When you buy through affiliate links in our content, we may earn a commission at no extra cost to you. Learn The Champions League is the premier club competition in Europe, involving top-performing teams from across the continent throughout the year.
From a betting perspective, it is one of the most popular events in the soccer calendar, creating millions of dollars in revenue for sportsbooks worldwide. Learn how to bet on the UCL and make more profit by using some of our best Champions League betting strategies and tips.
Betting on the Champions League
Even though the Champions League takes place in Europe, its popularity in the US is massive.
All the best soccer betting sites have full coverage, including a range of markets such as moneyline, over/under, spreads, prop bets, and enhanced odds promotions.
This flexibility allows bettors to choose from a wide range of sportsbooks. The biggest advantage this gives is the ability to shop for the best lines. By not line shopping, you might be making a fairly big betting mistake.
Once you’ve picked the sportsbook, navigate to the ‘Soccer’ section. Most sites have a dedicated Champions League betting page, where you can access a range of games taking place over multiple game weeks.
Due to the tournament’s popularity, some sites have UCL promotions like enhanced lines or boosted odds. In this case, the lines are usually among the best in the industry. As a result, this creates value betting opportunities.
Get outstanding Champions League betting odds at BetOnline.
How to Place a Champions League Bet
This section takes you through the process of placing a bet on the Champions League. Our examples uses BetOnline, but the process won’t differ too much regardless of the betting site you choose.
1. Head to BetOnline
Visit BetOnline and head to the sportsbook section of the site.
2. Create an Account
The process starts by creating an account. Click the ‘Join’ button at the top of the page and work through the sign-up process, adding all the required details.
3. Deposit Funds
Once your account has been created, log in and head to the cashier section. Pick any of the ones that work best for you and deposit some money.
4. Check out the Markets
In the main sportsbook, use the menu down the left to find the ‘Soccer’ section, then select ‘UEFA Champions League’.
5. Place a Bet
Find the market you want to bet on and add your selection to the bet slip. Within the bet slip, confirm the bet and choose the stake.
Champions League Betting Tips Example
To illustrate how to bet on the Champions League, we’ve added a real-world example ahead of the 2024/25 season.
This highlights how the process of placing a bet works in a more detailed fashion.
To keep things simple, we placed an imaginary bet on Liverpool to beat AC Milan on the opening day of the Champions League season.
The example bet on the moneyline market.
This market is where you choose the overall result of the match, with a home win (1), draw (X), or away win (2) being the three options.
Our example bet was on Liverpool to win at odds of -114. Liverpool, therefore, need to win the game by any scoreline.
We could expand the markets by clicking on the match to see multiple other betting options. Coverage of the Champions League is huge, so most sportsbooks have a wide range to choose from.
For reference, some top offshore sportsbooks have over 50 different markets to bet on this game alone.
How Does the Champions League Work?
The UEFA Champions League (UCL) has a complicated qualifying process, with teams gaining access based on domestic league positions.
The number of teams from a certain country that can automatically qualify is based on UEFA ‘coefficients’. Coefficients are points earned based on previous showings from nations in past tournaments.
As a basic rule, the better a nation does, the more points it earns, and the more teams get access to (or have the ability to qualify for) the Champions League proper.
For example, if English teams have performed better across European competitions than Spanish teams over the last five years, they can enter more teams in the UCL.
In total, there are five qualifying rounds before the tournament proper. The lower the coefficient points for that club, the earlier they need to enter the qualifying process.
How Champions League Teams Advance
The format of the Champions League has changed this season. there are now 36 teams, instead of 32, entering the competition proper.
They will also play more games in the group stage (now called the league phase) in a league format rather than in separate groups as has been the case in the past.
League phase
(36 teams)
- Top eight teams go through to the round of 16
- Teams finishing from 9th-24th play a knockout round to determine the rest of the final 16 teams.
- Teams finishing 25th or lower are eliminated.
Knockout phase
(16 teams)
- Top eight teams from the league phase
- The eight teams who win their knockout playoff round ties
2023/24 Champions League Teams and Schedule
The first game week runs on September 19 and 20, including all group teams playing across the two nights. The group games will run until December 12 and 13 before having a winter break before knockout stages.
| Fixtures | Dates |
| 1st round of league phase | 17 to 19 September 2024 |
| Final round of league phase games | 29 January 2025 |
| Knockout Round Playoffs | 11/12 & 18/19 February 2025 |
| Round of 16 | 4/5 & 11/12 March 2025 |
| Quarter-finals | 8/9 & 15/16 April 2025 |
| Semi-finals | 29/30 April & 6/7 May 2025 |
| Final | 31 May 2025 |
Types of Champions League Betting Markets
To help you better understand how to bet on the Champions League and use UCL betting tips, we’ve listed a series of the best types of bets to place. Some bet types are generic to soccer, while others are exclusive to UCL betting.
