As Europe's preeminent club competition, the UEFA Champions League draws more eyeballs than any other annual football event, and with the attention comes excitement, thrills, and drama.
With Manchester City finally cresting the summit they've been chasing for a decade, and a famous treble secured, Pep Guardiola will now set about defending his title amidst a bevy of challengers.
Bayern Munich, Real Madrid, Barcelona, and Manchester United are hoping to all find a way back to the apex of European glory, while other clubs like PSG, Arsenal, Inter, and Borussia Dortmund will make a play at a rare opportunity for continental success.
Can Man City do what few are capable of achieving yet again, taking the next step towards dynasty status by defending their title? Or will someone else in Europe see their stay at the top short-lived and knock them off the Champions League throne?
MORE: Predictions for group stage of 2023/24 Champions League as teams vie for knockout spot
Odds to win Champions League title 2023/24
Opening odds as of August 31, 2023 following the conclusion of the group stage draw. Current odds updated as of September 19 prior to kickoff of first group stage matches.
| Man City | Bayern Munich | Real Madrid | Arsenal | Barcelona | PSG | Man United | Newcastle | Napoli | Atletico Madrid | Inter | AC Milan | Borussia Dortmund | RB Leipzig | Benfica | Sevilla | Lazio | Porto | Real Sociedad | Union Berlin | Feyenoord | Lens | PSV | Celtic | Red Bull Salzburg | Galatasaray | Braga | Shakhtar Donetsk | Red Star Belgrade | BSC Young Boys | Royal Antwerp | FC Copenhagen | |
| FanDuel (USA) | Open: +200 Now: +200 | Open: +500 Now: +600 | Open: +850 Now: +850 | Open: +1100 Now: +1100 | Open: +1600 Now: +1600 | Open: +1800 Now: +1400 | Open: +2300 Now: +2300 | Open: +2900 Now: +2900 | Open: +2900 Now: +2900 | Open: +2900 Now: +2900 | Open: +2900 Now: +2300 | Open: +4400 Now: +4400 | Open: +5000 Now: +5000 | Open: +5000 Now: +5000 | Open: +5000 Now: +5000 | Open: +8000 Now: +8000 | Open: +10,000 Now: +10,000 | Open: +10,000 Now: +10,000 | Open: +10,000 Now: +10,000 | Open: +12,000 Now: +12,000 | Open: +12,000 Now: +12,000 | Open: +12,000 Now: +12,000 | Open: +12,000 Now: +12,000 | Open: +16,000 Now: +16,000 | Open: +16,000 Now: +16,000 | Open: +19,000 Now: +19,000 | Open: +19,000 Now: +19,000 | Open: +42,000 Now: +42,000 | Open: +42,000 Now: +42,000 | Open: +42,000 Now: +42,000 | Open: +42,000 Now: +42,000 | Open: +42,000 Now: +42,000 |
