UEFA Champions League group stage favourites

This year’s UEFA Champions League looks to be a very exciting one. There are some major clubs in the running, with some battles on the horizon for who will come out on top. With this in mind, it can be hard to know who to choose when you start live sports betting, which is why it’s a good idea to see who are the favourites according to the bookies. Right now, there are some major contenders for who will take the trophy in Budapest next May, so let’s take a look.

Who are the top favourites?

Right now, there are a number of teams that are lined up as the most likely to succeed. These include Arsenal, Barcelona, Paris St Germain and Liverpool. The three teams are currently top of all bookies’ lists with the lowest odds.

Right now, Paris St. Germain are the top bet for the Champions League. The team has had a strong set of performances already this year, and won last year’s competition in emphatic style. Impressively, they beat Inter Milan 5-0 in last season’s final, which means they’re likely the one to beat. Performing as well as they did last season does place them in the hot seat for this one, so it’s really theirs to lose.

Coming in hot on PSG’s heels, though, is Liverpool. Offering a solid performance and taking home England’s Premier League trophy, this is the UK team to beat. The side has even grown in strength since last year during the transfer market, which makes them an even more exciting option. They’re already looking in good shape for their current season, too, and are definitely leading the charge when it comes to the English teams. That being said, the other strong contender is Arsenal, which sits in the top six when it comes to taking on the title. The team also has a good record in the Champions League, especially against Spanish teams, where they’ve won the last five League matches against teams from this country. In fact, they’ve only lost two out of 22 League matches, which is quite a record to be sitting on going into 2025/26.

Major runners-up

Of course, this early on in the competition, things are wide open. This means that there are other teams that aren’t set so low when it comes to the odds, but still have a solid chance of making it big. For example, Real Madrid, Manchester City, Bayern Munich and Chelsea all have middling odds, but these could drop down lower as the season progresses and their true form shines through.

Though not quite as highly rated as Liverpool and Arsenal this year, both Manchester City and Chelsea still offer great contenders for this year’s competition. Both have rebuilt a little and have depth in their respective squads. Yes, some games in the Premier League will be impacted by AFCON, and as long as key players are returned injury-free from that, then there should be no trouble heading into the final stretch of the season. Manchester City are also unbeaten in their last 21 Champions League games, which really puts them in contention if they can replicate such performances going forward.

Other European teams, such as Real Madrid and Bayern Munich, are well and truly in the hunt for the trophy. Real Madrid is desperately looking to extend their already record score of Champions League trophies by wrestling this season’s away from PSG. Bayern on the other hand, should not be written off despite some rather lacklustre performances in recent years. The team is still dangerous and could easily cause an upset at any point during this tournament.

Whenever it comes to following top teams, it’s worth considering that things change weekly. As such, it’s important that all avid UEFA Champions League fans pay close attention to the latest team news. Team success can depend on many factors, such as home or away games, player injuries, weather, and so much more. As such, guessing who’s going to be the winner this far in advance is not easy, which is why close attention must be paid to each individual game as we go through the season.