What was the UEFA Champions League called before its 1992 rebranding?

Before its 1992 rebranding, the UEFA Champions League was called the European Cup.

The competition began in 1955–56 as the European Champion Clubs’ Cup, commonly shortened to the European Cup. It was designed for the champions of UEFA member associations and initially used a straightforward knockout format. Real Madrid won the first five editions, establishing the tournament’s early identity.

The 1991–92 edition was the last played under the European Cup name. UEFA introduced major structural and commercial changes, including a group stage involving eight clubs after the opening knockout rounds. From the 1992–93 season, the competition carried the UEFA Champions League branding, with a new logo, theme music and centralised marketing.

A frequent mistake is choosing the UEFA Cup, which was a separate competition for clubs that had not qualified for the European Cup, or the Cup Winners’ Cup, which was for domestic cup winners. The Inter-Cities Fairs Cup was an even earlier, separate tournament and was not the predecessor name of the Champions League.