Home of football statistics and historyThe League Phase of the 2025-26 UEFA Champions League season is shaping up to be an intriguing one, with the usual favourites and newcomers all vying for glory on Europe’s biggest stage.
The UCL League Phase draw has already highlighted potential favourites to go all the way and win the season, but underdogs also present some lucrative value plays in the short run.
Betting on the outright winner of the Champions League season can be tricky, and the time horizon is very long. Injuries, rough patches of form, managerial disputes, and other factors can quickly derail the season of even the heaviest favourites.
Betting on which team will beat the League Phase and join the 24 teams to do so can be a much more rewarding strategy in the short term. The League Phase portion of the season concludes on 28 January, which greatly shortens the horizon for punters, making parlays more predictable and manageable.
What to Consider Before Picking Your Winners
Choosing the winners and losers of the current UEFA Champions League season not only tests the predictive skills of football fans but can be incredibly lucrative as well. As per usual, guessing the outright winner of this year’s UCL is terribly challenging and speculative at best.
However, this does not mean that highlighting several contenders is beyond possibility.
Virtually every bookmaker on the market provides a comprehensive coverage of the UEFA Champions League season, from individual matches to prop bets and player statistics.
Therefore, it may be smart to build a parlay of several positions by betting on League Phase finishes while including unexpected finishes. Every UCL season has favourites that underperform, as well as dark horses that manage to punch well above their weight.
Choosing the right platform with the best odds requires some research and comparison, so looking at the ratings of bookmakers and their odds for UEFA Champions League fixtures and outright positions can prove to be an effective precursor to building a winning parlay.
Why Arsenal Could Go Far This Season
Arsenal has started the season remarkably well, sitting at the top of the Premier League table, and with three wins out of three in the UEFA Champions League season. While typically a dark horse for most punters, the team looks more than solid this campaign and is especially dangerous from set pieces.
Arsenal has yet to concede a goal in the Champions League this season, which also points to a robust back line. While bookmakers are still cautious about the odds of Arsenal winning the UCL title this season, they are among the heavy favourites to finish the League Phase of the tournament in the Top 8 and automatically qualify for the 1/8 finals.
Viktor Gyökeres has also picked up his goalscoring form, which will only add to Arsenal’s output in front of goal throughout the season.
The odds of Arsenal topping the League Phase of the tournament currently stand at 2.00, which could shift drastically depending on the results of both Arsenal and its direct competitors.
Could PSG Win Back-to-back Titles?
Paris Saint-Germain lifted the 2024-25 UEFA Champions League title convincingly, following a shaky start throughout the League Phase. With three wins out of three, PSG looks even more impressive this season. While injuries have posed some challenges to Luis Enrique’s squad, bookmakers offer interesting odds for PSG to lift the UCL title this season. Decimal odds currently stand at 6.75, which strikes a great balance for speculative punters and PSG fans.
Since no single club has emerged as a clear favourite to win the Champions League title, even heavyweights like PSG come with hefty odds, which increases the appeal.
Desire Doue and Ousmane Dembele have both bounced back from the sidelines, which will only strengthen PSG’s chances to lift back-to-back European trophies for the first time in the club’s history, following an already historic win last season.
Will Kairat Almaty Finish Bottom of the Table?
Bookmakers have identified debutants Kairat Almaty as the side most likely to finish bottom of the League Phase table. With a relatively young squad and little to no experience on the big stage, the team has already lost its two opening matches, scoring one goal and conceding nine. However, the third fixture of the League Phase saw Kairat’s game against another debutant, Pafos, end in a 0-0 draw, giving both teams their first-ever Champions League point.
While Kairat is no longer at the rock bottom of the table, upcoming fixtures are likely to shift in favour of Ajax and Benfica, two European mainstays with zero points to their name so far.
The odds of Kairat finishing bottom currently stand at 1.90 at most bookies, which makes it a potentially valuable bet for punters with the patience to wait until the League Phase concludes.
Qarabag as the Wild Card Pick
Qarabag have qualified for the UEFA Champions League for the second time in their history and have already managed to win their first two fixtures against Benfica and Copenhagen.
The third matchup with Athletic Bilbao ended in a 3-1 loss, which has done little to dissuade punters who think the Azerbaijani side has what it takes to end the League Phase of the tournament in the top 24 and reach the playoffs.
The odds of Qarabag finishing between 8th and 24th in the League Phase stand at 1.65, which can be directly attributed to the sensational 2-3 comeback against Benfica and the convincing 2-0 win at home against Copenhagen.
Who Will Be the Top Scorer?
Another important betting market of any Champions League campaign is the title of top scorer. The current top goal scorers of the season after three matches are Kylian Mbappe and Harry Kane with 5 goals apiece, followed by Erling Haaland and Marcus Rashford with 4.
The odds favour three forwards in particular, with Mbappe’s odds standing at 3.50, followed by Kane with 4.00 and Haaland with 6.00.
It is worth noting that the odds are not solely based on the player’s abilities and goalscoring prowess, but the standing of their team as well, as more matches provide players with more goalscoring opportunities.
Kylian Mbappe is the one to watch, especially considering his rising position in the UCL all-time goal-scoring table, looking to overtake Real Madrid legend Raul before the end of the 2026/27 season.
Written by: Panos Kotsimbos
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