1997–98 UEFA Champions League

The 1997–98 UEFA Champions League was the 43rd season of the UEFA Champions League, UEFA's premier club football tournament, and the sixth since its re-branding from the "European Champion Clubs' Cup" or "European Cup". The tournament was won by Real Madrid, winning for the first time in 32 years, beating 1–0 Juventus who were playing in a third consecutive final. It started a run of three victories in five seasons for the Spanish club.

1997–98 UEFA Champions League
The Amsterdam Arena held the final
Tournament details
DatesQualifying:
23 July – 27 August 1997
Competition proper:
17 September 1997 – 20 May 1998
TeamsCompetition proper: 24
Total: 55
Final positions
Champions Real Madrid (7th title)
Runners-up Juventus
Tournament statistics
Matches played85
Goals scored239 (2.81 per match)
Attendance2,868,568 (33,748 per match)
Top scorer(s)Alessandro Del Piero (Juventus)
10 goals

This season was the first to have six groups, instead of previous four, which meant that only two group runners-up qualified for the quarter-finals as opposed to all the second-placed teams. It was also the first to have two qualifying rounds instead of just one. After three years of entering the UEFA Cup, champions of smaller nations returned to the Champions League. For the first time, the runners-up of eight domestic leagues entered into the competition. With Borussia Dortmund being the title holders but finishing third in their domestic league the previous season, Germany became the first association to provide three teams to the premier European competition.

Borussia Dortmund, the defending champions, were eliminated in the semi-finals by eventual winners Real Madrid.

Armenia, Azerbaijan, Slovakia and the Republic of Macedonia all entered their champions for the first time, while the champion of Yugoslavia returned to this competition for the first time since 1991–92 season after the UN ban was lifted.

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