Champions League 2025/26: Mixed results for the rich kids

The group stages of the 2025/26 Champions League produced several surprise outcomes, particularly where the big clubs were concerned.

It is generally thought that having a squad packed with high-value players should guarantee success, but results in the league phase painted a different picture. Real Madrid’s squad has a market valuation of €1.35 billion, more than any other club in the competition, but they failed to qualify automatically for the round of 16.

They were not alone in underachieving based on the current value of their squad. A detailed analysis of the Champions League group stage by Best Betting Bonuses shows how top teams outside of England struggled in Europe, whereas several clubs that were expected to struggle made it either to the Last 16 or the play-offs.

Here’s the full qualification table:

Real Madrid	Spain	€1.35bn	Play-off
Manchester City	England	€1.29bn	Last-16
Arsenal	England	€1.27bn	Last-16
Paris Saint-Germain	France	€1.20bn	Play-off
Chelsea	England	€1.16bn	Last-16
Barcelona	Spain	€1.11bn	Last-16
Liverpool	England	€1.04bn	Last-16
Bayern Munich	Germany	€965.95m	Last-16
Tottenham Hotspur	England	€876.50m	Last-16
Newcastle United	England	€709.55m	Play-off
Inter Milan	Italy	€666.80m	Play-off
Atletico Madrid	Spain	€584.00m	Play-off
Juventus	Italy	€560.20m	Play-off
Borussia Dortmund	Germany	€483.40m	Play-off
Sporting CP	Portugal	€468.00m	Last-16
Napoli	Italy	€422.80m	Eliminated
Bayer Leverkusen	Germany	€422.75m	Play-off
Marseille	France	€410.00m	Eliminated
Eintracht Frankfurt	Germany	€391.05m	Eliminated
Atalanta	Italy	€386.10m	Play-off
Monaco	France	€359.05m	Play-off
Benfica	Portugal	€355.50m	Play-off
Galatasaray	Turkey	€338.85m	Play-off
Athletic Bilbao	Spain	€303.00m	Eliminated
PSV Eindhoven	Netherlands	€272.00m	Eliminated
Villarreal	Spain	€255.80m	Eliminated
Club Brugge	Belgium	€202.10m	Play-off
Ajax	Netherlands	€179.15m	Eliminated
Olympiacos	Greece	€138.75m	Play-off
Slavia Prague	Czechia	€105.30m	Eliminated
Union Saint-Gilloise	Belgium	€105.00m	Eliminated
FC Copenhagen	Denmark	€73.65m	Eliminated
Bodo/Glimt	Norway	€57.13m	Play-off
Qarabag	Azerbaijan	€29.10m	Play-off
Pafos FC	Cyprus	€26.28m	Eliminated
Kairat Almaty	Kazakhstan	€11.73m	Eliminated

 

Madrid & PSG fail to live up to their billing

One of the key takeaways we’ve seen in the aftermath of the league phase is the underperformance of a couple of big hitters.

Despite the lofty valuation of their squad, Madrid lost three of their five matches to finish ninth in the standings. Their final defeat against Benfica was embarrassing.

Former manager Jose Mourinho inspired the Portuguese giants to a memorable 4-2 victory over his former club, making a mockery of the disparity between the market valuations of each team.

Benfica will have another chance to demonstrate that result was not a fluke when the two sides go head-to-head again in the knockout round play-offs.

Paris Saint-Germain also underperformed despite having a squad worth €1.20bn. The defending champions finished 11th in the table after winning just four of their eight games.

Madrid and PSG are now in danger of disproving the theory that richer clubs win more trophies in Europe than their less wealthy counterparts.

Sporting upset the odds to progress to the last-16

Sporting CP are renowned for developing players before selling them on for a profit, so their squad market valuation of €468m is a fair reflection of their standing in Europe.

They were tipped to finish in one of the play-off places this season, but defied expectations to secure automatic progression to the round of 16.

They recorded five victories during the league phase, including a 2-1 win against PSG. Their other victims included Marseille and Athletic Bilbao.

Tottenham Hotspur also overachieved slightly based on the market value of their squad. They are ninth on the list, but secured fourth place in the standings.

However, they were helped by a favourable set of fixtures and may struggle to progress much further if they are drawn against one of the better teams.

The other six teams who secured automatic progression are amongst the top eight in the market valuation list, so lived up to their status.

Minnows demonstrate that money isn’t everything

Napoli, Marseille, Eintracht Frankfurt and Athletic Bilbao should all have booked a place in the play-offs based on the respective valuations of their squad.

They all finished below the line, recording just eight victories in their 32 fixtures combined. Napoli’s exit from the competition was particularly disappointing.

A squad valuation of €422.8m placed them 16th in the list, yet they ended the league phase campaign 30th out of 36 teams.

By contrast, Club Brugge, Olympiacos, Bodo/Glimt and Qarabag all performed beyond expectations to secure a place in the knockout round play-offs.

They have each been handed tough ties at that stage of the competition, but it would be no surprise if at least one of the upset the odds against so-called bigger teams.

Olympiacos will undoubtedly fancy their chances against Bayer Leverkusen, while it would be foolish to write off any of the other trio.