Who are the Unluckiest Teams in UEFA Champions League History?

The UEFA Champions League is the pinnacle of club football, and the 2025/26 campaign has gotten underway in blockbuster fashion. So far, we have seen an injury-hit Paris Saint-Germain rubber-stamp their title-defending credentials with a shock 2-1 win away at Barcelona, while Galatasaray flipped the script by upsetting Liverpool, with Victor Osimhen's first-half penalty securing the Turks all three points. With two matchdays now finished, online sportsbooks currently can't split the frontrunners. 

The latest odds from the popular Bovada online sportsbook currently have four teams separated by just one betting point at the top of their odds list. Barcelona and Paris Saint-Germain are currently tied as 11/2 joint favorites, with Premier League giants Arsenal and Liverpool just behind at 6/1 and 13/2 respectively. Following those two, perennial contenders Bayern Munich and record champions Real Madrid are both considered 9/1 shots. 

But while the Champions League, as its name may suggest, is a ground where legends are made, it's also a place where heartbreak runs rampant. Over the years, some teams have suffered more pain than others, and here are the two that we consider the unluckiest ones of them all. 

Atletico Madrid 

Atletico Madrid's European pedigree is few and far between in a historical sense. They reached the European Cup final back in 1974, as well as reaching back-to-back Cup Winners' Cup finals in 1962 and 1963, winning the first against Fiorentina before suffering a 5-1 drubbing against Tottenham Hotspur the following year. However, it's in modern times that Los Rojibolancos have become a force in the greatest club competition in the game. 

Diego Simeone's appointment as manager back in 2011 ushered in a golden era with the Spanish capital's perceived second club. After leading Atleti to Europa League glory in 2012, their second title in three seasons, Los Rojiblancos were finally ready for an all-out assault on the Champions League. 

In 2013/14, Atletico enjoyed a stellar campaign, winning La Liga against all odds, as well as reaching the UCL final for the first time in 40 years. And it's here that the European heartache begins, with arch cross-city rivals Real the chief instigators. The two sides from the capital met in that season's Lisbon showpiece, and it looked as though it would be Atleti that would leave with the crown as they headed into injury time with a slender 1-0 lead. Then, Sergio Ramos planted a last-gasp header into Thibaut Courtois' far corner to level things up, before Los Blancos emerged as 4-1 victors in extra time. 

Two years later, Atletico reached the final again, and once more, they would face off against rivals Real. Ramos netted again, this time opening the scoring, only for Yannick Carrasco to find a late equalizer. That sent the contest to a penalty shootout, but once again, Atleti came out on the losing side, with Juanfran's missed spotkick allowing Cristiano Ronaldo to sweep home and take the title to the Bernabeu once again. 

For the four seasons between 2013/14 and 2016/17, Atletico were eliminated by rivals Real, including those two final defeats. Last season, the two adversaries would meet once more, and once again, it was the big brother that emerged victorious, and they did so in the most acrimonious circumstances possible. With the round of 16 clash going to penalties once more, Atletico striker Julian Alvarez's penalty was ruled as a miss after he slipped and accidentally struck the ball twice, allowing Real to emerge with yet another victory. Such a freak incident on the grandest stage is about as unlucky as it gets. 

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Juventus 

Spare a thought for Juventus. No team has lost more UEFA Champions League finals in history than the Bianconeri, racking up a whopping seven defeats in nine appearances. Admittedly, they have twice reigned supreme, claiming crowns in 1985 and 1996, but it's their losses that truly define their European history. 

Their first serving of pain came back in 1973 when they were beaten by Ajax in Belgrade, before once again losing a decade later as they were beaten 1-0 by Hamburg in Athens, despite heading to the clash as huge favorites. But those losses were just a prelude. 

With a packed squad containing the likes of Zinedine Zidane, Didier Deschamps, and Alessandro Del Piero, Juventus reached three straight finals between 1996 and 1998, winning the first of them. However, in back-to-back finals in 1997 and 1998, they were shockingly beaten on both occasions. Underdogs Borussia Dortmund downed them in the first courtesy of Lars Ricken's 30-yard stunner in Munich, before Predrag Mijatović's goal handed Real Madrid a seventh title in Amsterdam the following year. 

Further heartache was still to come. The Bianconeri lost to AC Milan in the 2003 final after a brutal penalty shootout at Old Trafford. Throughout the 2010s, Max Allegri would lead Juve to two finals in three seasons, first losing to Barcelona and then being thumped 4-1 by Real in Cardiff. 

Juve have reached five finals since their most recent triumph in 1996, losing them all. Is it simply being unlucky at this point, or is it more of a curse?