With only eight teams remaining in the UEFA Champions League, it’s a good idea to take a look back at what has happened in Europe’s premier competition so far and the top teams who have a chance at the title.
The New Format
For the 2024-2025 season, the tournament format changed from a 32-team group stage to a 36-team league stage, increasing the number of games played before the knockout phase from 96 to 144. In this new league phase, the top eight teams automatically qualify for the round of 16, and the bottom 12 teams are eliminated. It gets more interesting for teams ranked ninth through 24 where they compete in a two-legged-playoff system where only eight teams will qualify to the tournament’s next stage.
The simple reason for this change was money. The elite clubs of Europe wanted more broadcast revenue and promised fans that there would be more entertaining games than ever. The tournament has delivered on this promise, as there have been multiple blockbuster matches between European heavyweights like Real Madrid versus Liverpool and FC Barcelona versus Bayern Munich. On Matchday eight, there was a total of 18 matches played and 64 goals scored in a single day, the most in the tournament’s modern history. The new playoff system also brought major eliminations early in the competition as A.C. Milan and Manchester City were knocked out.
On the other hand, the increased fixtures have caused major injuries to key players such as Manchester City midfielder Kevin De Bruyne. This injury crisis highlights the discussion around player welfare as the fixture congestion in domestic leagues and competitions, combined with the new format of the UCL, puts a huge physical strain on the players. Players have voiced their opinions on this matter such as 2024 Ballon d’Or Winner Rodri, who, when asked about the possibility of player strikes, said “I think we are close to that.”
The Contenders
After the Round of 16, most of the underdogs were eliminated like Club Brugge and Bayer Leverkusen with only the best teams in the world remaining. Let’s take a look at some of these teams and their chances at winning it all.
Arsenal
Arsenal has had a turbulent 2024-2025 season so far in the Premier League, but they’ve done well in the UCL and finished third in the league phase. Arsenal’s strength is in their defense as it’s one of the best currently in Europe with multiple world class players like William Saliba and Gabriel, however their attack has been poor due to the lack of a consistent striker. However, captain Martin Ødegaard led the side through the Round of 16 with an impressive 7-1 win on aggregate over a PSV despite the absence of Bukayo Saka in both legs. With Saka back for the Quarter-Finals, Arsenal is back to full strength, but they’ll have to defeat Real Madrid if they want to lift their first UCL in club history.
Real Madrid
Seeming to always dominate this competition, Real is even stronger with their new “Galaticos” led by Kylian Mbappe. After a slow start to the season where they finished only 11th in the league phase and struggled to get the most out of their star players, they made a statement after winning 6-3 on aggregate over Manchester City in the Knockout Playoffs. In the Round of 16, they faced their fierce rivals, Atlético Madrid. Going into the second leg, Real was 2-1 up, but Atlético tied it up and the game went to penalties where Real won thanks to a controversial Julián Alvarez slip. Although they have close to elimination in this competition, Los Blancos have hit their stride in time for their quarter final tie versus Arsenal.
FC Barcelona
Struggling in perpetual financial crisis, Barcelona seemed to lack the talent to contend for the title. Yet, new coach Hansi Flick’s attack-focused style of play has led to immense success. Young stars like Pedri and Lamine Yamal are proving the importance of their La Masia academy, while winger Raphina has unexpectedly become one of the best players in the world and has scored 11 goals in the competition so far. They finished second in the league phase which included a 4-1 win over Bayern Munich whom had haunted them for years in this tournament. In the Round of 16, Barça faced Benfica, whom they already defeated in the league phase, and won 4-1 on aggregate. Standing in their path to the Semis is Dortmund, but they probably won’t be a problem for the Catalonian giants who are now favored to win the competition.
Bayern Munich
Bayern has the hardest team in Europe to judge so far. Although they have rebounded from their 2023-2024 season in the Bundesliga and are comfortably first in their domestic league, their UCL form has been average at best. They finished only 12th in the league phase and took notable losses to FC Barcelona, Aston Villa, and Feyenoord. In the Knockout Playoffs, they only won 3-2 on aggregate versus Celtic. However, in the Round of 16, Bayern destroyed Bayer Leverkusen and won 5-0 on aggregate over the 2024 Bundesliga winners. Striker Harry Kane provides plenty of goalscoring for them as he has nine goals in the tournament so far. They also have young stars Jamal Musiala and Michael Olise who are key to providing the creativity and threat in the team’s attack. Yet in the Quarterfinals, they will face an Inter Milan who may seem weaker on paper, yet are much more consistent than the Germans.
PSG
The Parisians have rebounded both domestically and in the UCL after multiple key departures over the last few seasons. They finished 15th in the UCL league standings including a comeback win over Manchester City. In the Playoffs, PSG dominated Stade Brestois after scoring 10 goals in two games and conceding none. In their Round of 16 tie, they were the underdog versus Liverpool who was considered by many to be the best team in the world. However, PSG proved their doubters wrong as after going down 1-0 in the first leg, they tied the aggregate score in the second leg and won on penalties. Winger Ousmane Dembele leads the team in goals and has been one of the team’s most improved players this season. Despite their low expectations heading into this season, PSG’s performances against top teams proves they are true dark horses in this competition.
Inter Milan
Inter continues to be one of the most structured teams in the world under manager Simone Inzaghi and that has helped so far in the tournament. In the league phase, Inter finished fourth to guarantee automatic qualification to the next round. In the Round of 16, they defeated Feyenoord 4-1 on aggregate. Overall, they have conceded just two goals, which is thanks to their backline led by Defender Alessandro Bastoni. Their attack is also great as Striker Lautaro MartÃnez leads the team with six goals. Remaining as the only Italian team in the tournament, they will hope to progress past Bayern Munich in the Quarterfinals.
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