2026-27 Champions League: All 36 Teams Ranked and Reviewed
Quick summary
A comprehensive season preview ranking all 36 clubs participating in the 2026-27 UEFA Champions League ahead of the new league-phase campaign.
Full article
Attributed to original sourceAssessing each of the teams fighting it out in this year's competition (in an entirely subjective way)
Source attribution: this article content is based on the linked publisher feed/source. Chance adds independent soccer context, impact analysis, entity links, and related news.
What happened
The Athletic's annual deep-dive preview assesses every team in the expanded 36-club Champions League field for the 2026-27 season, tiering them by expectations, squad strength, and likelihood of advancing deep into the knockout rounds. The ranking covers title contenders, dark horses, and clubs fighting primarily for European survival. Context includes managerial changes, summer transfer activity, and each club's recent trajectory in continental competition.
Chance analysis
The expanded Champions League format enters another season with 36 clubs, and previews like this one set the narrative baseline for how Europe's elite are sized up before a ball is kicked. Ranking pieces from established outlets consolidate summer transfer windows, coaching changes, and European pedigree into a single reference point, which is why they tend to shape how fans and pundits frame the opening matchdays. For clubs outside the traditional powerhouses, the piece is a reminder of how much ground they have to close simply to be viewed as credible knockout-stage threats.
Provides a public benchmark for relative team strength that will influence expectations for every Champions League matchup this season.