FourFourTwo’s Champions League power rankings are here, as the biggest clubs in Europe once again vie to be named the best side on the continent.
Paris Saint-Germain claimed that honour in some style last season, and will now be determined to become the first side to retain the trophy since Real Madrid did it in 2018.
But it’s not going to be easy amid heavy competition from some massive sides who want to take European football’s grandest prize home for themselves.
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Throughout the season, FourFourTwo will run the rule over those competing in the Champions League to see who looks most likely to get their grubby mitts on Ol’ Big Ears.
The road to Budapest will start properly with the league phase in September, with the final set to be held on May 30, 2026.
10. Inter Milan
Inter reached the 2025 Champions League final(Image credit: Getty Images)
Inter Milan surprised a few people by dumping Bayern Munich and Barcelona out of the competition in the knockout stages last season, only to suffer a 5-0 humiliation at PSG’s hands in the final.
It’s going to be tough for Inter to go one better this season, and it remains to be seen just what kind of effect Simone Inzaghi’s departure will have.
New head coach Cristian Chivu knows what it takes to win the trophy, having been part of Jose Mourinho’s Champions League-winning Inter side in 2010.
Putting that into practice from the dugout is another matter, however – and while Inter have one of the strongest squads in Europe on paper, it’s going to be a transition season at San Siro.
9. Napoli
Napoli have made a winning start to their Serie A defence(Image credit: Getty Images)
Antonio Conte’s side pipped Inter to the Serie A title last season – but then, they didn’t have any European football to play and went out of the Coppa Italia before the turn of the new year.
Competing on multiple fronts is a different challenge altogether, and one Napoli have spent heavily to try and achieve.
They’ve never got further than the quarter-finals in the Champions League, but with Conte in charge, it would seem churlish to count Napoli out of breaking that barrier this season – especially after making a winning start to the new Serie A season.
8. Manchester City
Pep Guardiola has been a European champion four times as a player and manager(Image credit: Alamy)
Manchester City would probably be rated higher, but their poor start to the new Premier League season casts doubt on whether they have in fact fully turned the page on last season’s surprise struggles.
Pep Guardiola’s side were unfortunate enough to get Real Madrid in the knockout phase play-off last season, but they only ended up there because they had underperformed in the league phase.
Guardiola did get his side into much better form in the second half of last season, and may now have a better idea of how to do that more quickly this time. They may have to.
7. Arsenal
Arsenal were Champions League semi-finalists last season(Image credit: Alex Burstow/Arsenal FC via Getty Images)
A slightly harsh evaluation for last season’s semi-finalists, who walloped PSV and Real Madrid before falling to PSG – and there’s no shame in that at all.
Arsenal have bolstered their squad over the summer with particular attention paid to improving their attack, and Mikel Arteta’s cautious approach may actually be better suited to knockout football than the Premier League.
But… there’s still just something a bit underwhelming about Arsenal at the moment, isn’t there? We could see them leaping up the rankings if they make a strong start to the league phase and improve in their domestic duties – but we need to see it first.
6. Bayern Munich
Bayern Munich always have their sights set on the Champions League trophy(Image credit: Getty Images)
Bayern Munich have not taken the Champions League trophy since 2020, but they’re always in the conversation for a reason.
In the past 14 seasons Bayern have only fallen short of the quarter-finals once, reached the semi-finals eight times, the final three times, and won it twice.
Vincent Kompany’s German champions have spent big on Luis Diaz in hopes he will be the last piece of the puzzle they need to claim their seventh European title.
5. Chelsea
(Image credit: Getty Images)
Chelsea: good at tournament football. That’s why they’re as high as this, pure and simple.
Their revolving door of a massive squad proved to be ideal for Enzo Maresca as he led Chelsea to the Conference League trophy and followed it up with the Club World Cup.
That should come in extremely handy again as they try to close the gap on the top of the Premier League while also dealing with a significant step up in the standard of their European games.
4. Real Madrid
Xabi Alonso won the Champions League twice as a player(Image credit: Getty Images)
It’s Real Madrid. Winning Champions Leagues is what they do.
Well… not so much last season. Their quarter-final exit to Arsenal and a string of runners-up medals led Real to call time on Carlo Ancelotti’s time in charge (again) and bring in Xabi Alonso as his replacement.
Real’s 100 per cent start to the new La Liga season bodes well for this new generation of Galacticos as they look to sit on top of the world once again.
3. Liverpool
Liverpool fell to PSG last season but have recruited heavily over the summer(Image credit: Getty Images)
After coasting to the Premier League title last season, Liverpool’s extremely spendy summer transfer business virtually screams, ‘we want to do better in Europe this season, too’.
Liverpool’s reward for topping the league phase last season was what turned out to be the worst possible tie in the round of 16 – but they did manage to take PSG all the way to penalties before being dumped out.
With renewed depth and quality, Liverpool have to be counted among the favourites.
2. Barcelona
Barcelona went out in the semi-finals last season(Image credit: Cristian Trujillo/Quality Sport Images/Getty Images)
Hansi Flick’s young side came of age last season and swept aside the competition to claim a domestic treble – but came unstuck at Inter’s hands in one of the best two-legged semi-finals you’re ever likely to see.
They wouldn’t be Barcelona if there wasn’t some silliness still happening off the pitch, which has limited what Barca have been able to do in the summer transfer window.
But… do they really need it when they have the likes of Pedri and Lamine Yamal to call upon?
1. Paris Saint-Germain
PSG swept aside all comers to hoist the Champions League trophy last season(Image credit: Getty Images)
Winning it last time round gives PSG the right to be considered the team to beat this year, and we have duly installed them at the top of the power rankings until shown otherwise.
Luis Enrique’s actually made a relatively slow start to the league phase, losing three and winning just one of their first five games. But it’s not how you start, it’s how you finish, and once PSG hit their straps there was no stopping them.
Like Barcelona, their summer transfer business has been relatively minimal – but also like Barcelona, their squad contains plenty of youngsters who are only getting better and better.
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