Champions League Power Rankings: PSG underdogs despite advantage on Bayern; Atleti built to surprise Arsenal

Here's how the semifinalists rank after 90 minutes played, and you might be surprised where Arsenal sit

By Francesco Porzio Apr 29, 2026 at 8:21 pm ET • 1 min read

CBS Sports

One of PSG, Atletico Madrid, Arsenal and Bayern Munich will lift the Champions League trophy this year in Budapest on May 30, when the final will take place. PSG beat Bayern Munich in the incredible semifinal first leg, won 5-4 in Paris by the side coached by Luis Enrique, while Arsenal faced Diego Simeone's Atletico Madrid in an intense and controversial 1-1 draw. Now, 90 minutes and potentially more away next week to see which two clubs will battle for the biggest trophy in club soccer.

Let's take a look at our latest rankings with the semifinal first legs done, and don't forget that you can watch all the UCL action live on Paramount+.

Biggest Movers 1 PSG 1 Atletico Madrid RkTeams ChgRcrd 1 team logo

Bayern Despite losing 5-4 in the first leg against PSG away, I still consider them slight favorites ahead of the second leg, considering they will play in front of their home fans at the Allianz Arena in Munich. When they were down 5-2, I couldn't believe they'd find a way back, let alone score twice against the reigning Champions League holders, arguably the best team in the world. There's something special about this squad, about players like Michael Olise and Harry Kane, and about Vincent Kompany as well. Having already secured the Bundesliga title, they now look capable of going all the way in Europe and lifting the trophy for the first time since the 2019-20 season. -- 2 team logo

PSG What can we say about their game against Bayern Munich on Tuesday? The performances of Khvicha Kvaratskhelia, Ousmane Dembele, and Desire Doue were absolutely sensational and delivered one of the best semifinals in the history of this competition. Their only regret was probably not being able to contain the German champions in the second half, as things are now really open ahead of the return leg that will take place on Wednesday in Munich. They even held a three-goal advantage for a stretch, one that could have made a huge difference heading into next week. 1 3 team logo

Atletico Madrid Despite drawing the first leg in their home match against Arsenal, Atletico Madrid showed once again to be in good form outside their domestic league. It won't be easy at all to knock the Gunners out of the competition next week in London at the Emirates Stadium, but they've got all they need to make it happen. On top of it, Arsenal are still busy trying to win the Premier League and can't make too many rotations this weekend against Fulham ahead of the return leg that will take place next Tuesday. 1 4 team logo

Arsenal Mikel Arteta's team are still one of the best sides around Europe but they have shown some issues over the past weeks both in Europe and in England. Drawing against Atletico Madrid in the first leg in Madrid is still a positive result considering the rivals but they didn't really show their best version at the Metropolitano. If they want to play their first UCL final in 20 years, they need to perform much better in the second leg. -- 5 team logo

Barcelona Eliminated in the quarterfinals. Who thought they would lose to Atletico? I did, to be honest. They are one step away from winning the LaLiga title, but they definitely need to improve their performances in the Champions League next season after two disappointing eliminations against Inter and Atletico Madrid. -- 6 team logo

Real Madrid Eliminated in the quarterfinals. When this team play European soccer, they are just different. Despite a challenging season after the end of the Carlo Ancelotti era at the club, they sacked Xabi Alonso and appointed Alvaro Arbeloa until the end of the season, losing to Bayern Munich, arguably the best team right now. There are now some rumors about a possible comeback of Jose Mourinho next season, who could definitely increase the attention on the team and the league outside the country. -- 7 team logo

Sporting CP Eliminated in the quarterfinals. Despite being eliminated by Arsenal, they showed to be one of the best European sides of the season. They were only knocked out by the team coached by Mikel Arteta despite two strong performances in Lisbon and at the Emirates. -- 8 team logo

Liverpool Eliminated in the quarterfinals. Remember what we all said in the summer of 2025 after their big investments in the transfer window? Well, they didn't deliver as we thought. -- 9 team logo

Manchester City Eliminated in the round of 16. If this will be the last season of Pep Guardiola as a Manchester City manager, we won't remember it as their best one in Europe, as they lost 3-0 to Real Madrid at the Bernabeu. -- 10 team logo

Bodo/Glimt Eliminated in the round of 16. They were the biggest surprise of the tournament, one of those teams that will be remembered for a while. They won against Manchester City and Atletico Madrid in the league phase and most notably knocked out Inter in the playoffs before losing to Sporting CP in the knockouts. -- 11 team logo

Newcastle United Eliminated in the round of 16. Losing 7-2 in the second leg against Barcelona away was one of the biggest disappointments of the season after the home draw against Hansi Flick's team. It wasn't their best season. -- 12 team logo

Chelsea Eliminated in the round of 16. Another English team, another English side that sacked their second coach of the season. After parting ways with Enzo Maresca on the first day of 2026, the Blues also sacked Liam Rosenior in recent days despite giving him a contract running until 2032. -- 13 team logo

Tottenham Hotspur Eliminated in the round of 16. It seems a long time ago when they were playing Champions League soccer under both Thomas Frank and Igor Tudor. They now have another manager, Roberto De Zerbi, but they are still in the race to avoid relegation in the EFL. Good luck. -- 14 team logo

Bayer Leverkusen Eliminated in the round of 16. They drew the first leg of the round of 16 played against Arsenal; they couldn't do much in the second leg in London. They did what they could. -- 15 team logo

Atalanta Eliminated in the round of 16. The only Italian team that made it to the top 16 of the tournament but also faced Bayern Munich, the most difficult opponent they could have faced. In fact, they conceded six goals in the first leg in Bergamo, a match that also heavily affected their ambitions ahead of the return leg in Munich. -- 16 team logo

Galatasaray Eliminated in the round of 16. There were probably too many expectations around them, especially after winning the first leg played in Istanbul against Liverpool in the first phase of the knockouts. They had some players such as Victor Osimhen who could have made the difference but they did not in the end. -- 17 team logo