The 2025-26 Champions League season has come to an end, and attention is already turning to what comes next. Following PSG's dramatic penalty-shootout win over Arsenal in Saturday's final, a triumph that secured their second consecutive European crown, it's time to look ahead to the 2026-27 campaign. With 29 clubs already guaranteed a place in Europe's top competition, here are our way-too-early rankings, assessing which teams appear best positioned to challenge for the trophy next season:
1. Barcelona: After back-to-back La Liga titles under Hansi Flick and two disappointments in Europe, the next step is obvious: winning the Champions League. Given their quality and recent progress, they may be the team best placed to do so next season.
2. Bayern Munich: This year, they came very close to beating the Champions League winners in one of the best semifinals ties in the history of the game. They will try again next season and Vincent Kompany's team have all the qualities needed to make it happen.
3. PSG: They have done it for two consecutive years, which is already a remarkable achievement. Their place in the history books is there but winning the competition for a third straight season under Luis Enrique would elevate them to the level of Zinedine Zidane's Real Madrid side, which won three consecutive titles between 2016 and 2018.
4. Arsenal: After losing the 2026 final to PSG, Mikel Arteta's team will try again next season, but it won't be easy at all to replicate the success of the current season, both domestically and in Europe. They have a talented roster and the chance to bounce back next year.
5. Real Madrid: A new era could be on the horizon with Jose Mourinho set for a return to the club. Many questions remain unanswered, but if the appointment of the Special One is confirmed, they will undoubtedly be one of the most fascinating teams to watch next season. One thing is certain: it promises to be a lot of fun.
6. Inter: The 2023 and 2025 finalists dominated the 2025–26 Serie A campaign, but their next target will be to make a deeper run in Europe after their playoff defeat to Bodo/Glimt. Watching Arsenal lose to PSG on penalties in the final may have also reignited memories of their own disappointing European campaign, particularly the humiliating 5–0 defeat they suffered a year earlier in the final played in Munich.
7. Manchester City: A new era awaits without Pep Guardiola. While it is impossible to predict exactly what the future holds for Manchester City without the legendary Spanish manager, there is every reason for optimism. With a squad packed with talent and the expected appointment of Enzo Maresca, widely considered as one of Europe's brightest young coaches, they appear well-positioned to remain among the continent's elite.
8. Atletico Madrid: Diego Simeone's team always needs to be considered among the underdogs and that can create issues for the best candidates for the trophy but it will depend a lot on their transfer business, with increasing rumors of a possible exit of Julian Alvarez in the summer.
9. Borussia Dortmund: They can become an outsider but we shouldn't consider them as one of the teams that can potentially be in the top eight of the Champions League.
10. Liverpool: The big news of Saturday, a few hours before the final, was that they decided to sack coach Arne Slot and are currently looking for a replacement, with Andoni Iraola currently considered as the frontrunner for the job. It's a bit early to figure out what we can expect from them but they definitely come from a solid base under the Dutch manager who replaced Jurgen Klopp in 2024.
11. Manchester United : Despite the fact Michael Carrick will stay in charge of the team and some of the signings of the past year are expected to perform better, I don't see them at the level of the competitors, at least if we are expecting them to be one of the candidates for the victory.
12. Porto: Francesco Farioli is one of those managers that will be around for some time. The 37-year-old dominated the Portuguese league with only two defeats in 34 games and brought the club back in the Champions League where there will be more pressure. Farioli is doing all the right steps and we can expect him to coach a top European team in the near future.
13. Aston Villa: The 2026 Europa League winners are back in the elite's European tournament under Unai Emery, one of the most underrated coaches around. Villarreal are also expected to strengthen further in the summer transfer window, and with a promising coach at the helm, they could emerge as one of the dark horses of next season.
14. AS Roma: Gian Piero Gasperini was able to clinch the top four in the Italian Serie A in his first season at AS Roma and that was a big step for his new cycle. The Giallorossi had a strong second part of the season, especially since Donny Malen joined from Aston Villa, one of the best Serie A signings of the year.
15. Villarreal: After guiding Rayo Vallecano to the 2026 Conference League final, Iñigo Pérez is set to replace Marcelino on the Villarreal bench. Their European season, however, was deeply disappointing, as they failed to reach the top 24 in the competition's league phase, finishing without a single win and with just one point. They should have done better.
16. Napoli: A new era for the Azzurri as Antonio Conte left the job and former AC Milan and Juventus coach Massimiliano Allegri was appointed to replace him. The last time Massimiliano Allegri replaced Antonio Conte was at Juventus in the summer of 2014. In his first season in charge, the Bianconeri won the Serie A title and reached the Champions League final in Berlin, where they lost 3-1 to Barcelona. Can he repeat that success? I don't think so.
17. Sporting CP: If Porto were among the best teams around Europe, Sporting CP were able to keep them within striking distance for most of the season before the last stint and did much better in Europe, where they were knocked out by Arsenal in the round of 16. Not bad at all.
18. Galatasaray: I have to be honest, I was expecting much more from them this season and this is why I want to keep my expectations really low entering the new season but if they keep the current structure of the roster, they are a top 16 team material.
19. RB Leipzig: They are always there when it comes to European soccer but they need to make that extra step, considering the solid basis of their sporting project now led by former Liverpool boss Klopp.
20. Lens: The only team that was able to put the Ligue 1 dominance of PSG in danger for a while this season, until Luis Enrique decided that it was enough. Until then, they were fun to watch.
21. Como: All right, if you watch the Italian Serie A, you shouldn't be surprised to read this name here. If you don't, you still have time to catch up before it's too late. With or without Nico Paz, the side coached by Cesc Fabregas want to impress also outside Italy, where they managed to clinch the most important European tournament for the first time in the club's history two years after clinching their Serie A promotion.
22. PSV: This season, they won 6-2 against Napoli in one of the most memorable matches. They also dominated and won the league with a 19-point margin over Feyenoord. Now, they need to do better in Europe as this year they failed to qualify for the playoffs despite scoring six goals against Antonio Conte's Napoli, the first time ever that the Italian conceded six goals in one game since he started his coaching career.
23. Real Betis: They've got a talented team and an experienced manager, such as Manuel Pellegrini, who can help a lot. The last time they played Champions League soccer was during the 2005-2006 season. Twenty years later, they are back.
24. Stuttgart: The German side managed to qualify for the Champions League again under Sebastian Hoeneß, one of the most interesting and talented coaches in the league but they need to improve their roster to be at the level of their competitors in both Bundesliga and Champions League.
25. Lille: I'm pretty sure we will hear more from them next season, especially because the latest rumors suggest that Carlo Ancelotti's son, Davide, will take over as head coach starting from the end of the World Cup, as he's currently part of the Brazil staff with his father.
26. Feyenoord: Robin Van Persie's team is one of those that can be dangerous, especially if they play in their home ground in Rotterdam. There will be more expectations on PSV after the season they just had, and this can only help them to achieve their targets outside the country. They will definitely fight for a spot in the knockouts, or in the playoffs at least.
27. Shakhtar Donetsk: The Ukrainian team are back in the tournament after a one-year break and are expected to be one of those teams that you don't want to face, especially since former Atletico Madrid star Arda Turan took over as manager.
28. Club Brugge: The Belgian team was a bit of a disappointment in the first part of the 2025-26 season but then managed to bounce back and only lost to Atletico Madrid in the playoffs before the knockouts but they should have started to perform earlier in the league phase.
29. Slavia Prague: We can't expect them to be competing for a spot in the knockout stages, just like this season.
