The UEFA Champions League league phase is back, as 36 teams will play eight matches — four home and four away — in bids to reach the knockout rounds.There are two paths to the Round of 16: Eight teams will qualify directly via the league phase table, while eight more will emerge from playoff ties pitting teams 9-24 in home-and-away legs.MORE — UEFA Champions League 2025-26 hub — Fixtures, dates, scoresAnd there's no set path for greatness, something we learned from the first edition of the tournament's new structure.Runners-up Inter Milan earned a bye as the fourth-seed last league phase, but champions Paris Saint-Germain finished 15th and did not have their playoff status secured until Matchday 7.UEFA Champions League 2025-26 league phase table — StandingsTeams 1-8 qualify for knockout roundsTeams 9-24 qualify for playoff round — two-legged tiesTeams 25-36 eliminated from EuropeParis Saint-Germain — 3-0-0, +10 GD, 9 pointsInter Milan — 3-0-0, +9 GD, 9 pointsArsenal — 3-0-0, +8 GD, 9 pointsBorussia Dortmund — 2-1-0, +5 GD, 7 pointsManchester City — 2-1-0, +4 GD, 7 pointsBayern Munich — 2-0-0, +6 GD, 6 pointsNewcastle United — 2-0-1, +6 GD, 6 pointsReal Madrid — 2-0-0, +6 GD, 6 pointsBarcelona — 2-0-1, +5 GD, 6 pointsQarabag — 2-0-0, +3 GD, 6 pointsPSV Eindhoven — 1-1-1, +2 GD, 4 pointsTottenham Hotspur — 1-1-0, +1 GD, 4 pointsMarseille — 1-0-1, +3 GD, 3 pointsClub Brugge — 1-0-1, +2 GD, 3 pointsSporting CP — 1-0-1, +2 GD, 3 pointsEintracht Frankfurt — 1-0-1, 0 GD, 3 pointsLiverpool — 1-0-1, 0 GD, 3 pointsAtletico Madrid — 1-0-1, -1 GD, 3 pointsChelsea — 1-0-1, -1 GD, 3 pointsGalatasaray — 1-0-1, -3 GD, 3 pointsAtalanta — 1-0-1, -3 GD, 3 pointsNapoli — 1-0-1, -5 GD, 3 pointsUnion Saint-Gilloise — 1-0-1, -6 GD, 3 pointsJuventus — 0-2-0, 0 GD, 2 pointsBodo/Glimt 0-2-0, 0 GD, 2 pointsPafos — 0-2-1, -4 GD, 2 pointsBayer Leverkusen — 0-2-1, -5 GD, 2 pointsAS Monaco — 0-0-1, -3 GD, 1 pointSlavia Prague — 0-1-1, -3 GD, 1 pointVillarreal — 0-2-1, -3 GD, 1 pointsCopenhagen — 0-1-2, -4 GD, 1 pointOlympiacos — 0-1-2, -7 GD, 1 pointKairat Almaty — 0-1-2, -8 GD, 1 pointBenfica — 0-0-3, -5 GD, 0 pointsAthletic Bilbao — 0-0-2, -5 GD, 0 pointsAjax — 0-0-2, -6 GD, 0 points

Real Madrid edged past Juventus in the Champions League on Wednesday evening, with Jude Bellingham’s first goal of the season proving the difference between the two sides.

Brahim managed to squeeze past Lloyd Kelly before poking the ball through to the French international, whose left-footed strike was saved by Di Gregorio.