The 2025/26 Champions League season’s Round of 16 is now done and dusted, so with the quarterfinals up next, it’s time to rank all eight teams that are moving on to the next round of European football’s biggest club competition.
8. Sporting CP
Sporting CP pulled off a comeback for the ages, annihilating underdogs Bodo Glimt in a second leg twist that few saw coming, because Bodo Glimt were playing as well as any team in the competition.
Maybe we are all sleeping on Sporting too much. The OTHER Luis Suarez is playing the ball of his life and looks even better than Viktor Gyokeres. Sporting have a good team, but they just don’t have the firepower of the true European giants.
7. Atletico Madrid
In truth, Atletico Madrid are lucky to even be in the quarterfinals, because if it were not for Antonin Kinsky slipping on the notoriously slick Atelti field, the Rojiblancos would have been knocked out by one of the Premier League clubs threatened with relegation.
This Atelti is not as strong defensively as previous versions of the team, but can you ever fully count out a Diego Simeone side with their dark arts? Julian Alvarez and Antoine Griezmann are great equalizers worth watching, but the overall talent level of Atelti is not on par with the rest of the group.
6. Liverpool
Liverpool have been major disappointments in the Premier League this season, and after a poor first leg in Istanbul, it looked like they were in serious trouble. But there is something about the Reds at Anfield on European nights where they become unstoppable, and it is easy to forget but in the last 10 years, they have been one of the most successful teams in the competition.
Dominik Szoboszlai is a workhorse in midfield, Virgil van Dijk is as good as ever defensively, and Hugo Ekitike has been a stud at striker. If Mohamed Salah steps up, maybe Liverpool have an upset of PSG in them, but I don’t think anyone should be banking on it.
5. Barcelona
Barcelona are so, so good when they are in peak form, and they certainly looked like they were at their best when they put up a jaw dropping even on Newcastle United, making the Magpies look like the second coming of Qarabag.
On their day, Barca are the best team in European football. But when they struggle, they are as bad as any team on this list, with the risky Hansi Flick high line sometimes playing into the opponents’ hands, often on sheer luck alone. Barca are just too hard to trust as one of the true favorites in this competition for that reason. The defense still has weaknesses that the best front lines in Europe, like Bayern Munich’s, can exploit.
4. Arsenal
Arsenal are the best team in the Premier League, but the Champions League is an entirely different beast. Last year, they proved their mettle by taking down the mighty Real Madrid in a dismantling that wasn’t even close, but then they went ahead and got balled off the pitch by PSG.
Now, PSG did even worse to Inter Milan, so maybe Arsenal should not be too discouraged. But there is a real lack of star power in the Arsenal attack, and their best players in an attacking sense are too hard to trust at this stage. Arsenal are 100 percent among the favorites, but there is something to be said about pedigree in this competition. And the Gunners just don’t quite have the pedigree of the top three.
3. Real Madrid
You do not ever underestimate Real Madrid in this competition, and you had better believe Bayern Munich have already learned that lesson plenty of times over the past 12 years.
Manchester City thought they were better than a weakened Madrid in the Round of 16, but even without Kylian Mbappe and Jude Bellingham, Madrid pulverized the English giants, including a 3-0 win in the first leg alone. Real Madrid are more than just about one player, and the real team spirit and character of this team comes alive in the Champions League, especially at home. You had better believe they have a bigger chip on their shoulder than ever.
2. PSG
The reigning winners of the competition, PSG are a juggernaut to be reckoned with. They had their hiccups in Ligue 1 and in the Champions League this season, but their ability to survive challenges from Monaco before utterly destroying Chelsea are signs that they are back to their best.
An injury to Bradley Barcola hurts, but, like Real Madrid, PSG are more than just any one star player. But goodness gracious, do they have stars: Vitinha, Joao Neves, Ousmane Dembele, and even Willian Pacho are among the world’s best in their respective positions.
1. Bayern Munich
It is not easy to contend with PSG, Real Madrid, or even Arsenal, but Bayern Munich are the consensus favorites to win the Champions League among those who are truly paying attention to European football this season.
Sure, they have depth issues and a few questions at key areas of the midfield and defense, but they also have sheer world class players in these positions like Dayot Upamecano and Joshua Kimmich. What really sets Bayern apart is how good their front four is from the rest of Europe. Harry Kane is by far the best striker in the world, Michael Olise is by far the best right winger, and no left winger is playing at a higher level in the 2025/26 season than Luis Diaz. Then there is a healthy Jamal Musiala, the real X-Factor.
Joe Soriano is the editor of The Trivela Effect and a FanSided Hall of Famer who has covered world football since 2010. He’s led top digital communities like The Real Champs (Real Madrid) and has run sites covering Tottenham, Liverpool, Juventus, and Schalke. He also helped manage NFL Spin Zone and Daily DDT, covering the NFL and pro wrestling.