List of football matches between British clubs in UEFA competitions


Since the inception of the European Cup in 1955, there have been many meetings in UEFA club competitions between football teams from each part of the United Kingdom – England, Northern Ireland, Scotland and Wales.

Overview

In addition to the rivalry between the national sides, clubs from the English and Scottish league systems have also met on numerous occasions in the various European club competitions. These matches are frequently described by the media as being a "Battle of Britain", irrespective of the clubs involved.
There has never been a European final between an English and a Scottish club, and two Scottish clubs have never faced off in European tournaments at any stage; the closest this came to occurring was in the 1965–66 Inter-Cities Fairs Cup when Hearts lost a playoff to Real Zaragoza with Dunfermline already drawn to meet the winners in the next round, and in the same competition two years later when, knowing Dundee would be the next opponent, Rangers were eliminated by eventual winners Leeds United.
Clubs from England, the second most successful nation on the continent with 34 major wins in the four main competitions have played each other on 22 occasions including in four finals: the 1972 UEFA Cup Final, the 2008 UEFA Champions League Final, the 2019 UEFA Europa League Final and the 2019 UEFA Champions League Final; the all-English pairings in 2019 was the first time a single nation had provided all four finalists since the Cup Winners' Cup was abolished.
Despite the high number of wins by English clubs in the relevant competitions, there had never been an all-English or all-British UEFA Super Cup match until 2019 when it became a certainty due to the presence of four finalists.
There were no European ties involving English clubs during the period of their ban following the Heysel Stadium disaster in 1985.

European Cup/Champions League

and Leeds United met in the semi-final of the 1970 European Cup, which was the first contest to be popularly described as a "Battle of Britain". Celtic won the first leg at Elland Road 1–0, and the second leg was played at Hampden Park to allow a bigger crowd to attend than could be held at Celtic Park, with the resultant attendance of 136,505 the largest ever crowd for a European match. Billy Bremner opened the scoring early on to level the aggregate score, but Celtic came back to win the match 2–1 and the tie 3–1.
There was only one all-English tie under the old knockout format among four British ties overall; this was in 1978 when the two-time holders Liverpool were beaten in the opening round by Nottingham Forest, who had qualified for the competition for the first time and went on to win the trophy; they retained it the following year, before Liverpool won again in 1981. Aston Villa enjoyed their own winning debut season in the 1981–82 edition to complete a sequence of six consecutive wins for English clubs.
Rangers defeated Leeds United home and away to qualify for the first Champions League group stage in 1992–93. In the early 21st century, after the entry criteria of the premier competition was expanded to include several clubs from each of the leading nations, four Champions League semi-finals between English clubs took place, three pairing Liverpool against Chelsea, plus the final in 2008 between Chelsea and Manchester United.
Although clubs from the same association cannot be drawn in the same group, an exception was made for 2005–06. As title holders Liverpool did not qualify for the Champions League through their league position, a compromise was made by UEFA to allow them to take part in the competition from the first qualifying round and without "association protection", they were eventually paired with Chelsea in the group stage.
Celtic and Manchester United were drawn together twice in the Champions League group phase in quick succession, in 2006–07 and 2008–09, while Arsenal beat Celtic 5–1 on aggregate in the 2009–10 qualifiers. Manchester United and Rangers met in the 2010–11 Champions League, with the match at Old Trafford finishing goalless. Roddy Forsyth, writing in The Daily Telegraph, commented that the growing financial disparity between the two leagues was reflected in the below capacity attendance, the defensive tactics used by Rangers, and the weakened team selection by United. In total, British teams have been drawn together 23 times since the advent of the new format in 1992. The most recent competitive meeting of clubs from England and Scotland was between Celtic and Manchester City in the 2016–17 UEFA Champions League. Manchester City were defeated by an English opponent, Liverpool, in the quarter-finals of the 2017–18 competition.
2018–19 provided another all-English quarter-final followed by the final itself, where Liverpool defeated Tottenham 2–0 to win their sixth European Cup.

