The UEFA Champions League is back and it promises to be one of the most exciting editions of the tournament yet. Paris Saint-Germain are retaining the European title for the second consecutive season after beating Arsenal on penalties in last season's final.
They are joined by the likes of record-holders Real Madrid and newcomers Sabah FK in the 36-team league phase. Giant-killing upsets are always a possibility, along with classics like Luis Enrique taking on former employers Barcelona in this league phase.
With that said, Opta's supercomputer has predicted how the UEFA Champions League 2026-27 league phase table will finish.
Eliminated (25-36)
The teams that finish in the bottom 12 places on the table end their European stories without playoff or knockout football. There are some surprise names included in Opta's predictions and sitting rock-bottom are Ukrainian outfit Shakhtar Donetsk.
Slovakians ŠK Slovan Bratislava are tipped to finish 35th. Azerbaijani minnows Sabah, who are debuting under a Who Wants to Be a Millionaire-winning manager, are also expected to make an early exit.
Giovanni van Bronckhorst's Feyenoord will suffer the same fate in 33rd. Greek side AEK Athens and Austrian league leaders LASK are too sent packing.
Norway fared well at the World Cup, but for Viking FK, they aren't expected to follow in the nation's footsteps. Perhaps the biggest name predicted to crash out early are Galatasaray, who boast one of the best strikers in the world in Victor Osimhen.
Finishing 26th are La Liga's Villarreal while LOSC Lille are tipped to just miss out on the playoffs. The French side sold star men Ayyoub Bouaddi and Matias Fernandez-Pardo this summer.
| Rank | Team | KO Round Play-Offs | Last 16 | Quarter-Finals | Semi-Finals | Final | Winner |
| 25 | Lille | 48.9% | 27.4% | 9.3% | 2.9% | 0.9% | 0.2% |
| 26 | Villarreal | 46.1% | 25.9% | 7.7% | 2.2% | 0.7% | 0.2% |
| 27 | Fenerbahçe | 48.2% | 27.5% | 8.4% | 2.2% | 0.5% | 0.2% |
| 28 | Real Betis | 45.6% | 23.6% | 6.9% | 1.8% | 0.5% | 0.1% |
| 29 | Galatasaray | 44.3% | 23.7% | 7.3% | 2.1% | 0.4% | 0.1% |
| 30 | Viking | 40.0% | 20.0% | 5.6% | 1.6% | 0.3% | 0.1% |
| 31 | LASK | 36.6% | 14.8% | 3.5% | 0.8% | 0.2% | 0.1% |
| 32 | AEK Athens | 41.9% | 20.8% | 5.6% | 1.3% | 0.3% | 0% |
| 33 | Feyenoord | 30.9% | 12.5% | 3.1% | 0.7% | 0.1% | 0% |
| 34 | Sabah | 15.9% | 4.8% | 0.9% | 0.2% | 0.1% | 0% |
| 35 | Slovan Bratislava | 16.1% | 3.4% | 0.5% | 0.1% | 0% | 0% |
| 36 | Shakhtar Donetsk | 26.3% | 8.1% | 1.2% | 0.1% | 0% | 0% |
Play-Offs: 24-9
While Lille are predicted to miss out on the playoffs, French side Lens just take 24th spot. German giant RB Leipzig and Czech side Slavia Praha are also tipped to compete for a place in the knockout rounds.
Massimiliano Allegri will be hoping to take his Napoli side beyond the league phase and he's tipped to do just that. It could be a difficult season for Diego Simeone and Atletico Madrid who are expected to settle on playoffs.
Stuttgart, last season's surprise package Bodo/Glimt, PSV Eindhoven, and Club Brugge are also backed to finish in the middle of the pack. It's play-off football for FC Porto and Cesc Fabregas' impressive Como side playing in the competition for the first time.
It's been some time since AS Roma were battling it out in the latter stages of the Champions League and they take 13th place. Sporting CP join them in the playoffs along with 2023 finalists Borussia Dortmund.
