The road to Madrid is already well under way in the 2026-27 Champions League, with all 36 teams two matches into their league-phase campaigns. Goals have flowed across Europe, and matchday two saw the ball find the net a record-breaking 78 times across 18 matches.
Paris Saint-Germain are the defending champions after they won a second successive European Cup in May, defeating Arsenal on penalties in the final in Budapest. Luis Enrique’s side have looked a class apart over the past 18 months or so, but they are likely to face stiff competition in their bid for a third straight title.
So who is best placed to challenge PSG for European supremacy at this point? These Power Rankings will track the contenders throughout the competition and separate them from the pretenders.
On the outside looking in
This season’s rankings look a little different. Rather than ranking all 36 teams, we are mirroring the competition’s league phase by ranking the top 24 contenders, leaving the other 12 on the outside looking in.
That does not mean none of these 12 will progress. There is always a shock name or two in the knockout rounds. However, in our view, this dozen are the least likely to advance past the opening round.
Several have already enjoyed success. Azerbaijani newcomers Sabah beat Slavia Prague in their first home match at this level, while both Norwegian clubs have made their mark. Viking earned a 3-3 draw with Bayern Munich, and Bodo/Glimt beat Borussia Dortmund 24 hours later. Even so, all of them still face a long road towards a place in at least the play-off round.
Some of the other minnows, such as LASK and Slovan Bratislava, look a little out of their depth. There is also concern that neither Turkish club will make it through, with Galatasaray and Fenerbahce having collected just a single point between them so far.
The doomed dozen are AEK Athens, Bodo/Glimt, Fenerbahce (down), Feyenoord, Galatasaray (down), LASK, Lens, Lille (down), Sabah, Slavia Prague, Slovan Bratislava and Viking.
24. Napoli (down)
Napoli are already in danger of missing out on the knockouts for a second successive season. Given Antonio Conte’s record in continental competition, it should not have been a surprise when they crashed out of the league phase last season. Many were still shocked by the then-Serie A champions failing to reach the top 24. Conte has since moved on, and Massimiliano Allegri has arrived following his own departure from AC Milan.
Things have not started well for Allegri. He has won only three of his six Serie A games in charge, and his side are still searching for their first Champions League point after defeats to Arsenal and Villarreal. Napoli finish with Sabah and Viking, but they first need to get within touching distance of qualification for those games to matter.
23. Villarreal (up)
Villarreal were one of the biggest disappointments of last season’s competition. The Yellow Submarine mustered just one point from eight games and finished second-bottom of the 36-team table. They are already making a much better fist of things this time around.
They lost to Borussia Dortmund on matchday one but were unlucky not to leave Germany with a draw. They then built on that display with a win over Napoli, featuring some superb finishing from Inigo Perez’s side. With Slavia Prague and Sabah still to come before Christmas, Villarreal should be well placed in the qualification hunt heading into the New Year.
22. Porto (down)
Porto came into the competition with high hopes, but they have suffered back-to-back defeats to begin their campaign. After two years away, they returned after Francesco Farioli’s side triumphed in Liga Portugal last season. The Italian coach made Los Dragoes one of the toughest teams to beat in Europe after taking over in the summer of 2025, but they have work to do to make a mark this time around.
A defeat to Manchester City on matchday one was expected. Farioli will be frustrated, however, that his side threw away a second-half lead against Real Betis and lost 3-2 in Spain. Their home games against PSV and Napoli now feel like must-wins.
21. PSV (down)
PSV would have hoped to take more than a single point from their opening two matches. They produced thrashings of Napoli and Liverpool during last season’s league phase but still came up short in their bid for the knockouts. There is already a fear that the Dutch champions could suffer a repeat after a home draw with Shakhtar Donetsk was followed by a narrow defeat at RB Leipzig. Ivan Perisic’s missed penalty came back to bite Peter Bosz’s side. PSV have one of the easier sets of league-phase fixtures on paper, but they must start taking advantage of it sooner rather than later.
20. RB Leipzig (down)
Leipzig are back at the top table after a third-placed finish in the Bundesliga, having missed out on European football altogether last season. Their return got off to an embarrassing start, however, as newcomers Como thrashed them in their first continental outing.
Manager Martin Demichelis’s side bounced back to secure a narrow win over PSV, thanks to Brajan Gruda’s second-half strike. With Real Madrid and Manchester City next on the agenda, that victory was badly needed to keep morale high at the Red Bull Arena.
19. Shakhtar Donetsk (up)
Little was expected of Shakhtar Donetsk on their return to the Champions League. The Ukrainian side continue their nomadic existence amid Russia’s invasion of their homeland, and Arda Turan has made Stamford Bridge their home for European games this season. They christened the new west London base with a victory over AEK Athens on Wednesday.
That win followed a creditable draw away at PSV. With Slovan Bratislava and Fenerbahce still on their schedule, four points already gives Shakhtar an excellent platform to plot a route into the knockouts.
