Updated September 8, 2026
Who will lead the scoring charts when all is said and done? our experts have two clear favorites ahead of the pack.
Expert | Champion | Dark Horses | Top Scorer |
|---|---|---|---|
Simon Cripps | PSG | Atletico Madrid | Kylian Mbappe |
Jay Sanin | Barcelona | Napoli | Ousmane Dembele |
Henrik Norman | Bayern Munich | Inter Milan | Harry Kane |
Jacob Davour | Barcelona | Dortmund | Harry Kane |
Peyton Powell | Real Madrid | Aston Villa | Kylian Mbappe |
Gus Anderson | Bayern Munich | Como | Harry Kane |
“The Champions League is wide open this year, and our expert picks reflect exactly that. Barcelona are the current favorites over on Polymarket, and Jay and Jacob are also backing the Blaugrana to win the title for the first time in a decade. Gus and Henrik have Harry Kane firing Bayern to glory, while Peyton sees Jose Mourinho guiding Real Madrid to a 16th Champions League title. However, they are all wrong. PSG are going to make history by doing the three-peat in 2027. At just 14% on Polymarket, the reigning champions ooze value in a competitive market. Let's take a look at the reasoning behind each of our picks.”
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Simon Cripps: Paris Saint-Germain
“It astonishes me that PSG are only the fifth favorites to win the Champions League, just four months after lifting the trophy again in Budapest. They may have sold Bradley Barcola and Ibrahim Mbaye in the summer, but neither of them were starters under Enrique, and the champions retain their two biggest advantages this year. Firstly, the same outstanding starting XI who have dominated the knockout stages for the past two seasons. Secondly, they still compete in a league that is willing to cancel or rearrange matches to suit the Parisians as they get deeper into the tournament. In a competition dominated by injury and fatigue in the latter stages, this will prove a key advantage as Enrique's men do the three-peat.”
Jay Sanin: Barcelona
“Adding one of the great winners in the recent history of the sport in Rodri to an already loaded squad is bad news for the rest of the competition. PSG's reign atop this competition will come to an end at the hands of Lamine Yamal and Barca.”
Henrik Norman: Bayern Munich
“Bayern looked phenomenal last season and I think they can reach similar heights again. They have the attacking quality, experience and depth to beat anyone in Europe, and I trust the German champions to make another serious run.”
Jacob Davour: Barcelona
“Barcelona have the attacking quality, technical level and squad depth to beat any team in Europe. If they can stay consistent defensively, they have enough firepower to go all the way and win the Champions League.”
Peyton Powell: Real Madrid
“I really like what Real Madrid have added this year. Their defense looks much better with Konaté, Cucurella and Dumfries coming in, and they’re obviously loaded going forward with Mbappé, Vinícius, and Bellingham. After a disappointing season last year, I think they get back on top in Europe.”
Gus Anderson: Bayern Munich
“They look like the most complete team to me. Plenty of Champions League experience, ridiculous attacking quality with Kane, Olise and Luis Díaz, and they were extremely close last season.”
Who could overcome the established European elite and cause an upset? Not since Porto in 2004 has a surprise package gone all the way to claim the title, who do our analysts think could repeat Mourinho and Porto's feat?
Simon Cripps: Atletico Madrid
“Polymarket giving Diego Simeone's men just a 2% chance of winning the Champions League is frankly an insult to Diego Simeone's perennial underdogs. Atleti reached the semi finals last season, defeating Barcelona along the way, and pushed Arsenal all the way in their semi-final clash. They have invested in the squad this off-season by adding Morten Hjulmand from Sporting, Alejandro Grimaldo from Leverkusen and Christian Romero (if ever a man was born to play for Simeone, it's him) to an already strong squad. I can see them going all the way this year.”
Jay Sanin: Napoli
“At +8000 to win the Champions League, it would take a lot for the Italians to lift the trophy. But with Kevin De Bruyne leading them, Napoli could put a scare into some of the tournament favorites in the knockout rounds.”
Henrik Norman: Inter Milan
“I don’t think Inter will win the Champions League, especially with Serie A not as strong as it once was. But they remain a very difficult team to face, and I can see them going deep enough in the tournament to outperform expectations.”
Jacob Davour: Borussia Dortmund
“Dortmund are always dangerous in Europe and have the pace and attacking quality to trouble stronger sides. They are not one of the main favorites, but they are capable of building momentum and making a deep run.”
Peyton Powell: Aston Villa
“Villa are probably my favorite team outside the usual contenders. They reached the quarterfinals two years ago and won the Europa League last season, so they’ve already shown they can make a deep run under Unai Emery. I could see them causing some problems for the favorites in the knockout rounds.”
Gus Anderson: Como
“Going properly dark horse here. I really like what Fàbregas is building, Nico Paz is outstanding, and their league-phase schedule gives them a genuine chance of becoming one of the surprise teams of the tournament.”
Simon Cripps: Kylian Mbappe
“Mbappe was electric at this summer's World Cup as Real Madrid star claimed the Golden Boot. This year he will go back-to-back as Champions League top scorer with Bellingham and Vinicius providing plenty of ammunition for the French star as Real go deep in the Champions League once more.”
Jay Sanin: Ousmane Dembele
“Bayern and Barca are too balanced to have one runaway scorer to top this list. Instead, I'll go with Dembele, as PSG should make a deep run in the competition by virtue of being able to rest their players in Ligue 1.”
Henrik Norman: Harry Kane
“Bayern should create plenty of chances throughout the league phase, and Kane will be at the center of almost everything they do going forward. Add his penalty duties and consistency in front of goal, and he is my pick to finish as the tournament’s top scorer.”
Jacob Davour: Harry Kane
“Kane is Bayern’s main goalscorer, takes penalties and should get plenty of chances. Bayern also have a relatively favorable schedule, with games against teams like Bodø/Glimt, Viking, Slavia Prague and Real Betis, which gives Kane several good opportunities to build an early lead in the scoring race.”
Peyton Powell: Kylian Mbappé
“I’ll take Mbappé to repeat. He scored 15 Champions League goals last season, including 13 in the league phase, and I’m expecting Real Madrid to go further this time around. If they do, he should have a great chance to finish on top again.”
Gus Anderson: Harry Kane
“Bayern should score a lot in the league phase, Kane takes penalties and he was only one goal short of the Golden Boot last season.”
The 2026/27 Champions League looks unusually open, with our experts split across PSG, Barcelona, Bayern Munich and Real Madrid while also identifying genuine outsiders such as Atletico Madrid, Napoli, Inter, Dortmund, Aston Villa and Como. That uncertainty should make this season especially interesting from a betting perspective, because value may shift quickly as form, injuries and the league-phase schedule reshape the market. Keep an eye on the outright, dark-horse and top-scorer prices throughout the campaign, rather than treating the opening odds as fixed. You can keep an eye on everything here at ATS.
