Goals from Dani Olmo, Raphinha, and an acrobatic Lamine Yamal strike powered the Catalans to 52 points, one ahead of Real Madrid.
Liverpool reached the Champions League after a Dirk Kuyt goal deep into extra time gave them a 1-0 aggregate win over plucky Belgian rivals Standard Liege.
Barcelona, inspired by the peerless Lionel Messi, delivered a soccer masterclass to overwhelm Manchester United 3-1 in the Champions League final and lift the European Cup for the fourth time on Saturday.
Premier League takes its responsibility very seriously and do a great job: Michael Owen
Shares in the Dutch club, in contrast, surged to a record high as it advanced to the semi-final of the lucrative competition for the first time since 1996/97.
Left with no room to manoeuvre its calendar again, the England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) has barred its county teams from participating in this year's Twenty20 Champions League, as the revised dates clash with the end of its domestic season. In a memo circulated to the counties, the ECB announced it was "with great regret" that the Friends Provident T20 finalists would be unable to participate in the Champions League.
Inter Miami's Lionel Messi did not participate in training on Wednesday due to a muscle strain in his left hamstring, with his injury leading to the postponement of what was supposed to be the reigning MLS Cup champions' preseason finale.
Manchester City, who crushed Gladbach 4-0 at home in September, are in second place in the group on seven points, three ahead of the Germans, and can wrap up qualification with victory in Germany.
Paris St Germain's hopes of becoming the first side to complete a Ligue 1 season unbeaten came crashing down at the Parc des Princes on Friday when Nice handed them their first defeat of the league campaign, winning 3-1 to boost their own Champions League ambitions.
Ronaldo, who won the award last year, topped the scoring charts with 15 goals in the competition as Real Madrid won a third consecutive European crown.
Juventus will be hoping to make it 11 victories out of 11 against French teams in knockout ties when they face AS Monaco in the second leg of their Champions League quarter-final on Wednesday.
A tainted AC Milan side, 2005 winners Liverpool and last season's finalists Arsenal will top the bill when the Champions League final qualifying round gets underway this week.
There is never a dearth of drama in European football and here is proof...
Malaga gave themselves an excellent chance of qualifying for the Champions League for the first time by beating Panathinaikos 2-0 at home in the first leg of their playoff on Wednesday.
Premier League Chelsea have moved into profit for the first time since Russian Roman Abramovich bought the soccer club in 2003, reporting a small surplus after winning the Champions League.
A touch of romance has returned to the Champions League quarter-finals with seven countries, including Cyprus, represented in this week's first legs with AC Milan-Barcelona topping the bill.
The 38-year-old defender became only the fifth player, and first Italian, to notch up 100 Champions League appearances.
The Champions League will resume in August after being halted in March due to the COVID-19 pandemic with a 'Final Eight' tournament being held in Lisbon after the remaining second-leg games from the last 16 ties are decided.
A goalless draw against Sevilla on Wednesday was enough to send Bayern Munich into the Champions League last four with a 2-1 aggregate victory to keep their hopes of a treble-winning season alive.
England striker Jamie Vardy says Leicester City have no intention of treating the Champions League as some sort of belated Premier League victory parade, and are ready to add another chapter to last season's stunning success story.
With the away goals rule no longer in place this season, PSV missed a string of chances to force extra time with Eran Zahavi hitting the crossbar from three metres with the goal at his mercy in the 62nd minute.
Chelsea captain John Terry has been ruled out of Tuesday's Champions League clash with Paris St Germain after failing to recover from injury, the Premier League club said.
Liverpool boss Juergen Klopp has said his team will be 'on fire' for the Champions League final
Barcelona and Bayern fought hard but failed to break the shackles until the 77th minute in the match when Messi struck the first and three minutes later struck his 77th Champions League goal to double Barca's advantage.
Paris St Germain will look at playing Champions League home matches in another country after the French government on Tuesday decided to end the 2019-20 domestic season, the Ligue 1 club's president Nasser Al-Khelaifi said on Tuesday.
Arsenal's captain will miss next week's Champions League qualifier due to a lack of pre-season training, while keeper Jens Lehmann is suspended for the third round, first leg tie.
European soccer's governing body has so far resisted implementation of the VAR system, which allows key incidents to be reviewed with the use of video replays and was used at the World Cup in Russia this year.
Shivam Dube's explosive innings helped India recover from a slow start against the Netherlands in the T20 World Cup, after the top order struggled against Aryan Dutt's spin bowling.
PSV Eindhoven will miss striker Luuk de Jong when they entertain Atletico Madrid in the first leg of the Champions League last 16 on Wednesday.
Tottenham Hotspur defender Toby Alderweireld insists his run to the Champions League final with Atletico Madrid two years ago proves that underdogs can compete with Europe's elite and win the competition.
Basel pulled off another huge Champions League upset with a 1-0 victory over Bayern Munich, while a stoppage-time goal from Andre Ayew gave Olympique Marseille a 1-0 win over Inter Milan in the first leg of their last-16 tie.
Already out of Super Eights contention, Australia beat Oman by nine wickets in their inconsequential final group clash of the T20 World Cup, in Kandy, on Friday.
Photos from the Champions League match played between Wolfsburg and Gent on Wednesday
The European champions are likely to play CSKA Sofia in the Champions League third qualifying round.
Olympiakos Piraeus may never have a better chance to overcome their Manchester United hoodoo than in Tuesday's first leg of their last-16 Champions League tie.
Real Madrid have made their 14th Champions League final following their 1-0 win over Manchester City.
Real Madrid coach Jose Mourinho described some of the Champions League groups as a "joke" after watching his side lose 2-1 at fellow heavyweights Borussia Dortmund on Wednesday.
A summary of Wednesday's group matches in the UEFA Champions League.
The India vs Pakistan match in the ICC Men's T20 World Cup 2026 on JioHotstar achieved record-breaking digital reach and consumption, surpassing previous records for ICC events.
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