Longest unbeaten runs in the UCL: Sporting ends Man City's 26-game run

Manchester City has failed to win a UEFA Champions League match since May 2022 as Sporting CP crushed the English side by 4-1 with Viktor Gyökeres scoring a hat-trick. Ruben Amorim's brigade ends Manchester City's record unbeaten run of 26 games in the UCL. 

Manchester City lose their first match in the Champions League since May 2022.

They set the longest unbeaten streak in the UCL (26 games).

What a run 👏 pic.twitter.com/k5G3jD5yqW

— B/R Football (@brfootball) November 5, 2024

Pep Guardiola's men broke United's record of 25-game unbeaten streak in City's last UCL outing against Sparta Praha last week, making it more memorable with a 5-0 win. However, the defeat to Sporting has ended City's record-breaking 26-match unbeaten run which is the longest unbeaten run in the UCL.

Man City set a 𝗡𝗘𝗪 𝗥𝗘𝗖𝗢𝗥𝗗 for longest unbeaten run in #UCL history (𝟮𝟲 𝗴𝗮𝗺𝗲𝘀) 🥇🆕 pic.twitter.com/awt7kv3s72

— LiveScore (@livescore) October 23, 2024

Although Man City broke the record set by their long-standing rival Manchester United; the Red Devils are the only team to maintain an unbeaten streak of more than 15 games three times in different periods. 

Here are the longest unbeaten runs in the UEFA Champions League:

1. Manchester City | 26 games (2022-2024)

Manchester City's unbeaten run started in September 2022 whereas their last defeat before that came against Real Madrid in the second leg of the 2021-22 UCL semi-final where they lost 1-3 to the eventual champions. 

Following that defeat at Bernabeu, Manchester City went on to be undefeated in 26 UCL matches consisting of 18 wins and 8 draws. During this period, Manchester City lifted their maiden UEFA Champions League trophy in their historic treble-winning 2022-23 season.

Manchester City’s 2023 Champions League Campaign is one of the Greatest!

- Group Winners
- Invincibles
- Knocked out Real Madrid
- Knocked out Bayern Munich
- Defeat Inter Milan in the Final pic.twitter.com/rBuH0UfzVk

— City Chief (@City_Chief) July 6, 2023

Manchester City could not retain the title next season, but their exit came in the Quarter-finals after two draws in both legs and Real Madrid knocked City out in penalties.

However, City extended their unbeaten run to 25 games after thrashing Slovan Bratislava by 4-0 and broke the all-time record and stretched it to 26 games after crushing Sparta Praha by 5-0 last matchday. Now their run comes to an end after losing 1-4 to Sporting CP on 6 November 2024.

2. Manchester United | 25 games (2007-2009)

Manchester United remained unbeaten for 25 games from September 2007 to May 2009 when they lost 0-2 to FC Barcelona in the 2008-09 UCL Final. The Red Devils' unbeaten run started with a 1-0 victory over Sporting CP, and it was Cristiano Ronaldo who scored the only goal. 

However, their stint included the 2007-08 UCL Final when they defeated Chelsea in a penalty shoot-out. This one remains as of the most iconic undefeated UCL-winning campaigns.

On this day in 2008: #MUFC lifted the Champions League trophy after a penalty shootout win over #CFC. pic.twitter.com/YfFrqufNeL

— ESPN FC (@ESPNFC) May 21, 2015

However, Sir Alex Ferguson and his Red Devils continued their streak and reached a second consecutive UCL Final in the 2008-09 season. Barcelona ensured a 2-0 victory over Manchester United and United's unbeaten streak ended as well. 

3. Ajax Amsterdam | 20 games (1985-1996)

Ajax is only the third team to remain unbeaten in the Champions League for 20+ games and the Dutch side made the record in a 10-and-a-half-year period; extended to both the European Cup and the Champions League era!

Ajax's unbeaten run of 20 games reigned for this extensive period of time due to an incident that led Ajax to get banned from European competitions for a year in 1990 and they could not qualify from 1985 to 1988 and 1991 to 1993. 

Ajax was banned for a year from participating in European competitions following their 1989-90 UEFA Cup defeat against Austria Wien where an Ajax fan threw a bar towards the ground during the match and Wien's keeper Franz Wohlfahrt got injured. 

Ajax triumphed in the #UCLfinal against Milan #OnThisDay in 1995... pic.twitter.com/k9PUIHR0oa

— UEFA Champions League (@ChampionsLeague) May 24, 2016

However, the return of Ajax to the UCL remains iconic to date for their undefeated 1994-95 UCL-winning campaign as the Louis Van Gaal-coached side beat AC Milan by 1-0 in the final. Ajax's unbeaten run ended in a 0-1 defeat to Panathinaikos in the first leg of the 1995-96 UCL semi-final.

4. Bayern Munich | 19 games (2019-2021) 

Bayern Munich kept their unbeaten streak intact for 19 matches from 2019 to 2021, which included their undefeated UCL victory in the 2019-20 season during the Covid-19 pandemic. 

Bayern dominated their group by winning 6 out of 6 games and in the knock-out stages as well; with crushing Barcelona by 8-2 in the quarter-final. The Bavarians also became the first-ever team to win every match in a UCL campaign and maintain a 100% win record.

🏆 INVINCIBLES 💪

🔴 Bayern = 1st side in history to lift the trophy having won every game in a UCL season (11 games, 11 wins) 💯#UCLfinal pic.twitter.com/HvuRNSmEIQ

— UEFA Champions League (@ChampionsLeague) August 24, 2020

However, Bayern's 19-game streak ended in a 2-3 defeat against Paris Saint-Germain in the first leg of the 2020-21 UCL quarter-final.

5. Bayern Munich | 19 games (2001-2002)

Bayern Munich had another great unbeaten run in the early 2000s, going 19 games without facing a defeat from 2001 to 2002. Following the 0-3 defeat against Lyon in the second group stage of the 2000-01 UCL, Bayern remained undefeated after that loss including the penalty shoot-out victory in the Final against Valencia to lift the 2000-01 UCL. 

📅 23rd May 2001. The day we made history 🏆#FCBayern #MiaSanMia #UCL #OnThisDay pic.twitter.com/8Bhf1COOFd

— FC Bayern (@FCBayernEN) May 23, 2020

Bayern extended their unbeaten run in the 2001-02 UCL as well and remained undefeated in both the first and second group stages. Bayern's run came to an end with a 0-2 defeat against Real Madrid in the second leg of the 2001-02 UCL quarter-final. 

The longest unbeaten runs in the European Cup and Champions League history:

1. Manchester City – 26 games (6 Sep 2022 – 6 November 2024)
2. Manchester United – 25 games (19 Sep 2007 – 5 May 2009)
3. Ajax – 20 games (2 Oct 1985 – 20 Mar 1996)
4. Bayern Munich – 19 games (18 Sep 2019 – 17 Mar 2021)
5. Bayern Munich – 19 games (14 Mar 2001 – 2 Apr 2002)
*6. Crvena zvezda – 17 games (7 Sep 1988 – 6 Nov 1991)
7. Barcelona – 16 games (8 Mar 2011 – 3 Apr 2012)
8. Manchester United – 16 games (23 Oct 2001 – 23 Oct 2002)
9. Manchester United – 16 games (4 Mar 1998 – 29 Sep 1999)
10. Real Madrid – 15 games (12 Apr 2016 – 2 May 2017)
11. Barcelona – 15 games (14 Sep 2005 – 27 Sep 2006)
*12. FC Köln – 15 games (26 Sep 1962 – 11 April 1979)

*Starred ones happened in the European Cup era.