Analyzing Elite Marathon: 2025/26 UEFA Champions League Predictions & Betting Tips (16 September 2025 – 30 May 2026)
A new and exciting Champions League season is in the making, as the competition starts right after the international break ends. Paris Saint-Germain are the defending champions, having beaten Inter Milan with a heavy score in the final to win their first-ever UCL title. We will take a look at the big teams’ schedules and their chances of winning the title.
25/26 Champions League Stages & Season Betting Guide
The 2025–26 Champions League full draw was held in Monaco last week, and it has a lot of big matchups in the league phase, like Real Madrid vs Liverpool, Barcelona vs PSG, and Arsenal vs Bayern Munich. The competition kicks off on September 16, 2025, with the league stage, which ends on January 28, 2026. The playoffs start shortly after that on February 17, with the final being on May 30, 2026. The UCL final will be played at the Puskás Arena in Hungary for the first time in history.
There are two UCL league phase opening matchups for this year, as Arsenal will face Athletic Bilbao, and PSV Eindhoven will clash with Union SG on September 16. The defending champions, Paris Saint-Germain, will face Atalanta in a tough round 1 matchup.
ℹ️ Tournament:
UEFA Champions League Season 2025/26
⚽️ Venues:
Stadiums Across Europe
🗓️ League Phase Dates:
16 September, 2025 – 28 January, 2026
🗓️ 1st Round Play-off Dates:
17 – 25 February, 2026
🗓️ Knockout Stage Dates:
10 March – 30 May, 2026
UEFA Champions League 2025-26 Format & Overview
This will be the second consecutive season with the new UCL format. There are 36 teams from Europe competing for the title, as UEFA has added four teams to the previous 32-team format. All of the 36 teams will be competing in the same league table without groups, with each team playing eight matches in the league phase to determine who advances to the playoffs.
The clubs who place 9th through 25th will play a two-legged knockout match in the 1st round playoffs, while the top eight teams at the end of the league phase advance directly to the knockout stage. The teams finishing from 26th to 36th places will be knocked out and won’t join any other European competition. The knockout stage continues after that with the quarterfinals, semifinals, and the final.
History of the UEFA Champions League
This will be the 71st UEFA Champions League edition. The competition was first held in 1955, and Real Madrid dominated it at the beginning by winning five consecutive titles. There are 24 teams that managed to win at least one Champions League trophy. Los Blancos have won by far the most UCL titles (15), while AC Milan come in second place with seven titles. Liverpool and Bayern Munich are tied in third place with six titles each.
Last Five UCL Winners
Here’s how the last five Champions League finals unfolded, with Real Madrid being the only team to win the title twice in that period:
2025 – PSG 5-0 Inter Milan
2024 – Real Madrid 2-0 Borussia Dortmund
2023 – Manchester City 1-0 Inter Milan
2022 – Real Madrid 1-0 Liverpool
2021 – Chelsea 1-0 Manchester City
2025–26 Champions League Winner Odds & Favorites
After having the UCL format explained, let’s take a look at the best online football betting odds for the 25/26 Champions League season:
Liverpool
Best odds:
7.0 (6/1)
4.1
100% up to $500 on 1st deposit and 50% up to $250 on 2nd deposit
The 25/26 Champions League odds have Liverpool and Barcelona on the top of the favorites for the title. The Reds have had a great start to the Premier League season, beating Bournemouth, Newcastle, and Arsenal to top the league table. They are the only team with the full nine points after three weeks, so they are in great spirits. Liverpool had one of their best-ever summer transfer windows, bringing in players like Alexander Isak, Florian Wirtz, Hugo Ekitike, Milos Kerkez, and Jeremie Frimpong, so they will definitely be a team to keep an eye on.
Barcelona @ 7.0 (6/1)
Barcelona are 4th in La Liga after three weeks with two wins and one draw. Barca had a great pre-season, winning all four games, and they are on an eight-game unbeaten streak now. The Blaugrana finished second in the league phase last season, and they had by far the best offense, having scored 28 goals in that stage, six more than the second-place team. Hansi Flick’s debut season for the team was great, winning La Liga, Copa del Rey, and the Spanish Super Cup.
