The Champions League is nearly back. With two matchdays to go before the second-ever league phase comes to a close, and about half of each league season is complete, we have a good scope on the current giants in football.
While 2025 football was dominated by PSG, who won six trophies in the year, 2026 looks the most open year we’ve ever seen. Due to football’s talent distribution, we have around 8 teams now who have very good squads, and have great chances to win it all this year. Let me take you through them today, eight teams who all just might be able to win Europe’s prized honour.
Periphery Teams:
These are teams we won’t be going in-depth into, but have the largest chance of upsetting the order in Europe this year. While they don’t quite have the squads, they have just enough to be able to eliminate some of the contenders we’ll go over after.
Inter
Reaching two European finals in three years, Inter is Serie A’s best team – on paper at least. They were able to upset Bayern and Barca on their way to the final last year, and are hard to kill – that is, unless you’re PSG.
Spurs
Coming off a Europa League title last year, Spurs are 13th in the Premier League right now, but just 4 points from a likely Champions League spot in fifth. Their form under Thomas Frank hasn’t been the best, but they may just be able to pull something off.
Dortmund
Once again, taking a comfortable second in the Bundesliga, Dortmund are doing Dortmund things in 25/26. With a good young core including Nico Schlotterbeck, Serhou Guirassy, and Karim Adeyemi, this is a spirited team who still managed to throw spanners in the works last year in the quarter finals against Barca in Germany, despite their 4-0 deficit from the first leg.
Atletico Madrid
The last periphery team, Atleti are perennially Europe’s hardest to beat non-contender team. They will stoop to anything under Diego Simeone, and are capable of massive upsets, as Real Madrid will be able to tell you following a 5-2 loss to the Rojiblancos in September.
The Contenders
PSG
League: Ligue 1
Position: 2nd
Last Year: Sextuple
Manager: Luis Enrique
Star Players: Ousmane Dembele, Vitinha, Achraf Hakimi, Joao Neves, Khvicha Kvaratskhelia
We start with the defending champs looking to retain their crown. PSG have looked great in the UCL this year, hazarding a 2-1 win against Barcelona with both teams shorthanded, beating Spurs in a 5-3 thriller, and are 3rd in the league phase table.
PSG have potentially the deepest squad in the world, with about 7 or 8 players being able to be considered stars. Their average squad age of 23.8 also makes them one of the youngest teams in the competition. They are a force to be reckoned with, and will likely be favourites against any team they come against.
Chelsea
League: Premier League
Position: 5th
Last Year: Conference League, Club World Cup
Manager: Liam Rosenior
Star Players: Cole Palmer, Moises Caicedo, Enzo Fernandez, Marc Cucurella
Despite their woes in the league, Chelsea are a team that seemingly can always put it together come the big game. They obviously have the talent, the dual destroyers in midfield of Moises Caicedo and Enzo Fernandez, as well as some great creators. They beat Barcelona 3-0 in a comprehensive victory and got hard-fought upset draws against City and Arsenal.
Now with new manager Liam Rosenior, this Chelsea team is a massive wildcard, but with two months under their new coach, we’ll have a better view of where this team is by the beginning of the Round of 16.
Arsenal
League: Premier League
Position: 1st
Last Year: CL Semis, 2nd in PL
Manager: Mikel Arteta
Star Players: Bukayo Saka, Declan Rice, Gabriel, William Saliba, Martin Odegaard
Now at the status of one of the world’s best clubs, Arsenal are a hungry young club with a bulletproof defence and good cohesion by now. Most of their core has spent at least 3-4 years together, and are able to mount a charge for the UCL at last.
Their defensive stability will be their main factor in winning, but will their lack of experienced leaders cost them? Arsenal will surely be one to watch in this campaign.
