UEFA Champions League is one of the most widely viewed sporting events in Europe and around the world. Watched in over 200 countries and creating a total revenue of over 100 billion dollars, the Champions League includes 78 participants fighting for one of the most envied soccer trophies in the world.

UEFA stands for Union of European Football Associations. In order to gain a spot in the contest, teams from around the world must finish at the top of their leagues. The teams come from countries across Europe, but a select few come from other places around the world. For the best leagues in the world such as the English Premier League and Spanish Premier League, the two or more best teams in the League are given a spot due to the prestige of the leagues.

Right now there are currently 55 countries involved in the tournament which brings in millions of viewers from around the world. This tournament along with the World Cup and the Olympics shows the growth of fans supporting the league’s, players, and teams throughout the world.

Currently, the Round of 16 is what everyone is focusing on, with only 16 teams remaining and some leaving the tournament due to losing in the Round of 16, the fight to beat out those remaining is a dire situation. Making history in the UEFA tournament, Barcelona came back from 4-0 down to beat Paris Saint Germain in the second leg and advance, eliminating PSG from the tournament.

While talking with freshman Baqer Al Rikabi, he talked about the fairness of the matches and whether or not the teams that play against each other are matches that are interesting to watch and not 7-0 blowouts. He gave the example of the game where Barcelona played PSG saying, “I think some of the matchups are fair because some of the teams like Barcelona FC can lose games but come back just as easily, just like they did against PSG.” He also said that many teams are capable of winning it’s just whether or not they come to compete.

Two of the top contenders in the tournament are Real Madrid and Barcelona. In Barcelona’s games, they have been inconsistent blowing out the opponent or losing to a weaker team. Barcelona has won the title five times which is relatively small compared to  Real Madrid’s eleven wins which shows the dominating performance repeated by Real Madrid throughout the years.

Real Madrid’s most recent UEFA title was last year against Atletico Madrid. Like Barcelona, they have had outstanding performances in the UEFA Champions League tournament. Along with this, both teams bring a dominating presence to the field that boosts how the team is viewed.

Freshman Al-Rikabi also talked about his favorite team, Bayern Munich and how they are favored to win. He said, “They have a huge advantage because first they are really good at playing soccer and they have a really rich program.” Al-Rikabi is proud of his team and their chances to win the whole tournament later this spring.

While many watch these types of tournaments to cheer on their favorite team, others watch the games just to see teams like Barcelona and Real Madrid match up against each other and battle it out as two of the strongest teams in all of Europe. Some of their wins have consisted of close calls and blow outs, like games where it’s 3-1 and games that are 7-0.

These tournaments bring people together no matter the outcome. Soccer is a game that can be enjoyed by everyone and is a sport that is still growing massively in the US and around the world. The Champions League is one of the soccer tournaments that people all around the world enjoy watching.