UEFA Cup/Europa League

There have been numerous ties between British clubs in the secondary competitions – 23 in the UEFA Cup, 16 in the extinct tournament considered to be its predecessor, the Inter-Cities Fairs Cup, and 13 in the defunct UEFA Cup Winners' Cup. Leeds' route to glory in the 1967–68 Fairs Cup featured three successive wins over Scottish opponents. Celtic lost on the away goals rule to Liverpool in the 1997–98 UEFA Cup, but they beat Blackburn Rovers and Liverpool on their run to the 2003 UEFA Cup Final. Hearts suffered a record defeat against Tottenham Hotspur in the 2011–12 UEFA Europa League, but performed more creditably against Liverpool in 2012–13.
Apart from the 1972 UEFA Cup Final won by Tottenham over Wolverhampton Wanderers, the only all-English tie in more than four decades of the UEFA Cup/Europa League up until 2019 took place in 2016, when arch-rivals Liverpool and Manchester United met; the Merseyside club progressed and were eventually runners-up in the competition. The first all-English final in the Europa League era, and only the third contest between two English clubs in the competition's history, took place in 2019, when Chelsea defeated London rivals Arsenal in Baku; based apart, the clubs' supporters had to travel almost each way to the event on the other side of the continent.

Historic competitions

Matches between English and Scottish club sides in the late 19th century were big events, such as the meeting in 1895 of English league champions Sunderland and Scottish league champions Hearts in a game grandly described as the Championship of the World.
There have also been a number of other competitions between English and Scottish clubs. Before European competition started in 1955, the Coronation Cup was staged in 1953, to mark the coronation of Queen Elizabeth II. Four prominent clubs from each country participated in a knockout tournament, with Celtic and Hibernian defeating two English clubs each to reach the final, which Celtic won 2–0 at Hampden. A similar competition called the Empire Exhibition Trophy was staged in 1938, with Celtic defeating Everton 1–0 in the final at Ibrox. Back in 1902, the four-team British League Cup was staged in Glasgow, with both Rangers and Celtic defeating their English opponents to set up a local final, won by Celtic 3–2.
In the 1970s, American oil giant Texaco sponsored the Texaco Cup, which was a knockout competition for clubs that had failed to qualify for the main European competitions. Interest in the competition soon waned, however, and Texaco withdrew their sponsorship after the 1974–75 season. The competition continued for a few years in the form of the Anglo-Scottish Cup, but it was discontinued in 1981.

Wales

Welsh sides did not take part in the Champions League until the 1993–94 season, following the creation of the Welsh Premier League, and both the champions and runners-up entered the UEFA Cup for the first time in the 1994–95 season as UEFA made the champions of smaller nations — including Northern Ireland — compete in the UEFA Cup for a three-year period.
Although the Welsh teams in the English league system were entitled to enter the Cup Winners' Cup by winning the Welsh Cup until 1995 and qualified for the competition 31 times between them, they were drawn against another British club on just two occasions — Newport County v Crusaders in 1980 and Wrexham v Manchester United in 1990.

Scottish Challenge Cup

In 2016, the Scottish Challenge Cup, normally for Scottish Professional Football League clubs outside the Premiership, invited two teams from Wales and Northern Ireland to take part, and the following year extended entry to two clubs from the Republic of Ireland.. Welsh club The New Saints progressed to the semi-final in the 2016–17 season. They repeated the feat in 2017–18, being joined by Northern Irish club Crusaders. The results of ties between clubs from different countries are not included here.
For the 2018–19 edition, two English National League clubs were invited to take part in the competition, and the first non-Scottish team reached the final – Connah's Quay Nomads of Wales, who beat Edinburgh City on penalties. They would face Ross County at the Caledonian Stadium in Inverness, a controversial choice of venue being only from Ross County's home in Dingwall but a distance of for Connah's Quay Nomads; previous finals had typically been held further south in Scotland's Central Belt.

