2018 UEFA Champions League final

The 2018 UEFA Champions League final was the final match of the 2017–18 UEFA Champions League, the 63rd season of Europe's premier club football tournament organised by UEFA, and the 26th season since it was renamed from the European Cup to the UEFA Champions League. It was played at the NSC Olimpiyskiy in Kyiv, Ukraine on 26 May 2018, between Spanish side and defending champions Real Madrid, who had won the competition in each of the previous two seasons, and English side Liverpool, making their eighth final appearance and first since 2007. The two sides had previously met in the 1981 final.

After Liverpool's Sadio Mané cancelled out Karim Benzema's opener for Real Madrid, two goals from man of the match Gareth Bale proved the difference in a 3–1 win for the Spaniards, making them the first team to win three back-to-back titles in the Champions League era and the first since Bayern Munich defeated Saint-Étienne in the 1976 European Cup final; it was additionally their fourth title in five seasons and their 13th European Cup overall. They also earned the right to play the winners of the 2017–18 UEFA Europa League, Atlético Madrid, in the 2018 UEFA Super Cup and to enter the semi-finals of the 2018 FIFA Club World Cup, losing the former and winning the latter. Additionally, Real Madrid qualified to enter the group stage of the 2018–19 UEFA Champions League, but since they already qualified through their league performance, the berth reserved was given to the champions of the 2017–18 Czech First League, the 11th-ranked association according to next season's access list.

The NSC Olimpiyskiy was announced as the final venue on 15 September 2016, following the decision of the UEFA Executive Committee meeting in Athens, Greece. This was the sixth European Cup/Champions League final hosted at an Eastern European venue following those in 1973 in Belgrade, Yugoslavia, the 1983, 1994 and 2007 finals hosted by Athens, Greece, as well as the 2008 final in Moscow, Russia.

The Olimpiyskiy Stadium was built in 1923 and it has been renovated three times, most recently in 2011 in preparation for the UEFA Euro 2012 tournament. The stadium was used as a venue in the 1980 Summer Olympics for its football event and the aforementioned European Championship, including the final match, which saw Spain beat Italy by the record-breaking score of 4–0 on the way to their third title. Its current capacity is 70,050 and it is used by the Ukraine national football team, Dynamo Kyiv, and major domestic matches like the Ukrainian Cup.

Defending champions Real Madrid reached a record 16th final after a 4–3 aggregate win against German side Bayern Munich, knocking them out of the competition for the second consecutive season. This was Real Madrid's third consecutive final, and fourth final in five tournaments with an opportunity to win a record 13th title. Previously they won finals in 1956, 1957, 1958, 1959, 1960, 1966, 1998, 2000, 2002, 2014, 2016 and 2017; and lost in 1962, 1964 and 1981. This was also their 20th final in all seasonal UEFA competitions, having also played in two Cup Winners' Cup finals (losing in 1971 and 1983) and two UEFA Cup finals (winning in 1985 and 1986). Real Madrid are only the third team since the competition's rebranding as the Champions League to reach three consecutive finals after Milan in 1995 and Juventus in 1998. They were the first team in the Champions League era, and the fourth overall, to win three straight finals, a feat only achieved by the Real Madrid side of the 1950s, as they went on to win a record five successive finals, as well as the Ajax and Bayern Munich squads of the 1970s in 1973 and 1976, respectively.

Liverpool reached their eighth final, their first since 2007, after a 7–6 aggregate win against Italian side Roma. They had won the final on five occasions (1977, 1978, 1981, 1984 and 2005), and lost twice (1985 and 2007). This was also their 13th final in UEFA seasonal competitions, having played in one Cup Winners' Cup final (losing in 1966) and four UEFA Cup/Europa League finals (winning in 1973, 1976 and 2001; and losing in 2016). Liverpool were the first team since Bayern Munich in 2011–12 to reach the final having qualified for the competition through the play-off round. This was also the most recent occasion the final featured an English team (Chelsea). Liverpool were the most recent team to defeat Real Madrid in a European Cup final, winning 1–0 in Paris in 1981.

Besides the 1981 final, the two teams had played each other four times in the Champions League era. Liverpool won both matches in the 2008–09 UEFA Champions League round of 16 (1–0 away and 4–0 at home), while Real Madrid won both matches in the 2014–15 UEFA Champions League group stage (3–0 away and 1–0 at home).

In the following table, finals until 1992 were in the European Cup era, since 1993 were in the UEFA Champions League era.