the continent and answer the looming question: Has Arsenal ever won the Champions League?
What's the Farthest Arsenal Went in the Champions League?
While Arsenal was essentially guaranteed Champions League football during Wenger's time in charge. Despite that qualification record, though, the Gunners never took the top spot.
The North London club came close in 2006, reaching the final of the 2005-06 Champions League campaign. In the deciding match against Barcelona, though, Arsenal was reduced to 10 men in the first half. They managed to take the lead but ultimately lost 2-1 on the night.
Wenger's men also reached the Champions League semifinal during the 2008-09 campaign but fell to the two-legged matchup against Manchester United.
Wenger's Champions League Streak was Special
In isolation, falling short of the ultimate prize might make Arsenal's Champions League record seem like a disappointment. And while there is certainly something to be said for claiming the top prize, that doesn't devalue what Arsene Wenger accomplished.
During the legendary manager's time in North London, he led the club into the Champions League an incredible 19 consecutive times from the 1997-98 campaign through the 2016-17 season. His critics eventually began to poke fun at "the fourth-place trophy," suggesting that qualifying for the next season's European competition was all that he achieved, but those quips ignore some context.
Especially after Arsenal moved from Highbury to Emirates Stadium, Wenger had to work within tight financial constraints. Gunners' supporters will remember transfer windows when elite players left, and no true replacements arrived. Regardless of the roster, though the manager kept delivering Champions League football, and that, in turn, kept the cash flowing.
Arsenal Does Have a Couple of European Trophies
As we've already established, the Gunners don't have any UEFA Champions League silverware in the trophy case. There are, however, some European successes in other competitions.
During the 1969-70 campaign, Arsenal won the Inter-Cities Fairs Cup. While that competition sounds like something made up within a "Monty Python" sketch, it was an early version of the UEFA Cup, which, in turn, became the Europa League. The English club defeated Belgium's Anderlecht 4-3 across a two-match final, taking the title back to North London.
Another victory came during the 1993-94 edition of the Cup Winners Cup, which later merged with the UEFA Cup. In that year's continental competition, Arsenal topped Genoa (Italy) 1-0 in the final.
Beyond those titles, the Gunners did post several other strong campaigns within the secondary European competitions.
Arsenal finished as runners-up during the 1979-80 and 1994-95 editions of the Cup Winners Cup, the 1999-2000 UEFA Cup and the 2018-19 Europa League. There was also a second-place finish in the 1994 European Super Cup, but that was simply a two-legged tie between the Champions League winners (AC Milan) and the Cup Winners Cup winners (Arsenal). The Gunners, therefore, were runners-up in a two-team event.
That all combines to place a Champions League trophy in Arsenal's collective sights. Claiming European glory will be a tough task, but the manager and players who make it happen will earn a place in club history.
Uncommon Knowledge
Newsweek is committed to challenging conventional wisdom and finding connections in the search for common ground.
Newsweek is committed to challenging conventional wisdom and finding connections in the search for common ground.
About the writer
Joe Kozlowski is a native New Yorker who joined Newsweek in 2023 as the Sports Team Lead.
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