Whenever the UEFA Champions League swings about, fans are quick to predict who will reign supreme come the end of the season. Paris Saint-Germain stood tall last time around, destroying pretty much every opponent they faced, including Inter Milan, who they brutally thrashed 5-0 in the final.
PSG are inevitably among the favourites to lift the trophy in Budapest, Hungary, although Luis Enrique's men are just one of 36 teams battling it out for the European throne. The new league format has given the competition a refresh it perhaps needed and threw up several surprises last season, such as Manchester City failing to make the knockout rounds.
Fans can expect more twists and turns ahead of the 2025-26 Champions League campaign. It will be a shock if none of the five Premier League competing clubs are still in the competition come the quarter-final or semi-final stages.
Here is how GIVEMESPORTviews the entire 36-team playing field ahead of matchweek one of Europe's top-tier competition. These include outside shouts to win the tournament and a top ten whose experience should lead to lengthy runs.
Ranking Factors:
European History - Pedigree in the biggest continental competition often goes in the favour of the biggest clubs, with the know-how needed to lift big trophies
Performances in the 2024/25 Season - One of the biggest indicators of who will make it to the business end of the competition is the performance levels from the past 12 months
Current League Form (2025/26) - With a handful of domestic fixtures in the bank, some teams have put themselves in the frame while others have seen their potential ranking take a hit
Quality of Manager and Players - The best teams with the most inventive bosses are often the ones to go furthest in any tournament
36–31 (Long Shots)
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It would be a bigger miracle than Leicester City's Premier League fairytale story for any of Kairat Almaty, AEP Paphos or Qarabag to win the Champions League. Celtic would like to tell you otherwise regarding Kairat's credentials, but the reigning Kazakhstan champions are competing in the competition proper for the first time in their history after advancing past Brendan Rodgers' Bhoys in the play-offs.
That is the same situation Cypriot First Division winners Paphos find themselves in after a third-round play-off victory over Dynamo Kyiv. Chelsea fans will be familiar with Azerbaijani champions Qarabag, who have finally made it past qualifying at the fifth time of asking, and their recent European experience gives them a slight edge over the other two.
Slavia Prague experienced Champions League nights in the 2019-20 campaign, but the Czechs fell short of the group stages. They are Czechia's strongest team, sitting top of their nation's domestic top-flight despite losing star man, El Hadji Malick Diouf, to West Ham United.
Rounding off the teams in need of a miracle to claim the trophy is FC Copenhagen, although they have sprung a surprise in recent years. That includes a 4-3 victory over Manchester United in the 2023-24 campaign and the Danes made it to the Round of 16 last season.
A European club that has proven to be tricky opposition over the years is Norwegian champions Bodo/Glimt, who journeyed to last season's Europa League semi-finals before suffering defeat to Tottenham Hotspur. This will be their first time competing in the Champions League proper, but their stock has grown over the years.
Champions League Power Rankings (2024/25)
Rank
31
32
34
35
36
30–21 (Dark Horses)
Victor Osimhen
This could be a season for Belgian football to make a statement, as the country will have two clubs competing in the 36-team league phase . Club Brugge have been making a name for themselves with two Round of 16 finishes in their last two appearances in the tournament. Nicky Hayen's men embarrassed Rangers with a 6-0 aggregate victory in the play-offs, although they have endured topsy-turvy form domestically.
Union Saint-Gilloise head into the campaign as Belgian champions and have made an unbeaten start in their league with five wins from seven games. They edge their domestic rivals because of their form but keep in mind this is the first time they have managed to qualify and experience is crucial.
forest marinakis
Evangelos Marinakis rued Nottingham Forest missing out on a top-five finish last season but his Greek giants, Olympiacos, had no problem automatically booking their spot in the Champions League. But they are way down the list because of their opposition, drawn against Arsenal, Barcelona and Real Madrid.
Two-time European champions Benfica are reportedly eyeing under-pressure Manchester United coach Ruben Amorim in charge if they decide to part ways with Bruno Lage. But that makes little difference to their slim hopes of pulling off a shocker, and their recent best performances of quarter-final finishes indicate they are not the powerhouse of yesteryear.
Ajax fall into the same category, who were once a colossal European heavyweight, but are now struggling to dominate the Eredivisie. You have to go back to 2021 when the Dutch giants last made it out of the group stages and they are trailing Feyenoord and PSV Eindhoven in the Dutch top-flight.
That's why PSV are slightly more favoured to win this year's tournament despite their inferior success. Peter Bosz's men pipped Ajax to the title last season and will feel they have the best chance of doing the Netherlands proud.
AS Monaco might spring a surprise amid a fine start to their league campaign, and Adi Hutter's men could make the Stade Louis II a fortress. Maghnes Akliouche will likely continue as his side's protagonist amid a meteoric rise for the French youngster.
