Biggest Talking Points Ahead of the 2025/26 UEFA Champions League Season

The cast is confirmed, and qualifying for the 2025/26 UEFA Champions League campaign is now over. All that remains is for the latest installment from the greatest club competition on earth to get underway. In a matter of weeks, 36 of the continent's finest will kick off another UCL season, all of which will be aiming to leave Budapest next May with the famous big-eared trophy in tow. 

Throughout qualifying, there were plenty of huge moments. Scottish giants Celtic were stunned as they were dumped out on penalties by some Kazakh minnows in the playoff round. Their Glasgow archrivals, Rangers, were also stunned by Belgian side Club Brugge. Meanwhile, recent qualifiers such as Dynamo Kyiv, Ludogorets, Red Bull Salzburg, and Feyenoord couldn't make it past the third qualifying round. 

With the stage now set and the qualifiers confirmed, let's take a look at the biggest talking points ahead of the UEFA Champions League blockbuster return. 

England's Six-Pronged Attack 

England will have a record number of six teams featuring in the Champions League next season. The number is unprecedented and only possible due to UEFA's almighty expansion of their flagship tournament last summer. Liverpool is the team that leads the charge, with their Premier League title triumph last season prompting online sportsbooks to install them not just as the team to beat in their homeland, but also on the continent as well. 

The latest odds from the popular Bovada online sportsbook currently have Arne Slot's Reds listed as a 13/2 second favorite for a seventh European triumph, solely behind reigning champions Paris Saint-Germain (5/1). Considering their summer spending spree to secure the likes of Florian Wirtz, Hugo Ekitike, and potentially Alexander Isak, it's clear to see that the Merseysiders are a team to be feared. But they are far from England's sole heavy hitters. 

Arsenal reached the semifinals last season, eliminating record champions Real Madrid in the quarterfinals in the process with a dominant 5-1 aggregate win. They will return this season for another crack at a maiden title, as will reigning world champions Chelsea after their top-five finish last season. Manchester City will be expecting to mount a deep run despite looking out of sorts at present, while Newcastle United have also qualified for the second time in three seasons. 

Perhaps the most surprising representation, though, is Tottenham Hotspur. Thomas Frank's Spurs finished 17th in the Premier League last season, but their Europa League victory in Bilbao - the club's first trophy in 17 years - secured them an invite to the most elite dinner party European football has to offer. 

Tournament Debutants 

There will be no fewer than four tournament debutants who have punched their ticket to the Champions League for the first time. Kazakh champions Kairat Almaty are without doubt the biggest story. Victories against Olimpija Ljubljana, KuPS, Slovan Bratislava, and finally an upset victory over Celtic saw them become the first Kazakh club in history to qualify for the UEFA Champions League. 

They will be joined by Belgian champions Royale Union Saint-Gilloise, who bypassed qualifying altogether after winning the Pro League. The side from the outskirts of Brussels has come close to glory in recent years, finishing as runners-up in their domestic league twice in the last three years, as well as suffering a heartbreaking playoff round exit to Rangers two years ago. They will now be looking to make their presence felt on the grandest stage. 

Norwegian champions Bodø/Glimt have been one of European football's biggest underdog uprisings in recent years. They reached the Europa League semifinals last season before being downed by eventual champions Spurs. They continued in the same vein in Champions League qualifying, thumping Sturm Graz to progress to the tournament proper. 

Finally, Cypriot upstarts Pafos will also feature, becoming the first team from the island nation to qualify since APOEL Nicosia over a decade ago. Their compatriots shockingly reached the quarterfinals back in 2012, but the reigning Cypriot champions are already overjoyed at qualifying and won't be expecting to progress to the latter stages. 

PSG's Title Defence 

Last season, Paris Saint-Germain finally consigned a decade of continental hurt to the history books as they claimed the UEFA Champions League for the first time. And they did so in dominant fashion. The Parisians thumped Inter Milan 5-0 in the Munich final, the most lopsided scoreline in history. Now, they are the favorites to retain their title. 

Luis Enrique's side looked imperious throughout the back end of last season as they completed a famous treble. They then handed out drubbings to both Madrid clubs in the FIFA Club World Cup. However, their humbling 3-0 defeat to Chelsea in the MetLife Stadium final of that competition proved that the French giants are human after all. 

Add to that the fact that giant goalkeeper Gianluigi Donnarumma has also been forced out of the club, and PSG are looking beatable. Whether anyone can defeat them on the grandest stage and end their title reign, however, remains to be seen.