Champions League 2026/27: teams, schedule, and betting odds

For some of the best Champions League odds and predictions, follow the action with the Marathonbet blog.

The revamped Champions League format has produced some thrilling matches, with plenty of shocks during the league phase. Will the 2026/27 Champions League be just as exciting?

This season will be the 72^nd edition of the top-tier European club competition, and the 35^th season since it was rebranded as the Champions League. A total of 81 teams from 53 UEFA member nations will participate in the tournament, with the 28 teams that won the league championships in the lowest-ranked associations taking part in the first qualifying round.

24 different teams have won the European Cup/Champions League since the first final in 1956. Real Madrid won the first five tournaments and five of the last 10 tournaments. Overall, Los Blancos have won the trophy 15 times, more than twice as many as the next most successful side, Milan, who have seven titles to their name.

Inter have three Champions League titles to their name, having won the trophy in 1964, 1965 and 2010. The Italian side were runners-up in 1967, 1972 and 2023.

Paris Saint-Germain finally broke their Champions League hoodoo in 2025, when they defeated Inter 5-0 in the final. The French side made it two successive UCL titles when they defeated Arsenal on penalties in 2026.

Who will win the 2026/27 Champions League?

Here are the latest odds to win the tournament for the 29 teams who have already qualified for the league phase of this season’s Champions League.

Team	Odds
Paris Saint-Germain	6.05
Arsenal	7.10
Bayern Munich	7.10
Barcelona	8.10
Manchester City	8.10
Real Madrid	10.25
Liverpool	11.00
Manchester United	17.25
Inter	20.50
Atlético Madrid	25.00
Napoli	30.00
Aston Villa	34.00
Borussia Dortmund	41.00
RB Leipzig	51.00
Roma	51.00
Real Betis	69.00
Como	69.00
Villarreal	69.00
VfB Stuttgart	83.00
Porto	106.00
Sporting Lisboa	106.00
Lens	140.00
Lille	140.00
PSV Eindhoven	140.00
Club Brugge	165.00
Feyenoord	165.00
Galatasaray	165.00
Shakhtar Donetsk	265.00
Slavia Prague	265.00

What is the format for the 2026/27 Champions League?

The format for the Champions League changed from the 2024/25 season onwards, with a 36-team league stage replacing the group stage. Each team will play matches against eight different teams, four at home and four away. The eight opponents will be drawn from among the competing teams after they are sorted into four seeding pots, with each team playing two opponents from each pot.

The idea is that clubs will play a wider range of opponents, resulting in fewer dead rubbers. In the first season under the new format, Paris Saint-Germain, who were subsequently crowned Champions League winners, only finished 15^th in the league table. Last season, PSG again won the trophy after failing to finish in the top eight in the league phase table and having to play an extra round of games in the knockout phase play-offs.

How do teams qualify from the league phase of the Champions League?

• The top eight sides in the league phase will qualify for the knockout phase and move directly into the round of 16.
• The sides finishing 9^th to 24^th will compete in a two-legged playoff round to determine the other eight teams to reach the round of 16.
• Those sides finishing in 25^th or lower will be eliminated. There is no access to the Europa League for teams that do not advance from the UCL league phase.

Champions League schedule (2026/27)

First qualifying round

First leg: 7^th–8^th July, Second leg: 14^th–15^th July

Second qualifying round

First leg: 21^st–22^nd July, Second leg: 28^th–29^th July

Third qualifying round

First leg: 4^th–5^th August, Second leg: 11^th–12^th August 

Playoff round

Draw date: 3^rd August 

First leg: 18^th–19^th August, Second leg: 25^th–26^th August

League phase

Draw date: 27^th August

Matchday 1: 8^th–10^th September 

Matchday 2: 13^th–14^th October 

Matchday 3: 20^th–21^st October 

Matchday 4: 3^rd–4^th November 

Matchday 5: 24^th–256^th November 

Matchday 6: 8^th–9^th December 

Matchday 7: 19^th–20^th January 

Matchday 8: 27^th January 

Knockout phase

Draw date: 29^th January 

Knockout rounds playoffs: First leg: 16^th–17^th February, Second Leg 23^rd–24^th February 

Draw date for round of 16 onwards: 26^th February 

Round of 16: First leg: 9^th–10^th March, Second Leg 16^th–17^th March 

Quarter-finals: First leg: 6^th–7^th April, Second Leg 13^th–14^th April

Semi-finals: First leg: 27^th–28^th April, Second Leg 4^th–5^th May 

Final: 5^th June

Where is the Champions League Final 2026/27 being held?