Barcelona
League: La Liga
Position: 1st
Last Year: Domestic Treble, CL Semis
Manager: Hansi Flick
Star Players: Lamine Yamal, Pedri, Raphinha, Robert Lewandowski, Joan Garcia
Despite their poor Champions League performances as of recent, Barcelona seem to have finally put it together ahead of a Top 8 charge to end January. Now in the second year of the Hansi Flick experiment, Barcelona have won 9 in a row in all comps, presiding over a 5-0 win over Bilbao, 5-3 against Betis, 3-1 over Atleti, and hard fought 2-0 wins over Villarreal and Espanyol.
After getting so close to the final last year, at one point being two minutes away, Barca will have a chip on their shoulder this year, but with many improved teams to face. The lowest placed of any team on this list at 15th in the standings, Barcelona will have to turn their form around quickly, and likely have at least four tough opponents in the way of winning it.
Liverpool
League: Premier League
Position: 4th
Last Year: Premier League Title
Manager: Arne Slot
Star Players: Mo Salah, Alex Isak, Florian Wirtz, Virgil van Dijk
Despite the shakiness of this Liverpool team, nothing normal ever happens at Anfield. Believe it or not, Liverpool are unbeaten in their past seven matches, and have finally started picking up wins again. Their summer signings are finally starting to pick up a little bit of form, despite Alexander Isak’s injury.
Even though there’s incredible amounts of drama at this club, and there has been, nonstop, for the past year, perhaps the drama can pull this Liverpool side together for a Champions League run.
Real Madrid
League: La Liga
Position: 2nd
Last Year, 2nd in La Liga, CdR Final, UCL QF
Manager: Xabi Alonso
Star Players: Kylian Mbappe, Jude Bellingham, Vini Jr, Fede Valverde, Tibo Courtois
Another similar situation to Liverpool, Madrid have been in shaky form, but have the raw talent to be able to make a push for it. Most of Los Blancos’ squad were there for Madrid’s 2024 win of the competition, and should be able to push for it again.
Kylian Mbappe has been electric, but might have to sacrifice some individual glory for team success when he returns from injury in order to get Madrid to the top. Despite their waning in recent years, there’s no discounting this Madrid team, none at all. Especially in the Champions League.
Bayern
League: Bundesliga
Position: 1st
Last Year: Bundesliga, UCL QF
Manager: Vincent Kompany
Star Players: Harry Kane, Michael Olise, Luis Diaz, Jamal Musiala, Joshua Kimmich
My favourites to win it all this year, the Bavarian boys are nearly perfect this year up to now. Their new signing Luis Diaz has been worth the seemingly extortionate fee paid for him, wonderkid Lennart Karl is bursting onto the scene as a new world-beater, and Harry Kane is having his best campaign yet.
Combine that with the talent Bayern already have, Michael Olise, Jamal Musiala, Alphonso Davies, Joshua Kimmich, and you get an incredibly formidable team. Their only question is the defence, and while Jonathan Tah and Dayot Upamecano have been good this year, both are known to make mistakes at times, which may cost Bayern. However, they’re still my pick to win it all.
Man City
League: Premier League
Position: 2nd
Last Year: 3rd in PL, FA Cup runners up
Manager: Pep Guardiola
Star Players: Erling Haaland, Rodri, Gianluigi Donnarumma, Phil Foden, Jeremy Doku
The final team is one of the most unpredictable. Despite Pep Guardiola’s tenure at the club reaching ten seasons, we still don’t know what his side will be able to produce. Erling Haaland is having another incredible campaign, Rodri is looking to get back to his Ballon D’Or winning form, and they now have their keeper for the future in Gianluigi Donnarumma (although we did say that when he was on PSG and Milan).
Now with the signing of Antoine Semenyo, this City team may have the depth it needs to compete with these other clubs. We’ll just have to wait, watch, and see.
There you have it, a full rundown on all the clubs in contention for the Champions League this season. There are metric tons of talent, each team with their own styles, and plenty of fun and action ahead of them, as we enter the most wide-open UCL year yet.