| Sports Interaction (Canada) | Open: +209 Now: +209 | Open: +535 Now: +538 | Open: +800 Now: +720 | Open: +1000 Now: +1000 | Open: +1400 Now: +1400 | Open: +1500 Now: +1400 | Open: +1900 Now: +2000 | Open: +2400 Now: +2600 | Open: +2500 Now: +2500 | Open: +2500 Now: +2300 | Open: +2600 Now: +2200 | Open: +3800 Now: +3900 | Open: +4500 Now: +5200 | Open: +5300 Now: +6100 | Open: +5200 Now: +5300 | Open: +8000 Now: +8300 | Open: +8600 Now: +9300 | Open: +9100 Now: +9500 | Open: +10,200 Now: +11,000 | Open: +12,600 Now: +14,700 | Open: +13,300 Now: +15,000 | Open: +15,400 Now: +17,800 | Open: +15,600 Now: +15,900 | Open: +19,900 Now: +22,700 | Open: +22,300 Now: +23,400 | Open: +24,900 Now: +26,500 | Open: +26,500 Now: +28,900 | Open: +41,000 Now: +49,200 | Open: +46,900 Now: +49,700 | Open: +50,000 Now: +50,000 | Open: +50,000 Now: +50,000 | Open: +50,000 Now: +50,000 |
| Top Betting Sites (UK) | Open: 2/1 Now: 21/10 | Open: 11/2 Now: 21/4 | Open: 8/1 Now: 8/1 | Open: 10/1 Now: 10/1 | Open: 14/1 Now: 14/1 | Open: 16/1 Now: 14/1 | Open: 20/1 Now: 20/1 | Open: 25/1 Now: 25/1 | Open: 25/1 Now: 25/1 | Open: 25/1 Now: 25/1 | Open: 25/1 Now: 22/1 | Open: 40/1 Now: 40/1 | Open: 50/1 Now: 50/1 | Open: 50/1 Now: 60/1 | Open: 50/1 Now: 50/1 | Open: 66/1 Now: 80/1 | Open: 80/1 Now: 90/1 | Open: 80/1 Now: 80/1 | Open: 100/1 Now: 100/1 | Open: 150/1 Now: 150/1 | Open: 150/1 Now: 150/1 | Open: 200/1 Now: 175/1 | Open: 150/1 Now: 150/1 | Open: 200/1 Now: 200/1 | Open: 250/1 Now: 250/1 | Open: 250/1 Now: 250/1 | Open: 250/1 Now: 300/1 | Open: 500/1 Now: 450/1 | Open: 500/1 Now: 500/1 | Open: 500/1 Now: 550/1 | Open: 250/1 Now: 550/1 | Open: 500/1 Now: 900/1 |
| Unibet (Australia) | Open: 3.25 Now: 3.25 | Open: 6.50 Now: 6.50 | Open: 9.00 Now: 8.00 | Open: 13.00 Now: 12.00 | Open: 15.00 Now: 15.00 | Open: 17.00 Now: 15.00 | Open: 21.00 Now: 23.00 | Open: 26.00 Now: 33.00 | Open: 29.00 Now: 29.00 | Open: 31.00 Now: 26.00 | Open: 34.00 Now: 26.00 | Open: 41.00 Now: 34.00 | Open: 51.00 Now: 61.00 | Open: 67.00 Now: 67.00 | Open: 67.00 Now: 61.00 | Open: 101.0 Now: 101.0 | Open: 81.00 Now: 101.0 | Open: 101.0 Now: 101.0 | Open: 101.0 Now: 126.0 | Open: 101.0 Now: 151.0 | Open: 101.0 Now: 151.0 | Open: 151.0 Now: 201.0 | Open: 101.0 Now: 126.0 | Open: 251.0 Now: 251.0 | Open: 251.0 Now: 251.0 | Open: 251.0 Now: 301.0 | Open: 251.0 Now: 251.0 | Open: 501.0 Now: 501.0 | Open: 501.0 Now: 501.0 | Open: 501.0 Now: 501.0 | Open: 501.0 Now: 501.0 | Open: 501.0 Now: 751.0 |
| Dafabet (India) | Open: 3.10 Now: 3.00 | Open: 6.25 Now: 6.25 | Open: 9.00 Now: 9.00 | Open: 11.00 Now: 11.00 | Open: 15.00 Now: 15.00 | Open: 17.00 Now: 15.00 | Open: 21.00 Now: 21.00 | Open: 26.00 Now: 26.00 | Open: 26.00 Now: 26.00 | Open: 26.00 Now: 26.00 | Open: 26.00 Now: 23.00 | Open: 41.00 Now: 41.00 | Open: 41.00 Now: 51.00 | Open: 51.00 Now: 67.00 | Open: 51.00 Now: 51.00 | Open: 81.00 Now: 81.00 | Open: 81.00 Now: 101.0 | Open: 101.0 Now: 101.0 | Open: 101.0 Now: 101.0 | Open: 126.0 Now: 151.0 | Open: 126.0 Now: 151.0 | Open: 151.0 Now: 151.0 | Open: 151.0 Now: 151.0 | Open: 151.0 Now: 201.0 | Open: 201.0 Now: 251.0 | Open: 251.0 Now: 251.0 | Open: 251.0 Now: 301.0 | Open: 401.0 Now: 451.0 | Open: 451.0 Now: 501.0 | Open: 501.0 Now: 501.0 | Open: 501.0 Now: 501.0 | Open: 501.0 Now: 901.0 |
Who will win Champions League title 2023/24?
