As the Champions League kicks off its third season under the expanded 36-team format, the competition's biggest storyline is not simply whether Paris Saint-Germain are the best team in Europe, but whether the current system inadvertently favours super-clubs from less competitive domestic leagues such as Ligue 1.
PSG are chasing an unprecedented third consecutive European title, a feat that would mark a historic achievement in the tournament's modern era. Yet their route to glory has followed an unusual pattern. In each of their two triumphant campaigns, the French champions finished outside the top eight in the group phase—15th and 11th respectively—forcing them into the play-off round reserved as a kind of penalty for lower finishers. Despite this, PSG have consistently found another gear once the knockout stages begin, showing an ability to elevate their performance precisely when it matters most.
This pattern has fuelled debate about the nature of the expanded league phase itself. Increased prize money tied to the new format has arguably deepened the divide between Europe's elite and the rest, making shock results from underdog clubs rarer than in decades past. Still, there is entertainment to be found in the group stage, with newcomers like Como, LASK, Viking and Sabah embarking on their own European adventures. Manchester United return to a competition with deep historical resonance at Old Trafford, while Jose Mourinho aims to guide Real Madrid to Champions League glory 16 years after his last triumph with the club. Manchester City, meanwhile, embark on their first campaign since 2012 without Pep Guardiola at the helm, while Liverpool's Andoni Iraola faces the challenge of adapting to the physical demands of continental football for the first time.
English clubs' dominance of the upper reaches of the group table has become a defining feature of the new era—none have been eliminated at that stage since the format's introduction. Yet last season's example of Tottenham, who finished fourth in the league phase despite battling relegation domestically, underlined a flaw in this pattern: Spurs were exposed as far from Europe's fourth-best side once they met Atletico Madrid, who had finished 14th, in the last 16.
This points to a broader complication for Premier League clubs: the unusually steep competitive gradient of English football, from bottom to top, makes for a uniquely demanding league campaign compared to rivals across the continent. Some observers see the expanded Champions League format as an unintentional check on Premier League power, particularly given wider political tensions between FIFA and UEFA, and the desire among Europe's giants to counterbalance the financial might of English football's broadcasting deals.
That financial disparity extends to player wages, too. Clubs like Real Madrid, Barcelona and PSG possess revenue streams that allow them to offer higher salaries, often persuading top talent to extend their careers in leagues outside England. Rodri's summer move to Barcelona is viewed as significant in this context—a transfer that could reshape the competition's landscape. His arrival is widely seen as restoring defensive solidity to a Barcelona side that, despite the brilliance of Lamine Yamal and manager Hansi Flick's attacking principles, has often been undone by a high defensive line. Rodri's positional discipline could be the final piece needed to return Barcelona to genuine title contention for the first time since 2019.
For now, though, all eyes remain on PSG. Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta has reportedly spent much of the off-season contemplating how to raise his side's level enough to dethrone the French champions, a reflection of the psychological hold PSG now have over Europe's elite. Regardless of a sluggish start to their domestic campaign, PSG have proven themselves the masters of peaking when the competition truly begins—and until someone finds a way to stop them, the rest of Europe may simply be playing for second place.
Based on reporting from The Independent.