The 2002/03 UEFA Champions League was the 11th season of the most important European competition for club teams in football under this name and the 48th overall.
With Zhenis Astana , a representative from Kazakhstan took part for the first time this season after the association moved from AFC to UEFA in 2002 . As in the previous year, 72 teams from 48 member associations took part, as no team from Azerbaijan competed this season . The countries in places 1–3 in the UEFA five-year ranking sent four teams to the competition, places 4–6 three and places 7–15 two teams.
The final took place on May 28, 2003 at Old Trafford in Manchester and was won by AC Milan 0-0 after extra time and 3-2 on penalties against Juventus Turin in an Italian duel.
There were minor changes in the composition of the groups due to the changed placements in the UEFA five-year ranking compared to the previous season. Three teams from Spain (including defending champions Real Madrid) qualified for the first group stage; the fourth Spanish representative started in the third qualifying round. Two teams each from Italy and England were qualified and two started in the third qualifying round. Two teams from Germany, France and the Netherlands (places 4-6) were also seeded for the group stage and one team each started in the third qualifying round. From Greece, Russia and Turkey (places 7–9) one team each was set for the group stage and one each started in the third qualifying round. Belgium, Norway, Austria, Portugal, the Czech Republic and the Ukraine (places 10–15) each sent a team to the 2nd and one each to the 3rd qualifying round.
In the first group stage, eight groups of four teams were played. The first and second in each group qualified for the second group stage. The third-placed finishers in each group were allowed to continue playing in the 2002/03 UEFA Cup . In the 2nd group phase, 4 groups of 4 teams were played. Here the first and second in each group qualified for the quarter-finals. In the case of a tie, the following applies in the group phases:
Points from direct games.
Goals scored in direct matches.
Away goals in direct games
Goal difference from all group matches.
Scored goals in all group matches.
Higher club coefficient at the beginning of the competition
qualification
First qualifying round
The first leg took place on July 17, the second leg on July 24, 2002.
2 The match was played in Sofia , Bulgaria after UEFA banned international matches in Israel.
First group stage
The 16 winners of the third qualifying round were drawn together with the champions of the 10 highest ranked national associations and the second-placed clubs from the countries ranked 1 to 6 in the UEFA five-year ranking in 8 groups of 4 teams each. From each group, the two best clubs advanced to the second group stage, while the third-placed teams continued to play in the third round of the 2002/03 UEFA Cup . The last group dropped out of the European competitions.
The eight group first and second were drawn into the four groups of the second group phase, with each group having two group first and two group second. The first and second placed in each group reached the quarter-finals as usual.
AC Milan (6th title)
Ruud van Nistelrooy (12)
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B36 Tórshavn
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KS Dinamo Tirana
FC Pyunik Yerevan
Barry Town United
Shelbourne FC
Zhenis Astana
Vardar Skopje
ÍA Akranes
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Belshyna Babruysk
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APOEL Nicosia
Levski Sofia
FC Basel
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FK Partizan Belgrade
Graz AK
Dinamo Bucharest
Legia Warsaw
NK Zagreb
AEK Athens
Fenerbahçe Istanbul
AJ Auxerre
Newcastle United
FC Bayern Munich
Moscow locomotive
Dida holds against Trezeguet 
1: 1 Alessandro Birindelli 
Tacchinardi (69th), Del Piero (111.)