UEFA Champions League/European Champion Clubs' Cup

SeasonRoundTeam 1ScoreTeam 2VenueAttendance
1969–70Semi-finalsLeeds United0–1CelticElland Road, Leeds46,381
1969–70Semi-finalsCeltic2–1Leeds UnitedHampden Park, Glasgow136,505
1976–77First roundLiverpool2–0CrusadersAnfield, Liverpool
1976–77First roundCrusaders0–5LiverpoolSeaview, Belfast
1978–79First roundNottingham Forest2–0LiverpoolCity Ground, NottinghamN/A
1978–79First roundLiverpool0–0Nottingham ForestAnfield, LiverpoolN/A
1980–81Second roundAberdeen0–1LiverpoolPittodrie, Aberdeen23,934
1980–81Second roundLiverpool4–0AberdeenAnfield, Liverpool36,182
1992–93Second roundRangers2–1Leeds UnitedIbrox, Glasgow
1992–93Second roundLeeds United1–2RangersElland Road, Leeds
2003–04Group stageRangers0–1Manchester UnitedIbrox, Glasgow
2003–04Group stageManchester United3–0RangersOld Trafford, Manchester66,500
2003–04Quarter-finalsChelsea1–1ArsenalStamford Bridge, London40,778N/A
2003–04Quarter-finalsArsenal1–2ChelseaHighbury, London35,468N/A
2004–05Semi-finalsChelsea0–0LiverpoolStamford Bridge, London42,500N/A
2004–05Semi-finalsLiverpool1–0ChelseaAnfield, Liverpool41,500N/A
2005–06First qualifying roundLiverpool3–0Total Network SolutionsAnfield, Liverpool44,760
2005–06First qualifying roundTotal Network Solutions0–3LiverpoolRacecourse Ground, Wrexham8,009
2005–06Group stageLiverpool0–0ChelseaAnfield, Liverpool42,750N/A
2005–06Group stageChelsea0–0LiverpoolStamford Bridge, London41,600N/A
2006–07Group stageManchester United3–2CelticOld Trafford, Manchester74,031
2006–07Group stageCeltic1–0Manchester UnitedCeltic Park, Glasgow60,632
2006–07Semi-finalsChelsea1–0LiverpoolStamford Bridge, London39,483N/A
2006–07Semi-finalsLiverpool1–0ChelseaAnfield, Liverpool42,554N/A
2007–08Quarter-finalsArsenal1–1LiverpoolEmirates Stadium, London60,041N/A
2007–08Quarter-finalsLiverpool4–2ArsenalAnfield, Liverpool41,985N/A
2007–08Semi-finalsLiverpool1–1ChelseaAnfield, Liverpool42,180N/A
2007–08Semi-finalsChelsea3–2LiverpoolStamford Bridge, London38,300N/A
2007–08FinalChelsea1–1Manchester UnitedLuzhniki Stadium, Moscow67,310N/A
2008–09Group stageManchester United3–0CelticOld Trafford, Manchester74,655
2008–09Group stageCeltic1–1Manchester UnitedCeltic Park, Glasgow58,593
2008–09Quarter-finalsLiverpool1–3ChelseaAnfield, Liverpool42,543N/A
2008–09Quarter-finalsChelsea4–4LiverpoolStamford Bridge, London38,286N/A
2008–09Semi-finalsManchester United1–0ArsenalOld Trafford, Manchester74,733N/A
2008–09Semi-finalsArsenal1–3Manchester UnitedEmirates Stadium, London59,867N/A
2009–10Play-off roundCeltic0–2ArsenalCeltic Park, Glasgow58,165
2009–10Play-off roundArsenal3–1CelticEmirates Stadium, London59,962
2010–11Group stageManchester United0–0RangersOld Trafford, Manchester74,408
2010–11Group stageRangers0–1Manchester UnitedIbrox, Glasgow49,764
2010–11Quarter-finalsChelsea0–1Manchester UnitedStamford Bridge, London37,915N/A
2010–11Quarter-finalsManchester United2–1ChelseaOld Trafford, Manchester74,672N/A
2013–14Second qualifying roundCliftonville0–3CelticSolitude, Belfast5,442
2013–14Second qualifying roundCeltic2–0CliftonvilleCeltic Park, Glasgow37,097
2016–17Group stageCeltic3–3Manchester CityCeltic Park, Glasgow57,592
2016–17Group stageManchester City1–1CelticEtihad Stadium, Manchester51,297
2017–18Second qualifying roundLinfield0–2CelticWindsor Park, Belfast6,359
2017–18Second qualifying roundCeltic4–0LinfieldCeltic Park, Glasgow58,075
2017–18Quarter-finalsLiverpool3–0Manchester CityAnfield, Liverpool50,685N/A
2017–18Quarter-finalsManchester City1–2LiverpoolEtihad Stadium, Manchester53,461N/A
2018–19Quarter-finalsTottenham Hotspur1–0Manchester CityTottenham Hotspur Stadium, London60,044N/A
2018–19Quarter-finalsManchester City4–3Tottenham HotspurEtihad Stadium, Manchester53,348N/A
2018–19FinalTottenham Hotspur0–2LiverpoolWanda Metropolitano, Madrid63,272N/A