18. Club Brugge (up)
Club Brugge have qualified for the knockouts in each of the first two years of the new format, and they will feel confident of making it three from three. They bounced back from an opening-night loss to Aston Villa to win a thriller against Inter at San Siro.
Boyhood AC Milan fan Nicolo Tresoldi stole the headlines with a hat-trick, while the pace and trickery of winger Carlos Forbs caused the Inter backline all sorts of problems. With a relatively kind set of fixtures to come, the Belgian side should be confident of a top-24 finish.
17. Stuttgart (up)
Sebastian Hoeness continues to work wonders with Stuttgart. He has taken the club from the Bundesliga’s relegation play-off to qualifying for the Champions League twice in three seasons. Deniz Undav has emerged as the club’s talisman up front, while Angelo Stiller and Jamie Leweling are attracting interest from Europe’s biggest clubs.
According to Opta, Stuttgart have been handed the easiest set of fixtures of any of the 36 qualified teams, and they have taken full advantage by beating both Viking and Slovan Bratislava. Atletico Madrid and Inter will provide sterner tests before the end of November, but a place in the knockouts is already within touching distance.
16. Real Betis (up)
Back in the Champions League for the first time in over 20 years, Real Betis finished fifth in La Liga last season. Under Manuel Pellegrini, they continue to reassert themselves as a force in Spain.
They have made early noise in Europe too, recording back-to-back 3-2 wins over Lille and Porto. Isco netted the winner against Porto after they came from behind. Betis are well placed for a knockout spot and potentially a bye to the last 16, but they must maintain that momentum through their next four fixtures. They will not want to go into their final two matches, against Arsenal and Bayern Munich, still needing points.
15. Como (down)
Como are Champions League debutants who were not even playing top-flight football three years ago, but they are not here merely to make up the numbers. The Serie A upstarts have shown a knack for taking down Italy’s biggest clubs, and Cesc Fabregas’s side have now turned their focus to Europe’s very best.
They began in style by thrashing RB Leipzig on matchday one, but defeat at Feyenoord on Wednesday offered a brutal reality check. Manchester United are next, and victory over the Red Devils would put the newcomers in a strong position, given they still have Lens and AEK Athens to come before November is out.
14. Sporting CP (up)
Sporting are becoming part of the Champions League furniture. Last season they surprisingly finished in the league phase’s top eight before producing an epic comeback to beat Bodo/Glimt in the last 16, and they went all the way to the quarter-finals.
Rui Borges, who masterminded that run, remains in charge. Sporting have won both of their opening two games, beating Galatasaray and Lens. With LASK and Shakhtar Donetsk next, they could be on the cusp of a top-eight finish well before they face Barcelona and Manchester City in January.
13. Roma (down)
Roma are back in the Champions League for the first time since the 2018-19 season. Gian Piero Gasperini has restored the Giallorossi to being one of the major forces in Italian football, and under the former Atalanta boss, the capital club have become incredibly difficult to beat.
They looked set for a statement result on matchday two, leading Real Madrid 3-1 as they entered the final 10 minutes. However, some bizarre substitutions led to three late goals and a defeat at Stadio Olimpico. Roma have just one point from their first two games, following a draw at Fenerbahce. A home game against Slovan Bratislava should give Gasperini’s side the chance to bounce back at the first time of asking.
12. Borussia Dortmund (down)
Borussia Dortmund earned a reputation as European football’s ultimate finishing school, with the likes of Erling Haaland, Jude Bellingham and Achraf Hakimi passing through on their way to superstardom. Elite graduates have dried up in recent years, so the Bundesliga giants turned to youth over the summer. Niko Kovac now has a squad with almost unlimited potential.
That potential has helped them make a strong start to the Bundesliga season, but their Champions League campaign is already on the rocks after defeat in the Arctic Circle against Bodo/Glimt. They do have a victory over Villarreal to their name, and a matchday-three meeting with Sabah offers an ideal chance to get back to winning ways.
11. Manchester United (down)
Michael Carrick guided Manchester United back into the Champions League during his impressive interim spell last season. His start as permanent boss has not gone to plan, however, with the Red Devils having won just two of their opening nine games in all competitions.
One of those wins came in Europe, as they routed newcomers Sabah at Old Trafford. The subsequent defeat at Atletico Madrid, though, exposed a lack of cutting edge and top-level experience. Two tricky games against Como and Roma are up next, and it remains to be seen whether Carrick will still be in charge by the time of the Roma fixture.
10. Inter (down)
Inter were perhaps the biggest underperformers in last season’s competition. The beaten finalists from 2025 were dumped out in the play-off round after losing home and away to Bodo/Glimt. Cristian Chivu settled things down and secured a domestic double by the end of his first year in charge, but things have not improved in Europe yet.
Opta ranked Inter as having the second-easiest set of fixtures among the 36 league-phase sides. Even so, they were edged out by Real Madrid on matchday one, then slipped to a 4-3 home loss against Club Brugge. They have time to turn things around, but any suggestion they could make another deep run already looks questionable at best.
