PSG are the current champions of Europe and are one of the favourites to win the title again in the latest 2026/27 Champions League betting odds.
Luis Enrique’s team won their second successive title in Budapest when they defeated Arsenal on penalties in the final.
The Gunners held PSG to a 1-1 draw after extra-time, but it was Paris who lifted the trophy following a 4-3 win in the shootout.
PSG are 11/2 joint-favourites with Barcelona to win the title this season.
Champions League Betting Tips | Matchday 1
| Match | Bet | Odds | Why |
| Barcelona vs Feyenoord | Anthony Gordon + assist | 29/20 | Has provided assists in three of Barca’s four matches |
| Napoli vs Arsenal | Kai Havertz to score anytime | 6/4 | Has scored in three of Arsenal’s four matches (including Community Shied) |
| Liverpool vs Atletico | Cody Gakpo To Score or Assist | 10/11 | Has been involved in goals in all three of Liverpool’s matches |
| PSG vs Slovan Bratislava | Khvicha Kvaratskhelia 1+ assist | 13/10 | Well rested this season, he assisted against Monaco on Friday |
| Bayern vs Bodø/Glimt | TBC | ||
| Como vs RB Leipzig | TBC |
Odds from William Hill and are subject to change
Champions League Betting Markets
The Champions League is the biggest club competition in European football and it attracts plenty of betting interest. Some of the most popular Champions League betting markets include:
Outright Champions League betting markets
- Champions League winner – Bet on which team will lift the trophy.
- Top goalscorer – Predict which player will score the most goals throughout the competition.
Individual match betting markets
- Match result – Back the home team, away team or the draw.
- Both teams to score – Predict whether both teams will find the net.
- Over/under goals – Bet on the total number of goals scored in a match.
- Correct score – Predict the exact final score.
- Draw no bet – Back a team to win, with your stake returned if the match ends in a draw.
- Double chance – Cover two of the three possible match results with one bet.
- Asian handicap – Give one team a virtual advantage or disadvantage before kick-off.
- First goalscorer – Predict which player will score the first goal.
- Anytime goalscorer – Bet on a player to score at any point during the match.
- Bet Builders – Combine multiple selections from the same match into one bet.
- Half-time result – Predict the result at the end of the first half.
- Half-time/full-time – Predict the result at half-time and full-time.
- Cards and corners – Bet on the number of cards or corners in a match.
UCL Qualification: How it works
Teams can qualify for the Champions League through their final position in their domestic league. The number of teams that qualify from each country is largely determined by the nation’s UEFA coefficient ranking.
For example, the top four from the Premier League normally qualify for the Champions League. However, England was awarded a fifth place in both the 2024/25 and 2025/26 seasons after being one of the two best-performing associations in the previous European campaign.
The winners of the Champions League are also guaranteed a place in the following season’s competition, as are the winners of the Europa League.
Champions League Group Stage
The Champions League now uses a 36-team single league phase. This replaced the 32-team group phase, where each team played six group matches.
The new format was introduced for the 2024/25 season, with all 36 teams playing eight matches each. The teams are seeded and placed into four pots of nine, with each team drawn to play two teams from each pot – one at home and one away.
Teams cannot be drawn against domestic opponents in the league phase, and they can play a maximum of two teams from any one other domestic league.
So, for example, an English team could play a maximum of two matches against Spanish opposition and two against German opposition in the league phase.
The top 24 teams qualify for the knock-out stages.
Knockout Stages
Once the league phase is complete, the Champions League becomes a two-legged knock-out competition, with each tie played over two legs.
The only remaining match in the competition that isn’t played over two legs is the final, which takes place at a neutral venue.
The top eight teams in the league phase automatically qualify for the Round of 16.
The teams finishing 9th to 16th enter the knockout phase play-offs, where they are drawn against teams finishing 17th to 24th. These ties are played over two legs, with the winners joining the top eight in the Round of 16.
Where is the 2027 Champions League final?
The 2027 Champions League final will be held at the Estadio Metropolitano in Madrid.
This will be the second time the final has taken place at the home of Atletico Madrid. The venue also hosted the 2019 final between Spurs and Liverpool.
History of the European Cup and Champions League
The original name of the competition was the European Cup. It was first played for in the season of 1955/56, and was won by Real Madrid, who beat Reims 4-3 in Paris.
Real Madrid went on to win the first 5 European Cups, until Benfica stopped the run in 1960/61. To this day, Real are the most successful club in the history of the competition.
When did the European Cup become the Champions League?