UEFA Super Cup

UEFA Europa League/UEFA Cup

Inter-Cities Fairs Cup

SeasonRoundTeam 1ScoreTeam 2VenueAttendanceWin for
1962–63First roundEverton1 – 0Dunfermline AthleticGoodison Park, Liverpool
1962–63First roundDunfermline Athletic2 – 0EvertonEast End Park, Dunfermline
1963–64First roundGlentoran1 – 4Partick ThistleThe Oval, Belfast5,000
1963–64First roundPartick Thistle3 – 0GlentoranFirhill Stadium, Glasgow7,000
1964–65First roundKilmarnock0 – 2EvertonRugby Park, Kilmarnock23,561
1964–65First roundEverton4 – 1KilmarnockGoodison Park, Liverpool30,730
1964–65Third roundManchester United1 – 1EvertonOld Trafford, ManchesterN/A
1964–65Third roundEverton1 – 2Manchester UnitedGoodison Park, LiverpoolN/A
1966–67Semi-finalLeeds United4 – 2KilmarnockElland Road, Leeds43,000
1966–67Semi-finalKilmarnock0 – 0Leeds UnitedRugby Park, Kilmarnock24,831
1967–68First roundLeeds United1 – 0HibernianElland Road, Leeds
1967–68First roundHibernian1 – 1Leeds UnitedEaster Road, Edinburgh40,503
1967–68Quarter-finalRangers0 – 0Leeds UnitedIbrox, Glasgow85,000
1967–68Quarter-finalLeeds United2 – 0RangersElland Road, Leeds50,498
1967–68Semi-finalDundee1 – 1Leeds UnitedDens Park, Dundee30,000
1967–68Semi-finalLeeds United1 – 0DundeeElland Road, Leeds23,830
1968–69First roundChelsea5 – 0MortonStamford Bridge, London
1968–69First roundMorton3 – 4ChelseaCappielow Park, Greenock
1968–69Semi-finalRangers0 – 0Newcastle UnitedIbrox, Glasgow75,518
1968–69Semi-finalNewcastle United2 – 0RangersSt. James' Park, Newcastle
1969–70First roundDundee United1 – 2Newcastle UnitedTannadice Park, Dundee
1969–70First roundNewcastle United1 – 0Dundee UnitedSt. James' Park, Newcastle
1969–70First roundArsenal3 – 0GlentoranHighbury Stadium, London
1969–70First roundGlentoran1 – 0ArsenalThe Oval, Belfast
1969–70Third roundNewcastle United0 – 0SouthamptonSt. James' Park, NewcastleN/A
1969–70Third roundSouthampton1 – 1Newcastle UnitedThe Dell, SouthamptonN/A
1970–71First roundColeraine1 – 1KilmarnockThe Showgrouds, Coleraine5,000
1970–71First roundKilmarnock2 – 3ColeraineRugby Park, Kilmarnock5,911
1970–71Third roundHibernian0 – 1LiverpoolEaster Road, Edinburgh
1970–71Third roundLiverpool2 – 0HibernianAnfield, Liverpool
1970–71Semi-finalLiverpool0 – 1Leeds UnitedAnfield, Liverpool52,877N/A
1970–71Semi-finalLeeds United0 – 0LiverpoolElland Road, Leeds40,462N/A

UEFA Cup Winners' Cup

Results tables

The statistics from all matches played by clubs of each nation against the others is shown below.

England

England is the only nation whose teams have played against each other, in 22 ties across four competitions.

Northern Ireland

Scotland

Wales

British overseas territories

Since 2013, the Gibraltar Football Association has been a member of UEFA enabling them to enter team into UEFA competitions representing Gibraltar, a British overseas territory. The first tie between a team from Gibraltar and a side from the United Kingdom was a second qualifying round Champions League tie between Celtic, of Scotland, and Lincoln Red Imps; Celtic won the tie 3–1 on aggregate.
The first meeting between a Gibraltarian and a Welsh side was played in the first qualifying round of the Champions League between Europa and The New Saints in 2017; TNS played Lincoln Red Imps in the second qualifying round of the Europa League in 2018.

UEFA Champions League

UEFA Europa League