Soccer Bet Types
You can place these types of bets on any soccer market, whether it’s a single match or a tournament like the UCL:
- Match result (1×2) – Bet on the final result of the game after 90 minutes. This can be a home win (1), an away win (2), or a draw (x).
- Double chance – Includes two possible results. This can be home win and draw, home win and away win, or away win and draw. Both winning results lead to the same payout.
- Handicap betting – Add or remove goals from the final score to level the playing field when one team has a higher probability of winning than the other. Use to create wider or smaller gaps, depending on the handicap applied.
- Total goals (Over/Under) – Bet on the total number of goals scored in the game and choose the over or under line set by the sportsbook. Commonly used in ‘match combo’ bets, such as ‘both teams to score’ and ‘Over 2.5 goals’.
- Correct score – Betting on the exact score at full-time.
- First goalscorer – Betting on the player to score the first goal in the game. If the player you’ve picked does not start, your bet is void, and the stakes are returned. Own goals don’t count. This market stays live until a non-own goal is scored.
- Match combos – Includes combined markets such as ‘match result’ and ‘both teams to score’, ‘total goals’ and ‘team to win’, and so on.
- Anytime goalscorer – Betting on a player to score at any point in the match.
- Run of play – Betting on teams to win after being behind at any point.
Champions League Bet Types
You might find these bet types more interesting if you’re betting on a tournament or league, such as the Champions League:
- To qualify – A popular bet in the knockout stages where you bet on the team to qualify for the next round. This includes the cumulative score from both legs and any penalties or extra time needed. Basically, whichever team progresses wins this market.
- Group betting – Group betting is picking a team that will finish at the top of the group. Some markets will include the top two or ‘to qualify’ from the group, but odds will reflect the increased chances of winning the bet.
- Team to reach the final – Bet on a team to reach the final. It doesn’t matter if they go on to win, they just need to make it to the match.
- Outright winner – Bet on the outright winner of the Champions League tournament. Most bets are placed pre-tournament, but the market is open until the semi-finals begin. Winner odds require your to reach and win the UCL final.
- Top goalscorer – Bet on the player who scores the most goals throughout the competition. If two or more are tied, dead heat rules will apply.
Champions League Betting Tips – Strategy Guide
To provide you with the best Champions League betting tips, we need to highlight the best ways to profit from betting on the competition.
You might also want to review our guide on how to bet on soccer, as large parts of this guidance can cross over into UCL betting. However, the tournament plays differently than most leagues or cups, which means you need to adapt your strategy when betting on the Champions League.
Keep Up With Team News
One of the key Champions League betting tips surrounds team news – it’s arguably more important for this competition than betting on other leagues. The reason is that teams are managed in the competition to ensure they have the best possible chance of progression, so games are generally played with the best possible starting 11.
If major players are missing, the opposition has an advantage. For example, if Haaland is missing for Manchester City, this removes their biggest goal threat. Granted, they have great replacements, but losing star players like Haaland will have an effect.
Team news for games is released one hour before kickoff. We suggest waiting until this time to place any match bets, so you can assess both starting lineups to get a better idea of how games might play out.
Match Importance
Match importance will change as the tournament progresses. At the start of the league phase, all teams aim to get off to a fast start and play their best possible team.
But in later games, some teams have less riding on them, so might play with weakened teams.
For example, if PSG won seven out of seven of their first league phase matches they are likely to be guaranteed a place in the knockouts.
Given that they have nothing to play for (essentially) in the last game, they aren’t going to risk star players and could instead field a much-weakened team in this less important match.
It’s worth watching league games leading up to the Champions League games to get an idea of who has rested and who has started. If teams have rested players leading up to the UCL, then there’s a good chance they will play in it.
Don’t just look at teams at the top of the group, either. Teams at the bottom might not have a chance to progress to the knockout stages, but still might be able to make third place, which gets them a Europa League spot.
Prepare to Line Shop
Whether you prefer shiny new betting sites or more established operators, the majority of sportsbooks will offer in-depth coverage of the Champions League. The likes of BetOnline, Everygame, and Bovada have hundreds on markets for each game.
Line shopping is where you look for the best possible odds on the market to get a little more value from the bet. The competition between sportsbooks and depth of coverage means that some sportsbooks offer better prices than others. Even small increases in odds will add significantly to your bottom line in the long term.
Analyse Team Form and Head-to-Head Data
Traditionally, team form and head-to-head data is key when researching Champions League betting tips. However, given that the teams can often have very little data on both fronts, it makes it harder to utilize in the UCL.