With the 2023/24 tournament now entering the group stage, and the competition now taking center stage, The Sporting News brings you a full overview at what teams are likely to lift the trophy at the end of the competition.
MORE: UEFA Champions League group stage draw results
Favourite: Bayern Munich (Opened at +600 on FanDuel)
Manchester City are, understandably, heavy favourites with bookmakers to defend their title following last year's legendary treble. Nobody could challenge Pep Guardiola's side, and while some fought valiantly, none proved a match.
This year, however, things are different. The shine of the treble has worn off and Guardiola will get down to the business of a title defence, which will be twice as difficult as the first time around. Largely, thanks to the presence of Bayern Munich, who look a vastly improved side from the one last year that crashed out in the quarterfinals to the eventual champions.
Namely, they've added Harry Kane, who looks a perfect fit up front for this Bayern side, certainly better than Sadio Mane ever was. Min-Jae Kim looks an upgrade — or at the very least, a lateral move — from Matthijs de Ligt, and Raphael Guerreiro will mitigate the loss of Lucas Hernandez. Fear this German side, as they provide great value here at twice the return Man City offer, and are clearly the best suited side to challenge the defending champions.
Dark Horse: Arsenal (Opened at +1100 on FanDuel)
Arsenal challenged Man City in the Premier League title race last season, and while they ultimately ran out of gas, they still have the squad to put up a decent fight, and their chances provide delicious value for those looking to find a club outside the muted odds of the top two favourites.
The Gunners added Declan Rice to the midfield offseason, and while it cost them a pretty penny, it was worth every single coin. The full-back situation is an issue, but they have the depth to weather the early injury absence of Gabriel Jesus, and should this team finally get fully healthy, they are a real danger to the rest of Europe's elite now finally back in the top continental competition.
Really Dark Horse: AC Milan (Opened at +4400 on FanDuel)
Those outside the European blue bloods hardly ever win the Champions League title in the modern football landscape — you have to go all the way back to Jose Mourinho's 2004 victory with Porto for a true example. The Milan clubs have both won a European crown since then, but their victories came at the zenith of modern Italian club football, and they'd no longer be considered amongst that truly elite European club echelon today.
Yet, if you're looking to go out on a real limb and want real value, look no further than AC Milan. Stefano Pioli engineered a complete retooling of the squad this offseason, bringing in Americans Christian Pulisic and Yunus Musah as well as Tijjani Reijnders, Ruben Loftus-Cheek, and Noah Okafor over the course of the summer, shedding dead weight in the process and completely revamping the squad.
Sometimes that much turnover in an offseason can have a negative impact on the squad, but AC Milan already look to be firing on all cylinders. With Rafael Leao in tow, this club is just a few upset results and a few kind draws away from an improbable Champions League title.
Avoid: Man United (+1800), Napoli (+2300), Inter (+2900 on FanDuel)
Napoli had one shot to shock the world last year, and they fell disappointingly short, winning the Serie A title in dominant fashion but forced to watch as both Milan clubs advanced further in Europe. They kept Khvicha Kvaratskhelia and Victor Osimhen, but the departure of their best defender hurts, and it's hard to imagine they can conjure the same magic and momentum they enjoyed last season.
Manchester United are clearly one of the top teams in England, but they have too much internal strife and too many questions around the squad to be a real threat to the European crown.
Inter reached last year's final, but even that felt like a true overachievement. They've added some quality pieces this summer, including Yann Sommer in goal to replace Andre Onana (maybe an upgrade, even?) and Benjamin Pavard at the back, but it feels like there's been simply too much turnover at key positions for this squad to have another shot at lifting the Champions League trophy.
