A | B | C | D | E | F | G | H | CH | I | J | K | L | M | N | O | P | Q | R | S | T | U | V | W | X | Y | Z | 0 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9
 The Stadio Olimpico in Rome hosted the final. | |
| Tournament details | |
|---|---|
| Dates | Qualifying: 15 July – 27 August 2008 Competition proper: 16 September 2008 – 27 May 2009 |
| Teams | Competition proper: 32 Total: 76 |
| Final positions | |
| Champions |  Barcelona (3rd title) |
| Runners-up |  Manchester United |
| Tournament statistics | |
| Matches played | 125 |
| Goals scored | 329 (2.63 per match) |
| Attendance | 5,004,467 (40,036 per match) |
| Top scorer(s) | Lionel Messi (Barcelona) 9 goals |
The 2008–09 UEFA Champions League was the 54th edition of Europe's premier club football tournament and the 17th edition under the current UEFA Champions League format. The final was played at the Stadio Olimpico in Rome, Italy, on 27 May 2009.[1] It was the eighth time the European Cup final has been held in Italy and the fourth time it has been held at the Stadio Olimpico. The final was contested by the defending champions, Manchester United, and Barcelona, who had last won the tournament in 2006. Barcelona won the match 2–0, with goals from Samuel Eto'o and Lionel Messi, securing The Treble in the process. In addition, both UEFA Cup finalists, Werder Bremen and Shakhtar Donetsk featured in the Champions League group stage.
Anorthosis of Cyprus and BATE Borisov of Belarus were the first teams from their respective countries to qualify for the group stage. Romanian side CFR Cluj and Russian champions Zenit Saint Petersburg also made their Champions League debuts.
Association team allocation
A total of 76 teams from 52 UEFA associations (Liechtenstein organises no domestic league competition) participated in the 2008–09 Champions League. Countries are allocated places according to the 2007 UEFA league co-efficient ranking.
Below is the qualification scheme for the 2008–09 Champions League:
- Associations 1–3 each have four teams qualify.
- Associations 4–6 each have three teams qualify.
- Associations 7–15 each have two teams qualify.
- Associations 16–53 (except Liechtenstein) each have one team qualify.
Association ranking
For the 2008–09 UEFA Champions League, the associations are allocated places according to their 2007 UEFA country coefficients, which takes into account their performance in European competitions from 2002–03 to 2006–07.[2]
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Distribution
Since the title holders (Manchester United) qualified for the Champions League group stage through their domestic league, the group stage spot reserved for the title holders is vacated, and the following changes to the default access list are made:[3]
- The champions of association 10 (Scotland) are promoted from the third qualifying round to the group stage.
- The champions of association 16 (Bulgaria) are promoted from the second qualifying round to the third qualifying round.
- The champions of associations 23 (Poland) and 24 (Hungary) are promoted from the first qualifying round to the second qualifying round.