Teams you forgot once dominated the Champions League

The UEFA Champions League has long been the VIP section of European football, where only the elite (and occasionally a lucky underdog) get to party. While clubs like Real Madrid, Bayern Munich, and Manchester City are permanent guests, some teams used to be regulars before they were unceremoniously booted from the club.

Let’s take a look back at some former mainstays of Europe's top club competition. 

A Champions League (or European Cup) winner in 1988 and a semi-finalist in 2005, PSV used to be a regular fixture in Europe’s top competition. These days, Dutch clubs struggle to compete with Europe’s elite, and PSV is no exception. That being said, we think their fortunes may be starting to change.

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Champions League finalists in both 2000 and 2001, Valencia were once a force to be reckoned with. However, chronic financial mismanagement has left them a shadow of their former selves, often flirting with relegation rather than European glory, as the BBC reported. 

Once a team you could bank on to make the group stages (and occasionally stun a European giant at Celtic Park), Celtic have found it increasingly tough to make a serious impact in Europe. Scottish football’s financial limitations have made deep runs in the competition a rarity.

Yes, Olympique de Marseille actually won the Champions League in 1993 (that's a controversial story for another day, though), and for a while, they were regular contenders. These days, their involvement in the tournament is more of a cameo than a starring role, as they struggle to keep up with PSG’s financial firepower.

Once one of the most recognizable Russian sides in the Champions League, Spartak Moscow now find themselves adrift in European exile due to, erm, political events, wondering when they’ll be invited back to the party.

CSKA Moscow was once a real nuisance in the Champions League, even winning the UEFA Cup in 2005. However, Russia's exile from the competition has put paid to their time in the competition, but looking at form they wouldn't get close to it on merit in 2025 either. 

Partizan Belgrade used to be a fixture in the Champions League, regularly navigating their way through qualification. However, things took a turn in 2017 when they were banned from European competition due to "financial irregularities", per ESPN. Since then, they have struggled to re-establish themselves as a Champions League force, with their European outings now mostly limited to the Europa League or Conference League.

Winners of the European Cup in 1991, Red Star Belgrade were once a feared name in Europe, but political turmoil and the break-up of Yugoslavia saw Serbian football take a massive hit. They still pop up in the Champions League now and then, but they’re no longer the force they once were.

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Steaua Bucharest (or FCSB, if you want to get into the messy ownership saga) were once kings of Europe, winning the 1986 European Cup. These days, they’re more of a cautionary tale, fading into irrelevance as Romanian football struggles to keep up with Europe’s powerhouses.

Greek football had its moment in the sun in the late 90s and early 2000s, with Panathinaikos reaching the 1996 semi-finals. Since then, the overall decline in quality in that competition has seen Greece's presence all but eliminated. 

Dynamo Kyiv once terrified defenses across Europe, with a young Andriy Shevchenko leading them to the semi-finals in 1998-99. While still a top side in Ukraine, financial struggles and, well, geopolitics have made Champions League glory a tough ask for the side the last few years. 

Remember when Rosenborg used to pop up in the Champions League every season like clockwork? The Norwegian giants were European group stage regulars in the 90s and early 2000s, even beating Real Madrid in 1997. Now, though? They’re mostly making up the numbers in Norway’s Eliteserien.

Belgium’s most successful club once made deep Champions League runs for fun, but those days are long gone. While they’re still a force domestically, they now struggle to even sniff Europe’s top competition, watching as Club Brugge takes it place at the big table.

A European Cup winner in 1983, Hamburger SV were a Bundesliga heavyweight and Champions League fixture for decades. Then, in 2018, they finally did what they'd been threatening to do for years – got relegated. They’ve been stuck in the 2. Bundesliga ever since, trying (and failing) to claw their way back to the big time.

Once the darlings of La Liga, Deportivo La Coruña actually won the whole thing in 1999-2000 and were Champions League regulars in the early 2000s. They even pulled off a miraculous comeback against AC Milan in 2003-04 to reach the semi-finals. 

But bad financial decisions and an almost lightning-fast decline saw them plummet down the Spanish football pyramid, per the Guardain. Now, they’re in the third tier, reminiscing about the good old days. Nothing in football is guaranteed, especially a place in the Champions League. 

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