The final will be held on the 5^th of June 2027 at the Metropolitano Stadium in Madrid, Spain. This is the home stadium of Atlético Madrid.

The stadium was originally constructed between 1990 and 1993. It closed in 2004 and didn’t reopen until renovation work was completed in 2017.

The first match at the newly upgraded stadium was a LaLiga match between Atlético Madrid and Málaga on 16th September 2017. The first European match was held there 11 days later, with Chelsea defeating Atlético Madrid 2-1.

The stadium hosted the 2019 Champions League Final, in which Liverpool defeated Tottenham Hotspur 2-0 in an all-English affair.

Which teams will compete in the league phase of the 2026/27 Champions League?

The 29 teams that have qualified for the league phase of the 2026/27 Champions League based on their finishing positions in their domestic leagues are:

• 🇪🇸 Barcelona
• 🇪🇸 Real Madrid
• 🇪🇸 Villarreal
• 🇪🇸 Atlético Madrid
• 🇪🇸 Real Betis
• 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁥󠁮󠁧󠁿 Arsenal
• 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁥󠁮󠁧󠁿 Manchester City
• 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁥󠁮󠁧󠁿 Manchester United
• 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁥󠁮󠁧󠁿 Aston Villa
• 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁥󠁮󠁧󠁿 Liverpool
• 🇮🇹 Inter
• 🇮🇹 Napoli
• 🇮🇹 Roma
• 🇮🇹 Como
• 🇩🇪 Bayern Munich
• 🇩🇪 Borussia Dortmund
• 🇩🇪 RB Leipzig
• 🇩🇪 VfB Stuttgart
• 🇫🇷 Paris Saint-Germain
• 🇫🇷 Lens
• 🇫🇷 Lille
• 🇳🇱 PSV Eindhoven
• 🇳🇱 Feyenoord
• 🇵🇹 Porto
• 🇵🇹 Sporting Lisboa
• 🇧🇪 Club Brugge
• 🇨🇿 Slavia Prague
• 🇹🇷 Galatasaray
• 🇺🇦 Shakhtar Donetsk

Champions League 2025/26 stats

A few statistics from the 2025/26 Champions League:

Statistics from Main tournament only (not including qualifying rounds)

Top scorers: 15 – Kylian Mbappé (Real Madrid), 14 – Harry Kane (Bayern Munich)

Most assists: 8 – Michael Olise (Bayern Munich), Vinícius Júnior (Real Madrid)

Most yellow cards: 35 – Real Madrid, 31 – Atlético Madrid

Most clean sheets: 9 – Arsenal, 8 – Tottenham Hotspur

Highest scoring match: 9 – Barcelona 7:2 Newcastle United, Bayer Leverkusen 2:7 Paris Saint-Germain

Successive wins: 8 – Arsenal

Successive losses: 6 – Villarreal

Most goals scored in league stage: 23 – Arsenal, 22 – Bayern Munich, Barcelona

Fewest goals scored in league stage: 5 – Slavia Prague, Villarreal

Most goals conceded in league stage: 22 – Kairat Almaty, 21 – Qarabağ, F.C. København, Ajax, Eintracht Frankfurt

Fewest goals conceded in league stage: 4 – Arsenal, 7 – Tottenham Hotspur, Inter, Newcastle United

You’ll find some fantastic odds and a massive range of markets on all the Champions League matches, as well as some great coverage of the live action once the matches have started, in the Marathonbet Sportsbook.

You can also find informative guides on How to Bet on Football and Handicap Betting, as well as weekly predictions for the English Premier League, in our Sports Betting Guide section.