Arsenal are one of the most historic and successful teams in England. But they have never had the success in the Champions League that English teams like Chelsea, Liverpool and Manchester United have had.
Arsenal Champions League history. Arsenal have played in the Champions League 19 times, reaching the final once (2006) and the semi-final one more time (2009).
Since the Champions League was first introduced in 1992, Arsenal have not had a huge amount of success in the competition.
Have Arsenal ever won the European Cup?
Even before the 1992 rebranding to the Champions League, Arsenal had struggled to perform in Europe. Since their founding in 1886 Arsenal have never won the prestigious European Cup. The only European Trophies they have ever won are the 1969-70 Inter-Cities Fairs Cup and the 1993-94 Cup Winners’ Cup.
Early struggles
Arsenal’s first Champions League campaign was a really poor one, particularly as they qualified for the Champions League by winning the Premier League in the prior season. Arsenal would be knocked out in the group stage of their first two Champions League campaigns, winning four out of their first 12 games in the competition.
It was a particularly poor start for Arsenal, but they did have some success as they made it past the second group stage, losing in the quarter-finals on away goals to Spanish side Valencia.
After two more knockouts in the second group stage, Arsenal again made it to the quarter-final in the Invincibles season. Arsenal topped their group and won their first knockout game in the Champions League, defeating Celta Vigo across two legs. But the London side would lose to fellow London side Chelsea in the quarter-finals
Breaking through – A Final Appearance, 2006
Arsenal’s 2005-06 season was actually a pretty poor one by their standards. Arsenal finished fourth in the Premier League and were knocked out in the fourth round of the FA Cup. But the highlight of the season was certainly the team’s excellent Champions League run.
They began their Champions League campaign with a very convincing group stage, going undefeated to top the group. Arsenal faced an incredibly tough test in the Round of 16 as they faced Real Madrid. But a single goal in the first leg from Thierry Henry led Arsenal past Madrid.
Arsenal’s excellent defence is what led them past Juventus in the next game when they were able to get through thanks to first-leg goals from Cesc Fabregas and Henry. Arsenal set a record with their tenth straight clean sheet as they beat Villarreal 1-0 on aggregate thanks to a Kolo Toure goal and a Lehmann penalty save in the second leg. (“1 nil, to the Arsenal…”)
It sent Arsenal to their very first Champions League final. But they would come up against the juggernaut of Barcelona. It was always going to be an incredibly difficult game when Arsenal’s keeper Jens Lehmann fouled Samuel Eto’o while he was through on goal, with Lehmann being sent off for the incident.
Arsenal did still manage to take the lead in the final despite being a man down. But an equaliser from Eto’o eventually allowed Juliano Belletti to score the winner for Barcelona, as Arsenal fell just short in their first and only Champions League final to date.
Another strong showing, Semi-Final 2009
Three years later, Arsenal were having another excellent Champions League campaign, getting through the group despite losing their final game. A penalty shootout win over Roma in the Round of 16 put Arsenal through to the quarter-finals, where they defeated Villarreal with ease.
But in the Semi-Final, Arsenal would lose both legs, including a 3-1 loss in the second leg at the Emirates to Manchester United.
Falling away from contention
Since that incredibly disappointing loss to Manchester United, Arsenal have struggled to get close to the semi-final. They did make it to the quarter-final a year later, but Arsenal would lose 6-3 on aggregate to Barcelona, with Lionel Messi scoring four goals for Barca when the tie went to the Camp Nou for the second leg.
In the next seven seasons, Arsenal became incredibly consistent in the Champions League. They made it through the group stage in all of the next seven seasons but lost in the Round of 16 every time. That most recent loss occurred in 2017. Arsenal lost 10-2 on aggregate to Bayern Munich, losing 5-1 in both games as the German side dominated Arsenal.
They have not been back in the Champions League since, with Mikel Arteta hoping to add to Arsenal’s Champions League history going forward.
When did Arsenal last play in the Champions League?
Arsenal last played in the Champions League in the 2016-17 season. They qualified for the Champions League having finished in second the previous season. They began the Champions League campaign with some impressive results. Arsenal went undefeated in the group stage.
They beat Basel and Ludogorets twice as well as holding Paris Saint-Germain to a draw twice. This was enough for Arsenal to finish at the top of the group after PSG drew one of their games with Ludogorets. Sadly for Arsenal, the knockout stage would be a lot more difficult than the group stage.
Arsenal came up against Bayern Munich in the Round of 16 who had lost in the semi-final in the previous season. Bayern embarrassed Arsenal in both legs, defeating them 5-1 in both the home and the away leg. It was a terrible disappointment for Arsenal, particularly as Bayern would be comfortably beaten by Real Madrid in the next round.
Considering the young and exciting team that Arsenal are developing at the moment, it is likely that they will be back in the Champions League reasonably soon.
Arsenal Europa League history
Arsenal are an incredibly successful team, so they don’t have a massive history since the UEFA Cup was rebranded as the UEFA Europa League. But Arsenal have played in the Europa League in the last four seasons.
Their 2017-18 campaign included an impressive 5-1 win on aggregate against AC Milan in the Round of 16, but Arsenal would eventually lose to Atletico Madrid in the Semi-Final. They came very close to their first European trophy the next season, which included Arsenal overcoming first-leg losses in both the Round of 32 and Round of 16.
Arsenal would eventually lose in the final to fellow London side Chelsea. Arsenal’s last Europa League campaign was in 2020-21 and it was ended by their former manager Unai Emery. Arsenal would lose to Emery’s Villareal in the semi-final, with the Spanish side going on to win the title.