In the season of 1992/93, UEFA opened up the tournament to allow more than just the national champions into the competition.
This meant that the name changed from the European Cup to the Champions League for the first time in the 1992/93 season. The trophy competed for is the same cup.
This was done to appease the bigger clubs in Europe, who were threatening a break away Super League.
This has made the cup far harder to win, as now instead of just facing one team from each nation, you can now face four teams from countries such as Spain, England and Germany.
So rather than having to potentially face one of Real Madrid or Barcelona in the draw, you now have both in there.
Likewise with the English Premier League teams, where you can now have Man Utd, Chelsea, Man City and Liverpool (for example), rather than just one of those 4 clubs.
Recent Champions League Winners
| Year | Winner | Runner-Up | Score |
| 2025/26 | PSG | Arsenal | 1-1 (4-3 Pens) |
| 2024/25 | PSG | Inter Milan | 5-0 |
| 2023/24 | Real Madrid | Dortmund | 2-0 |
| 2022/23 | Manchester City | Inter Milan | 1-0 |
| 2021/22 | Real Madrid | Liverpool | 1-0 |
| 2020/21 | Chelsea | Manchester City | 1-0 |
| 2019/20 | Bayern Munich | PSG | 1-0 |
| 2018/19 | Liverpool | Tottenham | 2-0 |
| 2017/18 | Real Madrid | Liverpool | 3-1 |
| 2016/17 | Real Madrid | Juventus | 4-1 |
| 2015/16 | Real Madrid | Atletico Madrid | 1-1 (5-3 Pens) |
| 2014/15 | Barcelona | Juventus | 3-1 |
| 2013/14 | Real Madrid | Atletico Madrid | 4-1 AET |
| 2012/13 | Bayern Munich | Dortmund | 2-1 |
| 2011/12 | Chelsea | Bayern Munich | 1-1 (4-3 Pens) |
| 2010/11 | Barcelona | Manchester United | 3-1 |
PSG are the current champions of Europe. They won the title for a second successive season when they defeated Arsenal on penalties in the 2026 competition.
Champions League Most Successful Teams
Real Madrid are by far the most successful team in the history of the competition with 15 wins.
Los Blancos had a five-year winning streak from 1956 to 1960 and a three-year winning streak from 2016 to 2018.
| Team | Wins | Runners-up | Seasons Won | Seasons Runners-up |
| Real Madrid | 15 | 3 | 1956, 1957, 1958, 1959, 1960, 1966, 1998, 2000, 2002, 2014, 2016, 2017, 2018, 2022, 2024 | 1962, 1964, 1981 |
| AC Milan | 7 | 4 | 1963, 1969, 1989, 1990, 1994, 2003, 2007 | 1958, 1993, 1995, 2005 |
| Bayern Munich | 6 | 5 | 1974, 1975, 1976, 2001, 2013, 2020 | 1982, 1987, 1999, 2010, 2012 |
| Liverpool | 6 | 4 | 1977, 1978, 1981, 1984, 2005, 2019 | 1985, 2007, 2018, 2022 |
| Barcelona | 5 | 3 | 1992, 2006, 2009, 2011, 2015 | 1961, 1986, 1994 |
| Ajax | 4 | 2 | 1971, 1972, 1973, 1995 | 1969, 1996 |
| Inter Milan | 3 | 4 | 1964, 1965, 2010 | 1967, 1972, 2023, 2025 |
| Manchester United | 3 | 2 | 1968, 1999, 2008 | 2009, 2011 |
| Juventus | 2 | 7 | 1985, 1996 | 1973, 1983, 1997, 1998, 2003, 2015, 2017 |
| Benfica | 2 | 5 | 1961, 1962 | 1963, 1965, 1968, 1988, 1990 |
| Chelsea | 2 | 1 | 2012, 2021 | 2008 |
| PSG | 2 | 1 | 2025, 2026 | 2020 |
| Nottingham Forest | 2 | 0 | 1979, 1980 | – |
| Porto | 2 | 0 | 1987, 2004 | – |
Champions League FAQ
For more information on the UEFA Champions League, check out our frequently asked questions section below:
Who has the most Champions League wins?
Real Madrid are the most successful club in the history of the Champions League and European Cup with 15 wins. AC Milan has seven titles. Liverpool and Bayern Munich have won the trophy six times.
Which English Club has won the most Champions Leagues?
Liverpool is the most successful English club in the Champions League with six titles. The most recent came in 2019 when they defeated Tottenham 2-0 in an all-English final.