9. Aston Villa (up)
It was all change at Aston Villa over the summer, as six starters from their triumphant Europa League final side departed. Unai Emery is overseeing what is likely to be a season of transition, building a team that mostly consists of new signings. Some of those arrivals have been carrying injuries, but momentum now seems to be building at Villa Park.
In Europe, things could hardly have gone better. Emery’s side followed an away win at Club Brugge with a 6-0 thrashing of Fenerbahce. They will be confident of making it three wins from three when they host Viking, before travelling to Camp Nou to face Barcelona in late November.
8. Atletico Madrid (down)
Against the odds, Atletico Madrid battled their way to the Champions League semi-finals last season before being edged out by Arsenal. Diego Simeone will believe his side can make another deep run, even though they lost at Anfield on matchday one.
They bounced back impressively by beating Manchester United in their second game. A clash with Bayern Munich looms in early November, but the rest of their fixtures look winnable, so a place among the automatic qualifiers for the last 16 should be within reach by January.
7. Liverpool (up)
Liverpool went a round further than in 2024-25, yet their performance levels in the Champions League last season declined before PSG knocked them out for the second successive campaign. Andoni Iraola replaced Arne Slot and is hoping to return exciting, attacking football to Anfield, but improvements have been minor so far.
The Reds have two wins from two. They came from behind to beat Atletico Madrid at Anfield, then scored six in Austria to beat LASK. Bradley Barcola marked the occasion with a hat-trick, and with one of the kinder sets of fixtures in their back pocket, Iraola’s side should be confident of a top-eight finish.
6. Manchester City (unchanged)
There is perhaps no team more desperate to win the Champions League this season than Manchester City. A heavy sanction for their financial rule-breaking is likely to come from the Premier League, so Enzo Maresca’s side realistically need to win the continent’s biggest competition to maintain their place among Europe’s elite.
Wednesday’s defeat to PSG was a reminder of the level this new-look City must reach, and quickly, if they are to make a deep run. Their second-half performance offered hope on how to counter Europe’s best, and Erling Haaland‘s second-half brace showed their attacking threat. They face Barcelona in early December.
5. Real Madrid (unchanged)
Real Madrid have fallen woefully short of expectations in the Champions League over the past two seasons. They have turned to Jose Mourinho in a bid to bring silverware, both domestic and continental, back to the Bernabeu. The pressure is already on the Portuguese coach after some indifferent displays in the opening weeks.
That pressure looked set to boil over on Wednesday when Madrid went 3-1 down at Roma. They scored three times in the final 10 minutes to rescue victory, with Antonio Rudiger completing the comeback, and made it two wins from two following their earlier victory over Inter. Still, major improvements are needed if Mourinho’s side are to reach at least the semi-finals.
4. Bayern Munich (down)
As last season’s competition wore on, Bayern Munich emerged as many fans’ favourites before falling short against PSG in one of the great semi-finals in competition history. Their swashbuckling attacking trio of Harry Kane, Michael Olise and Luis Diaz had swept all before them, including Real Madrid in the quarter-finals.
Things have not clicked in the same way this time. Bayern failed to beat Viking on matchday two. Vincent Kompany’s side came from 2-0 down to take the lead after the break, only for Michael Olise‘s red card to leave them a man down. They then conceded a last-minute equaliser to the Norwegian minnows. Olise will also miss the matchday-three meeting with Arsenal, a measuring-stick game for both teams.
3. Arsenal (up)
Beaten finalists in May, Arsenal are likely to be determined to finally win a first European Cup this season. That desire may intensify if they run away with the Premier League title once Manchester City’s sanctions are confirmed. Mikel Arteta has a defence and midfield capable of going all the way, but questions remain over the potency of the attack after the club failed to land a big-name forward over the summer.
Arsenal are two from two, though they were not at their best against either Napoli or Lille. Next is a trip to Bayern Munich, where they will be keen to lay down a significant marker.
2. Barcelona (unchanged)
It has been 11 years since Barcelona last won the Champions League, but there is a feeling that if any team can dethrone PSG this season, it is Hansi Flick’s side. They have dominated La Liga over the past two seasons under the German coach, but they have fallen short in Europe, partly due to their high defensive line and the open nature of their midfield.
There is a belief that signing Rodri will be a game-changer, as there is no better player in the world at snuffing out counter-attacks. Lamine Yamal and Raphinha have both begun the season in flying form in front of goal, with Yamal providing two sensational assists in the matchday-two win over Galatasaray. With PSG up next, Barcelona’s credentials face the ultimate test.
1. Paris Saint-Germain (unchanged)
Winners of the Champions League in each of the past two seasons, PSG are going in pursuit of a three-peat in 2026-27. They would become the first team not named Real Madrid to lift the European Cup on three successive occasions. The early signs are encouraging, as they followed a thrashing of Slovan Bratislava with a statement win on the road at Manchester City.
Luis Enrique’s side were breathtaking, racing into a 3-0 lead in the first half. City posed plenty more problems after the break, but the French champions held on for a 4-2 win. They face Barcelona next, in what could prove to be a preview of the eventual final.