Drama and goals are guaranteed whenever Bayern Munich and Chelsea have locked horns in Champions League history. All of the clashes between the pair have been in the knockouts, so it has always been a high-stakes affair. The fixture’s rarity in the competition, having only been played five times and only after the turn of the century, makes it even more special and intriguing. The Bavarians have the edge in the number of wins in this battle and also scored the most goals, finding the net 13 times. However, the Blues have produced the most treasured moment, including an iconic final hosted in the rival’s backyard, which remains the most prominent clash between the two. The League Phase game between the two in the 2025-26 season is the first time this fixture will not be a knockout clash in the competition’s history.
Here are all the clashes played between Bayern Munich and Chelsea in Champions League history:
Chelsea 4-2 Bayern Munich (2004-05 Quarter-finals 1st Leg)
The first clash itself indicated what the pair would produce whenever they faced off in the Champions League. The inaugural meeting between Chelsea and Bayern Munich happened in the quarterfinal stage of the 2004-05 season, with the former hosting the first leg. The Blues had a star-studded squad led by captain John Terry, while the German giants boasted iconic names like future Chelsea midfielder Michael Ballack and Oliver Kahn. In the battle that unfolded at Stamford Bridge, the home side came out on top, but not until Joe Cole’s fourth-minute opener was cancelled out by half-time substitute Bastian Schweinsteiger early in the second half. Chelsea’s eternal legend, Frank Lampard, took charge of proceedings and scored a brace in the span of 10 minutes to lift the side again, before Didier Drogba got on the scoresheet. However, when it seemed that everything was done for the evening in an overly dominant performance from the host, Bayern managed to keep the tie alive with their late surge, earning them a spot-kick which Ballack converted in the third minute of stoppage time to give them a whisker of hope for the second leg.
Bayern Munich 3-2 Chelsea (2004-05 Quarter-finals 2nd Leg)
However, things were not looking good for the Bavarians back at Munich for the second leg when Lampard once again became a menace for them, extending their lead in the tie further with a 30th-minute strike. Left with a mountain to climb, the home side threw everything at the opposition box and got the reward for it as Claudio Pizarro levelled the scores in the 65th minute. It was a strong response from Bayern, but the deficit was too much to recover and the situation was made worse when Drogba again scored at the crucial moment to the delight of the travelling fans. That goal ultimately proved important as the host almost pulled off an unlikely comeback with two more strikes at the death by substitute Paolo Guerrero and Mehmet Scholl in the last minute of stoppage time. Chelsea were left to absorb pressure by holding their nerves, which could have let the tie slip out of their hands, but the strategy paid off. The Blues lost on a thrilling night, but progressed to the semifinal with a narrow 6-5 aggregate win, while the Bundesliga kings were left to wonder whether they could have produced this performance in the opening leg.
Bayern Munich 1-1 Chelsea - Chelsea win 3-4 on penalties (2011/12 Final)
Didier Drogba's strikes in both legs gave Chelsea the edge in the quarterfinals, but the Ivorian striker’s most memorable moment came when this clash was played in the ultimate stage of the competition in the 2011/12 Champions League final, coincidentally in Munich, which added to his legacy and created one of the most defining chapters in the club’s history. Bayern was the strong favourite to lift the silverware, first because the final was played in their backyard and secondly, the side powered through to reach the showpiece by dominating the group stage, dismantling Basel and Marseille before eliminating record winners Real Madrid in the knockouts.
On the other hand, Chelsea had a miserable domestic campaign. Still, they maintained their standard in Europe, as winning the Champions League was the only way they could have remained in contention for any continental football the following season. This huge task fell into the hands of the former player for the club, Roberto Di Matteo, as a caretaker manager after André Villas-Boas was sacked, with whom he served as an assistant coach. The Blues made a miraculous run to the Champions League final under him, making a stunning comeback against Napoli in the Round of 16 stage, escaping a crunch challenge from Benfica in the quarterfinals and then pulling off an extraordinary victory over Barcelona in the semifinals. Still, many thought that Chelsea’s journey would end as defeating Bayern in a Champions League final at their home required an effort like no other. As a case, the Blues used defensive solidity to thwart the feared attack of Bayern Munich and due to their resilience, combined with wasteful finishing from the hosts, they were able to frustrate the opposition.
That is, until the 83rd minute, when Thomas Müller popped up with a header from Toni Kroos, beating Petr Cech at the near post. Chelsea’s worst nightmare was coming true, yet this was not a new situation for them in the competition and they could not have let go of the hard work they put in to reach the stage so easily. Therefore, with just two minutes left of normal time, the Blues’ marksman unleashed an iconic header from a corner to stun the Bayern faithful and instill hope inside the guests when everyone thought it was over. However, Drogba could have squandered the chance of being the saviour after tripping Frank Ribery inside the box during extra time, but Cech saved his blushes by denying Arjen Robben from the spot. The striker redeemed himself by scoring the winning penalty after it stayed 1-1 in extra time and gave Chelsea their first-ever Champions League success in the most unexpected way.
Chelsea 0-3 Bayern Munich (2019/20 Round of 16 1st Leg)
Eight years later, the two crossed paths again, but this time, Bayern Munich were determined to put things right. Hansi Flick’s men were chasing a historical treble rampaging opponents both domestically and in Europe, with Chelsea, then under club legend Frank Lampard, were simply unlucky to face them in the Round of 16 stage of the 2019-20 season. There was no Stamford Bridge magic as the Blues were sliced open by the Bavarians in the second half after Muller headed on to the crossbar in the opening period amid some close chances. Robert Lewandowski and Serge Gnabry combined in a deadly fashion, with the Polish star laying off two beautiful assists for the German before getting on the scoresheet himself in a resounding 3-0 victory. Chelsea were enduring a tough time and their misery was compounded with Marcos Alonso was shown a straight red card after a VAR review following a clash with Lewandowski.
Bayern Munich 4-1 Chelsea (2019/20 Round of 16 2nd Leg)
Bayern had already sealed a passage to the quarterfinals, leaving the opposition an impossible task to recover the deficit in the second leg at Munich. However, Flick’s side was seeking revenge, meeting for the first time at the venue since the Champions League final, so they maintained the gear. They did not drop their ruthless nature from the first leg, even though the second leg was delayed for five months due to the COVID pandemic. It took only 10 minutes for Lewandowski to open the scoring from the spot at the Allianz Arena, which was doubled up by Ivan Perisic, who was fed by the Pole in the 24th minute. Although Tammy Abraham scored from a rebound at the stroke of half-time, it was no means tarnishing the party Bayern called for. Corentin Tolisso restored the two-goal advantage in the 76th minute, with the record scorer adding the finishing touch at the death to complete another five-star performance from him and help his side claim a 7-1 aggregate win.
