Surprise: "Supercomputer" predicts the latest favorite to win the UCL after all 16 teams have qualified for the next round.
On 26 Feb 2026 GMT+7, Opta, a leading football statistics expert, revealed the latest predictions for the favorite to win the 2025-26 UEFA Champions League after the round of 16 teams was completed as follows.
1. Arsenal
2. Bayern Munich
3. Liverpool
4. Tottenham Hotspur
5. Barcelona
6. Chelsea
7. Sporting Lisbon
8. Manchester City
1. Paris Saint-Germain (PSG)
2. Galatasaray
3. Real Madrid
4. Atalanta
5. Newcastle United
6. Atlético Madrid
7. Bodø/Glimt
8. Bayer Leverkusen
Opta's supercomputer still favors Arsenal as the top contender to win the 2025-26 UEFA Champions League after becoming the only team in the tournament's history to win all 8 matches in the group/league phase with the best offensive and defensive record (23 goals scored, 4 conceded).
Meanwhile, Bayern Munich remains second favorite and Manchester City third, but Liverpool and Chelsea have risen to fourth and fifth, pushing Barcelona down to sixth. Defending champions Paris Saint-Germain hold seventh place.
A surprise is Newcastle United ranking eighth favorite after thrashing Qarabağ 9-3 on aggregate in the playoff round, surpassing Real Madrid, the record 15-time European champions, who fell to ninth after beating Benfica 3-1 on aggregate in the playoffs.
1st: Arsenal 29.45%
2nd: Bayern Munich 14.56%
3rd: Manchester City 13.42%
4th: Liverpool 10.44%
5th: Chelsea 6.69%
6th: Barcelona 6.16%
7th: Paris Saint-Germain 4.27%
8th: Newcastle United 3.94%
9th: Real Madrid 3.90%