Aston Villa have finally secured Champions League football for the 2024/25 season after Tottenham hotspur lost 2-0 at home to Manchester city.

The @ChampionsLeague awaits. 😍

— Aston Villa (@AVFCOfficial) May 15, 2024

But how long have the Villans waited to return to the competition? And what is their history with the Champions League?

Read on to find out all

When were Aston Villa last in the Champions League?

Aston Villa last played in the Champions League in the 1982-83 season 41 years ago. In that season Villa reached the quarter finals of the then named ‘European cup’ before being knocked out by Juventus with an aggregate score of 5-2 over two legs.

What is Aston Villa’s best Champions League run?

There is one easy answer here as in the 1981-82 season Aston Villa made it all the way to the final and beat Bayern Munich in Rotterdam, lifting the prestigious trophy.

Gary Shaw & Peter Withe, 1982. #AVFC pic.twitter.com/cWkA9dFwnD

— Aston Villa Archive (@AvfcArchive) May 12, 2024

This made them the fourth successive English side to win the European cup as Nottingham forest won in 1979 and 1980 with Liverpool then winning their then third European Cup in 1981.

What is Aston Villa’s record in the Champions League?

Villa have only played two seasons in the European cup and played 15 matches across both seasons, with nine wins, three draws and three losses.

When did Aston Villa last play in Europe?

Aside from this season's Europa Conference League campaign, Aston Villa last played in a European competition in the 2008/09 UEFA Cup. They went all the way to the round of 32, but were knocked out against CSKA Moscow.

They did play in the play-off qualifying rounds for the Europa League in 2009 and 2010, but didn't make it into the official competition.

Following their European Cup success in the 1981-82 season, Villa played one more time in the competition. Going on to feature several times in the UEFA Cup throughout the late 20th century.

In their history, Villa have played in the UEFA Cup/Europa League 13 times.

Have Aston Villa ever won a European competition?

Yes, Aston Villa won the European Cup (now equivalent to the Champions League in 1982. They then went on to win the UEFA Super cup the following year.

Aston Villa are the 6th most decorated side when it comes to European success in English football.

🏆 Aston Villa: Champions in '82! 🌟✨ Rewind to the 1981/82 season, when Aston Villa etched their name in history by clinching the UEFA Champions League (European Cups then) title! 🏆⚽ This is their first and only European trophy.

Aston Villa vs Bayern (1982 European… pic.twitter.com/TY84U9Xso4

— Bààlé 👨🏿‍🦳 (@baale_x) March 24, 2024

Who could Aston Villa play next season in the Champions League?

Due to the change from a group stage to a league stage Aston Villa are guaranteed to face at least 8 different teams instead of the usual 3 in the group stage. From these 8 teams, there will be two from each pot.

Here’s how the new UEFA Champions League format will run from the 2024/25 season. 🏆🇪🇺

What do you make of it? 👇pic.twitter.com/BYXFoKW27B

— Transfer Sector (@TransferSector) March 4, 2024

For Villa fans this is great news, as they will play more big sides in the opening stage. Teams in pot 1 will consist of Real Madrid, PSG, Inter Milan, Bayer Leverkusen and potentially Borussia Dortmund if they win the Champions League in two weeks’ time.