Official anthem of UEFA Champions League | |
| Lyrics | Tony Britten, 1992 |
|---|---|
| Music | Tony Britten, adapted from George Frideric Handel, 1992 |
| Adopted | 1992 |
| Audio sample | |
The last two verses of the UEFA Champions League Anthem (version used until 2024) | |
The UEFA Champions League Anthem, officially titled as simply the "Champions League", is the official anthem of the UEFA Champions League, written by English composer Tony Britten in 1992, and based on George Frideric Handel's Zadok the Priest.[1] It was also the official anthem of the UEFA Women's Champions League from its creation in 2001 to the 2021 creation of an independent anthem.[2] The complete anthem is about three minutes long, and has two short verses and the chorus. The lyrics are in UEFA's three official languages: English, French, and German. The chorus is set to the exclamations "Die Meister! Die Besten! Les grandes équipes! The champions!"
The anthem is played inside the stadium before the start of each UEFA Champions League match, in addition to the beginning and end of television broadcasts of the games. Special vocal versions of the anthem have been performed live at the UEFA Champions League Final. UEFA's official website states, "the anthem is now almost as iconic as the trophy."[3]