That said, you should still try to use team form data. See how they’ve played in previous group games and then expand this to league and domestic cup form. The latter is a key component as the Champions League is essentially a combination of cup games spread out across the season.
However, you also need to consider the quality of the opposition. The image below shows the form of Barcelona and Royal Antwerp are both good, with Barcelona just shading it.
The difference here is the caliber of the opposition, with most of Antwerp’s games being played in the Belgian domestic league and Barcelona’s in the much higher-ranked La Liga.
So, when we talk about form, don’t forget about the standard of opposition, which can have huge gulfs in competitions like the Champions League. That’s why Barcelona is priced at -500 and Antwerp at +1400 to win the game.
Home Advantage Can Level the Playing Field
Home advantage can make a big difference in soccer, regardless of the competition. However, in the Champions League, it’s even bigger. All teams that qualify may feel very familiar with winning, and most have formidable home records. For bigger teams, this makes visiting away grounds tougher than usual.
You can find value in taking on teams that are shorter priced based purely on the fact that it’s a home game. There is value to be found in opposing over-reduced prices for home teams.
Most Successful Champions League Teams in History
The tournament was originally known as the European Cup, dating back to the 1955-56 season. The 1992 season saw the formation of the Champions League as we know it today, which was still the same competition.
By far, the most successful team has been Real Madrid, who’ve won the trophy a staggering 14 times. This is double the amount won by the second-most successful team to date, AC Milan.
Real Madrid’s first win came in 1956, with their most recent in 2022, beating Liverpool in the final. They also had three runner-up finishes in that period, taking the total number of appearances in a final to 17, another record.
There have been 22 tournament winners over the years, with 13 of those teams winning it on more than one occasion. Notable winners include:
- AC Milan (seven)
- Bayern Munich (six)
- Liverpool (six)
- Barcelona (five)
- Ajax (four)
- Inter Milan (three)
- Manchester United (three)
The most recent Champions League winner was Manchester City in the 2022/23 season.
Champions League Titles
| Champions League Team | Number of Title(s) | Number of Runner-up Title(s) |
| Real Madrid | 15 | 3 |
| Milan | 7 | 4 |
| Bayern Munich | 6 | 5 |
| Liverpool | 6 | 4 |
| Barcelona | 5 | 3 |
| Ajax | 4 | 2 |
| Inter Milan | 3 | 3 |
| Manchester United | 3 | 2 |
| Juventus | 2 | 7 |
| Benfica | 2 | 5 |
| Chelsea | 2 | 1 |
| Nottingham Forest | 2 | 0 |
| Porto | 2 | 0 |
| Celtic | 1 | 1 |
| Hamburger SV | 1 | 1 |
| Steaua București | 1 | 1 |
| Marseille | 1 | 1 |
| Borussia Dortmund | 1 | 1 |
| Manchester City | 1 | 1 |
| Feyenoord | 1 | 0 |
| Aston Villa | 1 | 0 |
| PSV Eindhoven | 1 | 0 |
| Red Star Belgrade | 1 | 0 |
| Atlético Madrid | 0 | 3 |
| Reims | 0 | 2 |
| Valencia | 0 | 2 |
| Fiorentina | 0 | 1 |
| Eintracht Frankfurt | 0 | 1 |
| Partizan | 0 | 1 |
| Panathinaikos | 0 | 1 |
| Leeds United | 0 | 1 |
| Saint-Étienne | 0 | 1 |
| Borussia Mönchengladbach | 0 | 1 |
| Club Brugge | 0 | 1 |
| Malmö FF | 0 | 1 |
| Roma | 0 | 1 |
| Sampdoria | 0 | 1 |
| Bayer Leverkusen | 0 | 1 |
| Monaco | 0 | 1 |
| Arsenal | 0 | 1 |
| Tottenham Hotspur | 0 | 1 |
| Paris Saint-Germain | 0 | 1 |
Want to access the biggest range of Champions League betting odds and markets? Visit BetOnline.
Champions League Betting FAQs
What are Champions League betting tips, and how can they help me?
Where can I find reliable Champions League betting tips?
Are there any free Champions League betting tips available online?
What factors should I consider when using Champions League betting tips?
Can I trust tipsters who claim to have guaranteed winning tips for Champions League matches?
How can I increase my chances of success with Champions League betting tips?
What types of bets are popular for Champions League matches?
Are there any betting strategies specific to Champions League matches?
Affiliate Disclosure: Techopedia may receive advertising commissions for visits to a suggested operator through our affiliate links, at no added cost to you. However, all our recommendations are unbiased and follow a thorough review process. Gambling can be addictive, please play responsibly and you must be of legal gambling age.