Unai Emery has overseen a huge rebuild at Aston Villa and that might explain why they are placed into the playoff pile. If Inter Milan are to reach the final for the first time since 2021, the supercomputer believes they will have to do via the playoffs.
| Rank | Team | KO Round Play-Offs | Last 16 | Quarter-Finals | Semi-Finals | Final | Winner |
| 9 | Inter Milan | 48.7% | 73.7% | 39.5% | 18.9% | 8.7% | 3.6% |
| 10 | Aston Villa | 55.1% | 60.7% | 29.5% | 12.9% | 5.1% | 2.0% |
| 11 | Borussia Dortmund | 56.3% | 58.1% | 26.8% | 11.8% | 4.7% | 1.8% |
| 12 | Sporting CP | 56.5% | 51.4% | 22.7% | 9.1% | 3.3% | 1.4% |
| 13 | Roma | 55.8% | 55.4% | 24.9% | 10.1% | 3.7% | 1.3% |
| 14 | Como | 54.9% | 47.8% | 20.8% | 8.5% | 3.3% | 1.2% |
| 15 | Porto | 55.3% | 46.6% | 19.3% | 6.9% | 2.3% | 0.8% |
| 16 | Club Brugge | 52.3% | 41.5% | 17.9% | 7.1% | 2.3% | 0.8% |
| 17 | PSV | 55.5% | 45.4% | 17.8% | 6.3% | 2.0% | 0.7% |
| 18 | Bodo / Glimt | 54.4% | 42.5% | 16.7% | 6.4% | 2.1% | 0.7% |
| 19 | Stuttgart | 56.0% | 52.0% | 19.9% | 6.6% | 2.0% | 0.7% |
| 20 | Atlético Madrid | 49.2% | 32.6% | 12.1% | 4.1% | 1.1% | 0.4% |
| 21 | Napoli | 50.3% | 33.2% | 11.6% | 3.7% | 1.1% | 0.3% |
| 22 | Slavia Praha | 44.6% | 25.4% | 9.0% | 2.9% | 0.8% | 0.3% |
| 23 | RB Leipzig | 51.8% | 33.6% | 11.7% | 3.6% | 1.0% | 0.3% |
| 24 | Lens | 46.6% | 29.7% | 10.5% | 3.2% | 0.9% | 0.2% |
Automatic Progress: 1-8
The automatic qualification places makes for interesting reading and Manchester United are predicted to claim the final spot. It's been an unconvincing start to Michael Carrick's first full season in charge at Old Trafford.
Real Madrid remains Europe's most successful club, but they aren't expected to finish near the very top of the table. Doubts have emerged following a shock defeat to Real Betis.
Finishing just above Jose Mourinho's men are Liverpool, who remain unbeaten under new manager Andoni Iraola. The Spaniard will get his first taste of Champions League football as a coach.
One of the most controversial predictions is that PSG don't finish in the top three and instead take fifth spot. Luis Enrique's defending champions have failed to win their opening four domestic games.
Barcelona are many fans' pick to win the competition following Rodri's arrival. The Catalans fell short last season but are surely in the mix to lift the European title.
Can Enzo Maresca build on Pep Guardiola's success and deliver a second Champions League triumph? Manchester City are one of the favourites and given a strong chance of automatically qualifying for the playoffs.
Bayern Munich fell to eventual winners PSG in an all-time classic tie last season. The Bavarians are backed to enjoy a lengthy run and Harry Kane will undoubtedly be gunning for the Golden Boot.
This season's table toppers are Arsenal, and they are expected to take the top spot for a second consecutive season. Mikel Arteta will be hoping that this time around they go one step further and win the tournament for the first time in the club's history.
| Rank | Team | KO Round Play-Offs | Last 16 | Quarter-Finals | Semi-Finals | Final | Winner |
| 1 | Arsenal | 24.6% | 93.8% | 71.3% | 50.9% | 34.8% | 20.9% |
| 2 | Bayern Munich | 24.8% | 93.3% | 70.4% | 49.0% | 32.4% | 19.4% |
| 3 | Man City | 36.2% | 86.9% | 59.9% | 38.0% | 22.4% | 12.3% |
| 4 | Barcelona | 42.2% | 82.4% | 52.6% | 30.8% | 16.1% | 8.2% |
| 5 | PSG | 47.9% | 77.2% | 48.2% | 27.4% | 14.4% | 7.1% |
| 6 | Liverpool | 42.0% | 79.4% | 47.6% | 26.1% | 13.3% | 6.1% |
| 7 | Real Madrid | 47.2% | 75.2% | 41.9% | 21.2% | 9.6% | 4.4% |
| 8 | Man Utd | 51.0% | 69.6% | 37.5% | 18.4% | 8.3% | 3.8% |
The predicted table is updated weekly via Opta's website.
