As Liverpool had already qualified through their league position, the reserved berth was given to Red Bull Salzburg, the champions of the 2018–19 Austrian Bundesliga, the 11th-ranked association according to next season's access list.

[39] Spurs drew 2–2 with PSV Eindhoven on matchday 3, played in the Netherlands, but lost goalkeeper Hugo Lloris to a red card and conceded a late equalising goal to Luuk de Jong in the 87th minute.

[40] Tottenham conceded early to PSV in the home leg at Wembley, but two goals from Harry Kane late in the second half gave the team their first Champions League win of the season.

[42] The final group stage match against Barcelona at Camp Nou began with an early goal for the home side, but a late equaliser by Lucas Moura preserved a 1–1 draw for Tottenham.

[43] Tottenham faced German club Borussia Dortmund in the round of 16, marking the second time in three years that the two teams had met in a European competition.

[52][53] Spurs, missing forwards Harry Kane and Son Heung-min, among others, to injuries, lost 1–0 in the first leg at home, Ajax's lone goal coming in the 15th minute from Donny van de Beek.

[52] Ajax began the second leg at their Johan Cruyff Arena with goals from Matthijs de Ligt and Hakim Ziyech to extend their aggregate lead to 3–0 at half-time.

Tottenham manager Mauricio Pochettino substituted defensive midfielder Victor Wanyama for striker Fernando Llorente at half-time, and his strike partner, Lucas Moura, scored the team's first goal of the semi-final in the 55th minute.

[54] Moura then scored a second goal five minutes later, his tight footwork helping him beat several Ajax players after an initial save by goalkeeper André Onana.

As the clock passed the five-minute mark, Moura completed his hat-trick with a first-time shot from just inside the penalty area to make the score 3–3 on aggregate and put Spurs through to the final on away goals.

[61][62] In the opening match of the group stage, Liverpool faced Paris Saint-Germain at Anfield and won 3–2 with a goal in stoppage time by substitute Roberto Firmino.

[63] Liverpool failed to produce a shot on target during their 1–0 loss to Napoli at the Stadio San Paolo on matchday 2, which the home side won with a 90th-minute goal from Lorenzo Insigne.

Liverpool goalkeeper Alisson saved Arkadiusz Milik's shot from eight yards out deep into second half injury time to preserve a clean sheet.

[70] Liverpool were matched against German champions Bayern Munich in the round of 16 and played to a scoreless draw in the first leg at Anfield, mirroring the two sides' semi-final tie in the 1980–81 European Cup.

Former Liverpool forwards Luis Suárez and Philippe Coutinho were playing against their old club for the first time competitively since being sold to Barça for record transfer fees in 2014 and 2018, respectively.

[75][76] With a three-goal deficit going into the second leg and preoccupation with the Premier League title race, Liverpool manager Jürgen Klopp asked his players to "just try" or "fail in the most beautiful way".

[77] Despite Mohamed Salah and Roberto Firmino being absent with injuries, Liverpool overturned the deficit with a 4–0 win at Anfield, advancing to the final 4–3 on aggregate, in what was described as one of the greatest comebacks in Champions League history.

[79] Origi scored the match's final goal in the 79th minute, taking advantage of a corner taken quickly from Trent Alexander-Arnold that left him unmarked in the penalty area.

It was designed by Madrid-based artist Ruben Sanchez (Zoonchez) who drew inspiration from local folklore, including representations of the city emblem, cats (a nickname for Madrilenians), a guitar and a statue in Puerta del Sol.

The remaining tickets were allocated to the local organising committee, UEFA and national associations, commercial partners and broadcasters, and to serve the corporate hospitality programme.

[84][85] The handling of the travel logistics and ticket pricing by UEFA were criticised by managers Jürgen Klopp and Mauricio Pochettino, as well as supporters groups representing the two clubs.

Spaniard Antonio Mateu Lahoz was the fourth official and Danny Makkelie of the Netherlands was the video assistant referee in the debut of the system at a Champions League final.

[2] American pop rock band Imagine Dragons performed at the opening ceremony before kick-off, playing a medley of their hits "Believer", "Thunder", "Radioactive" and "On Top of the World", supported by a display of pyrotechnics and fireworks.

[91] Prior to kick-off, a moment of silence was observed for Spanish footballer José Antonio Reyes, who had died in a car crash earlier in the day.

[94] The second half featured more chances for Liverpool, including a shot by James Milner that beat goalkeeper Hugo Lloris but went wide of the goal.

Both managers made their first set of substitutions around the 60th minute, with Klopp bringing on Divock Origi for Roberto Firmino and Pochettino replacing Harry Winks with Lucas Moura.