How many Champions League semi-finals has Real Madrid played in, and how many did they reach the final?

It’s no longer news. That was the line from José Mourinho when Real Madrid reached their first semifinal for a while in 2011, ending a run that had stretched back to the 2003–04 campaign, when they were knocked out by Monaco on a grim night at Stade Louis II.

Before that round, the Portuguese coach had insisted that Madrid’s place in Europe should be among the final four at the very least – and the club has largely lived up to that standard, missing out only in three seasons: 2018–19, 2019–20 and last year, when Mikel Arteta’s Arsenal eliminated them in the quarterfinals. Now, in the 2025–26 edition, Madrid are once again chasing a spot in the semifinals as they aim to lift what would be their seventh Champions League title in 13 years – a record that borders on untouchable for the rest of Europe.

Across the history of the competition, Madrid have reached 33 semifinals, 19 of them in the modern Champions League format. From those 33 appearances, they have gone on to play 18 finals, winning 15 and losing three – to Benfica in 1962, Inter Milan in 1964 and Liverpool in 1981. The last time Madrid reached the semifinals was two seasons ago, fittingly against Bayern Munich, and they went on to lift the trophy. The German side, with 22 semifinal appearances, stands as the other major European power in terms of consistency at this stage.

To put it into perspective, of the 71 editions played since the European Cup was founded in September 1955, Madrid have featured in nearly half of all semifinals. What makes that dominance even more striking is that the combined total of all other Spanish clubs still falls short. Together they have 29 semifinal appearances, with Barcelona leading on 17. Atlético Madrid follow with six, while Valencia and Villarreal have two each – notably, both of Valencia’s semifinal runs ended in final appearances, though without success. Real Sociedad and Deportivo La Coruña have each reached the semifinals once.

All of Real Madrid’s European Cup / Champions League semifinals

• 2023 - 2024 Bayern Munich – Real Madrid
• 2022 - 2023 Real Madrid - Manchester City
• 2021 - 2022 Real Madrid - Manchester City
• 2020 - 2019 Real Madrid - Chelsea
• 2017 - 2018 Real Madrid - Bayern Munich
• 2016 - 2017 Real Madrid - Atlético Madrid
• 2015 - 2016 Real Madrid - Manchester City
• 2014 - 2015 Real Madrid - Juventus
• 2013 - 2014 Real Madrid - Bayern Munich
• 2012 - 2013 Real Madrid - Borussia Dortmund
• 2011 - 2012 Real Madrid - Bayern Munich
• 2010 - 2011 Real Madrid - Barcelona
• 2002 - 2003 Real Madrid - Juventus
• 2001 - 2002 Real Madrid - Barcelona
• 2000 - 2001 Real Madrid - Bayern Munich
• 1999 - 2000 Real Madrid - Bayern Munich
• 1997 - 1998 Real Madrid - Borussia Dortmund
• 1988 - 1989 Real Madrid - AC Milan
• 1987 - 1988 Real Madrid - PSV
• 1986 - 1987 Real Madrid - Bayern Munich
• 1979 - 1980 Real Madrid - Hamburg
• 1975 - 1976 Real Madrid - Bayern Munich
• 1972 - 1973 Real Madrid - Ajax
• 1967 - 1968 Real Madrid - Manchester United
• 1965 - 1966 Real Madrid - Inter
• 1963 - 1964 Real Madrid - Inter
• 1961 - 1962 Real Madrid - Sporting Lisbon
• 1959 - 1960 Real Madrid - Barcelona
• 1958 - 1959 Real Madrid - Atlético Madrid
• 1957 - 1958 Real Madrid - Vasas Budapest
• 1956 - 1957 Real Madrid - Manchester United
• 1955 - 1956 Real Madrid – AC Milan

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