We’ve reached the final four in European soccer’s elite club competition: the UEFA Champions League.
Arsenal, Atletico Madrid, Bayern Munich, and defending champion PSG emerged from a quarterfinal stage that featured 20 goals and three red cards across eight drama-filled matches.
As we get set for the UCL Semifinals, which begin on Tuesday, let’s look at the latest Champions League winner odds.
Champions League Winner Odds
Soccer odds used for these Champions League winner predictions are current as of Tuesday, April 28, and courtesy of DraftKings Sportsbook.
- Bayern Munich (+160)
- PSG (+250)
- Arsenal (+250)
- Atletico Madrid (+700)
Which Team Will Win the Champions League?
Bayern Munich (+160)
After breezing past Atalanta 10-2 on aggregate in the Round of 16, Bayern Munich became the favorites to win the Champions League after dispatching Real Madrid 6-4 in a clash of European powers.
Harry Kane and Luis Diaz found the back of the net in both legs for the high-powered German outfit, which has netted 113 goals in 31 league matches this campaign.
That terrific form in front of goal has seen Vincent Kompany’s squad already clinch the Bundesliga title, allowing it to focus on the Champions League, a luxury not shared by some of its competition.
If Bayern Munich can overcome defending champion PSG in the semifinals, it will be a heavy favorite to win its first Champions League title since 2020, so I’m backing the German side as my best UCL bet today.
Champions League Contenders
PSG (+250)
As the defending Champions League winner, PSG can’t be counted out, even in a difficult semifinal draw against Bayern Munich.
While Luis Enrique’s team fell 2-1 to the German side in the league phase, it has proven it can get over the line in this competition.
The Ligue 1 side has the quality to match Bayern from front to back and should be plenty confident after beating Liverpool 2-0 home and away in the quarterfinals.
At this price, PSG is an intriguing bet to win the Champions League.
Arsenal (+250)
The Gunners went 8-0-0 to finish top of the league phase, setting them up with a favorable Champions League draw.
However, Mikel Arteta’s squad squeaked past Bayer Leverkusen 3-1 in the Round of 16 and edged Sporting CP 1-0 in the quarterfinals.
The lack of conviction in Arsenal’s performances saw their odds fall from +225 to +250 following the quarterfinals, which actually provides a bit of value on the Gunners, given they are favorites against Atletico Madrid in the semifinals.
While the English Premier League leaders have a strong chance of reaching their first final since 2006, I can’t back them to win their first title in this competition at these odds, especially since they have crucial domestic games around their matches with Atletico.
Champions League Sleeper
Atletico Madrid (+700)
After eliminating La Liga rivals Barcelona in the quarterfinals, Atletico Madrid should be taken seriously as a threat to win this competition.
These odds don’t do Diego Simeone’s team justice, especially since it will face an out-of-form Arsenal side in the semifinals.
- Get in-depth UCL analysis ahead of matchdays with our Champions League predictions.
Atletico offers way more in attack than Arsenal at the moment, with Julian Alvarez, Antoine Griezmann, and Ademola Lookman posing a threat in the final third.
While Simeone’s side doesn’t have the defensive stability that it has had in previous years, it can make up for that with attacking quality. At these odds, I’d back Atletico and hope to hedge in the final against Bayern or PSG.
Champions League Format
With the addition of four more teams, UEFA had to move away from the traditional Champions League 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.
Past Champions League Winners
2025: PSG
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
