2025/26 Champions League Power Rankings after first leg of playoffs

The first-leg fireworks of the 2025/26 Champions League playoffs have detonated the bracket and redrawn the list of realistic contenders. While Juventus and Qarabag stare at near-certain elimination after lopsided defeats, a handful of European heavyweights have tightened their grip on the trophy chase and a few dark horses have bolted into view.

1. Bayern Munich Die Roten’s attacking trident of Luis Diaz, Harry Kane and Michael Olise is being hailed as the most devastating forward line since Liverpool’s Mane-Firmino-Salah era. Add a fit Jamal Musiala, emerging Lennart Karl and a reborn Serge Gnabry and Bayern lead Europe in goals per game. Vincent Kompany’s back four—Alphonso Davies, Dayot Upamecano, Jonathan Tah and converted right-back Konrad Laimer—has steadied after early-season injury chaos, giving the German giants both explosive force and defensive ballast.

2. Arsenal Mikel Arteta can field the continent’s strongest spine: goalkeeper, William Saliba and Gabriel Magalhaes at centre-back, and the Rice-Zubimendi midfield pivot. Viktor Gyokeres has four goals in six European starts, while depth pieces Leandro Trossard, Noni Madueke and Eberechi Eze offer game-changing variety off the bench. If Martin Odegaard, Bukayo Saka and Gabriel Martinelli hit top gear, Arsenal could finish what has been a decades-long continental wait.

3. Manchester City Pep Guardiola’s reload has clicked quicker than expected. Rayan Cherki and winter arrival Antoine Semenyo have slotted seamlessly around Erling Haaland, who remains the competition’s ultimate finisher. City’s defence, anchored by Ruben Dias, is again among Europe’s stingiest, and the midfield mix of experience and youth makes the English champions a more balanced unit than the side that stumbled last spring.

4. Barcelona Hansi Flick’s high-line system looks far less reckless in knockout football, and his big-game pedigree—remember Bayern’s 8-2 destruction of Barca in 2020—gives the Catalans an edge. Robert Lewandowski is being preserved for Europe, and the Blaugrana’s recent Supercup demolition of Real Madrid underlined their ascendancy in head-to-head clashes.

5. Real Madrid Los Blancos responded to adversity—racist abuse directed at Vinicius Junior during the playoff first leg—by uniting around their Brazilian star. Caretaker boss Alvaro Arbeloa has restored Luka Modric’s influence and simplified tactics that had grown muddled under predecessor Xabi Alonso. History says doubting Madrid in spring is perilous; the squad believes the Benfica backlash could be their 2021-22-style catalyst.

6. Liverpool Arne Slot’s expensive summer rebuild is blossoming: Florian Wirtz and Dominik Szoboszlai pull strings in midfield, Hugo Ekitike has been a revelation, and Mohamed Salah’s reinvented playmaker role yields over two key passes per game. If Ibrahima Konate stays commanding at centre-back, the six-time champions could ride a blend of youth and know-how deep into the tournament.

7. Paris Saint-Germain No club has defended the trophy since Real Madrid’s three-peat, and PSG’s domestic malaise—trailing Lens in Ligue 1—has carried over. Ousmane Dembele and Khvicha Kvaratskhelia have yet to fire consistently, and no player has reached double-digit goals. Still, the reigning champions have match-winners throughout the squad and may awaken once the stakes spike.

8. Chelsea Cole Palmer has re-ignited under new coach Liam Rosenior, but defensive frailties remain. With Benoit Badiashile injured and only a recovering Wesley Fofana to rely on, the Blues could be picked apart by elite attacks. Their individual brilliance edges them narrowly ahead of Newcastle in these rankings.

9. Newcastle United Eddie Howe’s side produced the playoff round’s most eye-catching display, thumping Qarabag 6-1 and carving out enough chances for double figures. Harvey Barnes and Anthony Gordon are in scorching European form, and the Magpies’ transition game is tailor-made for cup football. Lack of superstar depth, however, tempers expectations.

10. Borussia Dortmund Niko Kovac’s team squeezes into the top 10 almost by default. Centre-backs Nico Schlotterbeck and the underrated Waldemar Anton are formidable, but a thin midfield and over-reliance on Serhou Guirassy’s fitness make Dortmund long-shot outsiders rather than genuine contenders.

Juventus and Qarabag, hammered in their openers, look cooked, while Atalanta and Inter Milan carry uphill battles into the second legs. For the ten clubs above, the road to glory is clearer—and the power rankings will only get tougher from here.