Many are sleeping on Galatasaray, given they possess one of Europe's best frontmen in Victor Osimhen, who permanently joined the Turkish giants from Napoli in the summer. Last season, Okan Buruk's reigning champions extended their stranglehold on the Super Lig to three years at the expense of Jose Mourinho's Fenerbahce.
Eintracht Frankfurt are the first German representation to make the list, and their unconvincing start to the Bundesliga season can't be ignored. Alongside this, they have little prior knowledge of Champions League football but can boast of their 2022 Europa League triumph, which came under Oliver Glasner.
With no Viktor Gyokeres and no Ruben Amorim, you could argue Sporting CP should be further down this list, but they remain the cream of the Portuguese crop. Rui Borges' green and white outfit is battling with FC Porto for top spot domestically and replaced Gyokeres with Colombian international Luis Suarez.
|Champions League Power Rankings (2024/25)|
|Rank|Club|Nation|
|21|Sporting CP|Portugal|
|22|Eintracht Frankfurt|Germany|
|23|Galatasaray|Turkiye|
|24|AS Monaco|France|
|25|PSV Eindhoven|The Netherlands|
|26|Ajax|The Netherlands|
|27|Benfica|Portugal|
|28|Olympiakos|Greece|
|29|Union St-Gilloise|Belgium|
|30|Club Brugge|Belgium|
|---|
20–11 (Sleeper Contenders)
Nico Williams celebrating after scoring for Athletic Bilbao
Here's where things get interesting and this is the bunch to look to if anyone is going to repeat FC Porto's shock Champions League triumph in 2004. It would be an even bigger feat for Villarreal to claim the European title. Still, they do have a history of causing upsets, such as the Yellow Submarine's Europa League final victory over Manchester United four years ago.
Another Spanish side who shouldn't be slept on is Athletic Bilbao, despite bowing out of last season's Europa League semi-finals against a poor United side. They have caught the eye at the start of the La Liga campaign, and keeping hold of Nico Williams was a massive victory.
An Atalanta side with Ademola Lookman in it could fare well in Europe, but without the Nigerian, they put up little threat under Ivan Juric, a manager sacked by Southampton last season. They are starting the campaign with the wantaway forward exiled after missing out on a move to Inter Milan.
If we were assessing this last year, Bayer Leverkusen might have been just outside the top 10, but their nightmare start to life under Xabi Alonso casts significant doubt. Not only have they already sacked Erik ten Hag, but they have also lost most of their key men, including Florian Wirtz, Jeremie Frimpong and Granit Xhaka.
Marseille head coach Roberto De Zerbi on the touchline
Marseille are just as unpredictable as their manager, Roberto De Zerbi, who hasn't been afraid to show who's boss following recent player tension behind the scenes. While it's not been the best of starts to the Ligue 1 season, he has a squad capable of throwing up a surprise, including former United forward Mason Greenwood, the experienced Benjamin Pavard and England youngster Angel Gomes.
Serhou Guirrasy claimed the Golden Boot alongside Raphinha last season with 13 goals and he's been in excellent form in the Bundesliga. His prolific goalscoring could help propel Borussia Dortmund into the latter stages of a competition they finished runner-up in a year ago.
One of European football's sleeping giants is Juventus, who have not made it past the quarter-finals since 2017. Before that, the Old Lady were constantly among the favourites to win the trophy as they did in 1996. It's been a decent start for Igor Tudor though as his men are second in Serie A after three games.
Thomas Frank's Tottenham Hotspur could be one to watch, especially if they put together performances such as that against defending champions PSG in the UEFA Super Cup last month. The Lilywhites head into the competition as Europa League winners, a status that, for some, feels undeserved, but their recruitment, including Xavi Simons, could help turn heads.
tottenham xavi simons
While Luis Enrique's Parisians eventually overcame Spurs, they were put to the sword by Newcastle United back in the 2023-24 campaign. Every member of the Toon Army will remember where they were when Eddie Howe's Magpies prevailed 4-1 on the night but they couldn't make it out of the group and losing Alexander Isak will prove to be a massive blow.
A snap of Inter Milan's team lining up for last season's Champions League final is the first picture you'll see if you look up the world 'nosedive' in the football dictionary. The Nerazzurri lost Simone Inzaghi following the heavy defeat to PSG, and an uninspired appointment of Cristian Chivu is coinciding with a disappointing start to the campaign in Serie A.
|Champions League Power Rankings (2024/25)|
|Rank|Club|Nation|
|11|Inter Milan|Italy|
|12|Newcastle United|England|
|13|Tottenham Hotspur|England|
|14|Juventus|Italy|
|15|Borussia Dortmund|Germany|
|16|Marseille|France|
|17|Bayer Leverkusen|Germany|
|18|Atalanta|Italy|
|19|Athletic Bilbao|Spain|
|20|Villarreal|Spain|
|---|
10–1 (Favourites)
luis enrique champions league psg
Diego Simeone's brand of football may be better suited to tournament football than league competition, and the Argentine's Atletico Madrid remains one of the most difficult opponents to encounter. Nobody should be writing Los Colchoneros off, irrespective of their poor start in La Liga, as they know how to win dirty.
