The UEFA Champions League has entered a new era, with more teams, more games, and, honestly, a more confusing format.
For the first time, 36 teams will enter the competition, with holders Real Madrid looking to defend their title against Europe’s elite.
Now that the league phase draw is complete, let’s break down the new Champions League format, examine the latest odds, and pick some teams to win the trophy.
Champions League Format
With the addition of four more teams, UEFA had to move away from the traditional format, which saw 32 teams separated into eight groups of four for the group stage. That setup has been replaced with a league phase, which will see all 36 teams compete in one singular league table.
Each team will play a total of eight league phase games, four home and four away, against eight unique opponents. These opponents will be comprised of two teams from Pots 1-4, ensuring that every team has a relatively similar strength of schedule per the UEFA coefficient.
At the end of the league phase, the top eight teams will automatically qualify for the Round of 16. The bottom 12 teams will be eliminated from European competition entirely, as teams will no longer drop into the Europa League.
The remaining teams will qualify for the knockout phase playoffs, which will see the clubs ranked 9-16 drawn against those that finished in spots 17-24 for a two-legged knockout tie. While there will be a draw for this stage, teams will only have two possible opponents, as teams 9-10 will be drawn against teams 23-24, etc.
The winner of these ties will advance to the Round of 16, which will also have a similar draw based on seeding. So, teams that finished 1st or 2nd in the table will come against teams that advance from the knockout phase playoff ties involving the teams that finished 15th, 16th, 17th, and 18th (and so on).
It’s also worth noting that UEFA has scrapped league protection from this stage of the competition onwards (it previously existed until the quarterfinals), so Premier League clubs like Manchester City and Liverpool could theoretically meet in the Round of 16.
Once the Round of 16 draw is set, the competition will continue as it has in recent years, with a fixed bracket of teams playing two-legged ties until we reach the single-leg final.
Champions League Winner Odds
Soccer odds used for these Champions League winner predictions are current as of Thursday, Aug. 29, and courtesy of DraftKings Sportsbook.
- Manchester City (+250)
- Real Madrid (+300)
- Arsenal (+800)
- Liverpool (+1200)
- Bayern Munich (+1200)
- Barcelona (+1400)
- PSG (+1800)
- Inter Milan (+1800)
- Bayer Leverkusen (+2500)
- Atletico Madrid (+2500)
- Juventus (+3000)
- Borussia Dortmund (+4000)
- AC Milan (+4000)
All other teams have 50-1 odds or longer at DraftKings Sportsbook.
Which Team Will Win the Champions League?
Real Madrid (+300)
New season. New format. Same Real Madrid.
Carlo Ancelotti’s squad does its best work in Europe’s top competition, and the proof is in the hardware. Real Madrid have been the last team standing in the UCL two of the past three years, overcoming odds-on favorite Man City in the knockout rounds en route to both titles.
Adding arguably the best player in the world, Kylian Mbappe, to the mix doesn’t hurt either. Back Los Blancos to win another Champions League title as your best UCL bet today.
Champions League Favorites
Manchester City (+250)
Under Pep Guardiola, Manchester City have been the most successful team in England, winning four straight Premier League titles and six of the last seven. City have also claimed two FA Cups, four Carabao Cups, three Community Shields, and one Champions League title under the Spaniard’s reign.
If that doesn’t speak to the level of consistent excellence that this squad produces, I don’t know what does.
With stars like Erling Haaland, Kevin De Bruyne, and Phil Foden, City has more than enough quality to win this competition for the second time in their history.
However, when splitting hairs, I’d prefer Real Madrid at longer odds.
Arsenal (+800)
After reaching the Champions League quarterfinals for the first time since 2010, the Gunners are third-favorites to lift the trophy this time around.
Arsenal are arguably the largest club to never have won the Champions League, but that feels likely to change sooner than later.
Manager Mikel Arteta has transformed this squad, which has gone toe-to-toe with Man City for the Premier League title the last two seasons, and brought in enough depth to ensure it can challenge for trophies on multiple fronts.
While I would want the Gunners to have a bit more UCL experience, I can’t ignore this team’s talent at this price.
Champions League Sleeper
Atletico Madrid (+2500)
Given the recent Champions League winners, I wouldn’t go overboard betting on teams further down the odds board. However, we did see Dortmund reach the final last year, and even that achievement can provide a solid hedging opportunity.
Atletico are a team I could see recreating a similar run. Manager Diego Simeone has led Atletico to two previous Champions League finals (2014 and 2016), losing both. However, his teams are notoriously difficult to break down, which can be a crucial advantage in two-legged knockout ties.
- Get in-depth UCL analysis ahead of matchdays with our Champions League predictions.
This year’s squad also has more attacking talent than those of years past, as Argentina forward Julian Alvarez arrives from Manchester City and box-to-box midfielder Conor Gallagher joins from Chelsea.
Look for these two to help this squad push on from its quarterfinal ousting last year.
Past Champions League Winners
2024: Real Madrid
2023: Manchester City
2022: Real Madrid
2021: Chelsea
2020: Bayern Munich
2019: Liverpool
2018: Real Madrid
2017: Real Madrid
2016: Real Madrid
2015: Barcelona
2014: Real Madrid