Arsenal are still aiming for their first Champions League title, as they reached the final only once and lost to Barca in the 2006 final. The Gunners had a very good start to the UCL last season, finishing third in the league phase, and they conceded only three goals in eight games. Arsenal managed to knock out Real Madrid in the quarterfinals, but they lost to the eventual champions, PSG, in the semifinals. The Gunners had an excellent transfer window, acquiring Martin Zubimendi, Viktor Gyokeres, Noni Madueke, and Eberechi Eze.
Real Madrid @ 9.0 (8/1)
Real Madrid are on top of the La Liga standings after three weeks, as they are one of two teams with the full nine points. This is Xabi Alonso’s debut season as the team’s head coach, and they have looked solid under him so far. Los Blancos signed Trent Alexander-Arnold, Dean Huijsen, Alvaro Carreras, and Franco Mastantuono this transfer window, as they needed to solve their defensive problems from last season. They also managed to keep Rodrygo, who was linked to a number of Premier League clubs.
Taking Real Madrid to win the title will be the first pick in our UCL 25/26 betting tips. It’s widely known that Los Blancos are the most successful team in the tournament, as they always prioritize winning the UCL over any other competition. Xabi Alonso is a world-class coach, and the team has improved under him already, especially on the defensive end, conceding only two goals in three La Liga matches. They also did well in the 2025 Club World Cup, beating Juventus and Borussia Dortmund in the playoffs before losing to PSG.
The UCL betting sites offer odds for the team, as they used to have much lower odds than these. Real Madrid have a deadly attack that consists of Kylian Mbappe, Vinicius Junior, Rodrygo, and Jude Bellingham, and they have a great depth in the midfield, with a world-class goalkeeper in Thibaut Courtois, so winning the UCL is definitely possible for them.
The Champions League betting odds for Liverpool to win the UCL league phase again are worth a look, as the Reds have a much better squad right now and have a nice schedule, having winnable matchups like Eintracht Frankfurt, PSV Eindhoven, Marseille, Qarabag, and Galatasaray, while their tough games will be against Real Madrid, Inter Milan, and Atletico Madrid, which they can very well get a positive result in each of them.
Liverpool’s attacking power with Mohamed Salah, Alexander Isak, Florian Wirtz, Hugo Ekitike, and Cody Gakpo will be huge, and if they can improve their defense, then they can definitely win back-to-back UCL league phases.
Kairat Almaty to Finish Bottom of the League Phase @ 2.40 (7/5)
Event Prediction
Kairat Almaty to Finish Bottom of the League Phase
Kairat Almaty are clearly the weakest side in this year’s Champions League edition, as they barely qualified for the competition. They are the lowest-ranked club among all 36 teams in the competition, sitting 151st in the UEFA rankings list, and they have a very difficult schedule as well. Almaty will face Real Madrid, Inter Milan, Arsenal, Club Brugge, Olympiacos, Sporting CP, Pafos, and Copenhagen, and they are expected to be underdogs in each of those games.
Manchester City to Finish Inside the Top 8 @ 1.75 (3/4)
Manchester City aren’t off to a good start in the Premier League with two losses and one win, but they will improve going into the UCL league phase. The Citizens solved their goalkeeping problem by signing Gianluigi Donnarumma, and they have added some talent to the midfield by adding Tijjani Reijnders and Rayan Cherki. Man City still have Pep Guardiola and one of the best squads in the competition, so finishing inside the top eight shouldn’t be a big task, especially since they have a relatively easy schedule in the league phase.
Recommended UCL 2025-26 Betting Tips
Real Madrid to Win Outright
Best odds:
9.0 (8/1)
4.1
100% up to $500 on 1st deposit and 50% up to $250 on 2nd deposit
The competition will be tough in the UCL this season, with most of the big teams looking in good shape, and we will go with Real Madrid. Make sure to use our 2025/26 Champions League season predictions and bet them at the best bookies in Europe to have more fun watching the event.
Tawfeek is a passionate sports fan from Egypt who likes the English Premier League and American leagues. With a deep knowledge of how odds work, he is always ready to deliver content that pays off for readers, offering plenty of underrated betting tips and predictions to consider.
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