Every Arsenal Champions League campaign

Arsenal have been one of the Champions League’s most frequent participants, but have not been able to take home the famous trophy.

The Gunners have come unstuck against Bayern Munich and PSG since returning to the competition after six seasons away, with Mikel Arteta’s side spending years in the relative wilderness of the Europa League (as well as one year out of Europe altogether) before threatening to go all the way in 2024/25.

From repeated last-16 heartache to final… heartbreak, the Gunners have had quite a journey in the Champions League over the years.

So how does Arsenal’s Champions League record shape up? While they had two European Cup campaigns in 1971 and 1991, they have appeared in 21 of the last 27 editions of the UEFA Champions League ahead of their expected entry in 2025/26.

Related

Arsenal’s top 25 Champions League moments

Arsenal have enjoyed some of their greatest European nights in the Champions League.

Here is a complete Arsenal record in Europe’s premier club competition.

1998/99

First CL campaign ends in group stage disappointment

Arsenal secured their maiden UEFA Champions League berth after winning the Premier League title in Arsene Wenger’s first full season at the club.

Their first two seasons in the competition were marked by the Gunners playing their home games at Wembley in order to play in front of larger crowds, with the national stadium having almost double the amount of seats as Highbury.

Unfortunately, with only group winners guaranteed a quarter-final place, Arsenal were left to rue some late equalisers as they ended up finishing third on the head-to-head rule.

1999/00

Fiorentina and Barcelona win at Wembley to eliminate Gunners

Arsenal came up against some world superstars such as Gabriel Batistuta and Rivaldo in the first group stage, and while they were far from embarrassed, they fell short by a point to finish third once again.

They found solace in a run to the UEFA Cup final, where they were beaten on penalties by Galatasaray.

2000/01

Gunners suffer away goals heartbreak Pt. 1

The 2000/01 campaign was the first time the Gunners made it through the group stage – a feat they repeated for the following 16 years.

It was also the one and only time they made it past the second group stage before it was discontinued in 2003.

Qualifying comfortably from the group as winners, they survived a second group stage including would-be familiar foes Bayern Munich, before falling to Valencia on away goals in the quarter-finals despite Ray Parlour’s first-leg screamer.

2001/02

Double winners fall short in Europe again

Arsenal won all their home games to squeeze into the second group stage, where although they defeated eventual finalists Bayer Leverkusen, the Gunners were knocked out, with two defeats against then-Spanish giants Deportivo proving crucial.

Wenger’s men continued to impress on the domestic front, with another league and cup double leaving European success as the missing part in the trophy cabinet.

2002/03

Gunners draw four of six second-phase games

Experienced Champions League participants by this point, Arsenal secured a routine second group stage spot after seeing off the likes of Borussia Dortmund and PSV.

While they had their moments in the second group stage – including Thierry Henry’s hat-trick against Roma – failure to convert draws into wins saw Ajax and Valencia pip the Gunners to the two quarter-final berths.

2003/04

Wayne Bridge denies Invincibles shot at European glory

With the second group stage now a thing of the past, Arsenal were arguably at their very best and poised to bring the Champions League to N5 for the first time.

A disastrous start to the group stage was remedied by three successive victories which included their 5-1 demolition of Inter at San Siro, before easing past Celta Vigo in the last 16 and being handed a quarter-final tie with London rivals Chelsea.

Despite a rocking first 45, Arsenal were unable to make their home advantage count as the Blues snatched the tie late on, leaving the Gunners to wonder what might have been as FC Porto went all the way.

2004/05

Arsenal fall to Bayern despite second-leg win

Arsenal topped their group despite winning just two of their six matches, though their reward of meeting Bayern Munich in the last 16 (sound familiar?) saw the Gunners endure another early exit.

After a 3-1 defeat at a snowy Olympiastadion, Arsenal threatened to stage a remarkable comeback in the second leg, but their 1-0 win was not enough to advance to the quarters.

2005/06

Gunners lose in Paris finale amid historic campaign

Arsenal’s closest call to date came in what was their final European campaign at Highbury. They bowed out in style by easing through the group, and enjoyed a magical night at the Santiago Bernabeu before holding Real Madrid to a goalless draw in north London.

Their penultimate night under the Highbury lights in Europe saw Cesc Fabregas and Thierry Henry see off Juventus before another shutout in Turin, while there was more drama in the semi-final.

Kolo Toure scored Highbury’s last-ever Champions League goal as they took a slender advantage to Spain, where a late Jens Lehmann penalty save secured Arsenal a place in the Champions League final.

The final was also fraught with controversy, with Lehmann’s first-half sending-off leaving the Gunners up against it, though they somehow led at half-time through Sol Campbell’s header.

Barcelona’s equaliser had more of a hint of offside about it, before the 10 men’s luck ran out late on, as Juliano Belletti’s winner broke Arsenal hearts.

2006/07

PSV’s Alex nets at both ends to send Gunners out

Arsenal’s fourth-place finish the previous year – their lowest under Wenger – saw the Frenchman’s side in the unfamiliar territory of having to enter the qualifying rounds, where they defeated Dinamo Zagreb over two legs.

The Gunners topped their group once more, but their run came to an abrupt end when Alex nodded in a last-gasp equaliser for PSV in the last 16 to defeat Arsenal on aggregate.

2007/08

Contentious penalty sees Arsenal’s San Siro victory count for nothing

This was another campaign that left the Gunners licking their wounds, as Arsenal were minutes away from the semi-finals before a late, debatable penalty call at Anfield put paid to their efforts to see off English opposition in the Champions League.

Arsenal dazzled at times in the group stage, securing their biggest-ever Champions League win in their 7-0 rout against Slavia Prague. They then dispatched holders Milan with a memorable victory at San Siro before meeting Liverpool in the last eight, where the Reds’ European experience showed.