There might not be a more intriguing team to watch compete in Europe's elite club competition this season than Chelsea, given that they have been away since April 2023. In that time, a young squad has been assembled, and Enzo Maresca oversaw a World Club Cup-winning campaign in the summer, which indicated his side is ready for battles with Europe's best.
Just ahead of the West Londoners are Napoli, of whom Antonio Conte has made a force to be reckoned with in Naples. Scott McTominay has become a Ballon d'Or contender, Kevin De Bruyne has been Kevin De Bruyne, and Rasmus Hojlund has scored a goal.
Conte's Gli Azzurri romped to the Serie A title last season and will feel confident they can give anyone a game in the Champions League. The Italians can also rely on Hojlund for goals in the competition, as he managed a fine record of five in six games for Manchester United.
One of the elite of European football are six-time winners Bayern Munich, and Vincent Kompany's Bundesliga champions will be eager to get back into contention. A quarter-final exit last season was a disappointment, especially given the scintillating form of Harry Kane.
The England captain has never won a European trophy, and this may be his best chance of doing so. Another German title looks to be a walk in the park for the Bavarians, but winning the Champions League is a whole other ask.
Never rule out Pep Guardiola despite Manchester City's topsy-turvy start to the Premier League campaign with two wins and two defeats. Let's not forget that they were celebrating a treble just over two years ago and have a fit again Rodri to pull the strings in midfield while the inevitable Erling Haaland thrives up top.
The Cityzens were a massive let-down last season and couldn't find a way past Real Madrid, who are the fifth favourites to extend their all-time record. Xabi Alonso has got his Los Blancos side firing on all cylinders, including Kylian Mbappe, who will be desperate to dethrone former employers PSG.
Madrid have also been aided by Jude Bellingham's quick return from shoulder surgery as he was named in their squad to start the Champions League campaign. But the English midfielder was also part of a team that were sent packing from the tournament in the quarter-finals earlier this year.
Arteta and Raya
Arsenal put in two magnificent performances home and away with a 5-1 win on aggregate and many felt Mikel Arteta's Gunners could finally become European champions. That was until they encountered a ruthless PSG side who gave the North Londoners somewhat of a wake up call that you need a squad brimming with strength in depth.
Arteta and Andrea Berta heeded that advice in the summer by overhauling the squad and ensuring they are spoiled for choice in most positions on the pitch. Viktoy Gyokeres has shown promise up top, while Noni Madueke has silenced his critics, and Eberechi Eze means there is no longer a reliance on Martin Odegaard.
Luis Enrique will be scratching his head after losing both Ousmane Dembele and Desire Doue to injuries ahead of their defence of their crown. The French attacking duo were unbelievable in their triumph last season and will definitely miss the opener against Atalanta and maybe a massive showdown with Barcelona.
Speaking of the Catalan giants, they land second in the power rankings and will feel hard done by not making the final last time around. Hansi Flick's men haven't won the tournament since 2015, which is quite astonishing given Lionel Messi didn't leave Camp Nou until 2021.
There is no Messi at Barca anymore, but that doesn't mean they aren't still one of Europe's very best and will enter this year's competition with confidence. Lamine Yamal, Robert Lewandowski and Raphinha are all purring and the addition of Marcus Rashford could prove a clever one for rotational circumstances.
Arne Slot
As soon as Alexander Isak was announced as a Liverpool player, the onus was put on Arne Slot's Merseysiders to become Champions League winners. That's because the Reds have broken the British transfer record, not once, but twice, spending £116m on Florian Wirtz before Isak arrived for £130m.
The Premier League champions were one of the most formidable sides across European football last season, claiming the top-flight title. But their stumble to PSG in the Round of 16 raised question marks, doubts that have been resolved with one of the most outrageous transfer windows in history.
Liverpool have also proven to have a champions mentality, able to win in less than convincing fashion, and that's all that matters in tournament football. They were a penalty shootout away from an undeserved victory over Luis Enrique's eventual winners, and their transfer business means they are now stacked with talent from top to bottom.
|Champions League Power Rankings (2024/25)|
|Rank|Club|Nation|
|1|Liverpool|England|
|2|Barcelona|Spain|
|3|Paris Saint-Germain|France|
|4|Arsenal|England|
|5|Real Madrid|Spain|
|6|Manchester City|England|
|7|Bayern Munich|Germany|
|8|Napoli|Italy|
|9|Chelsea|England|
|10|Atletico Madrid|Spain|
|---|