The 2026-27 Champions League kicks off this Tuesday with 36 teams ready to dream once again of lifting the trophy. Football's most famous anthem will resonate across Europe once more, and the question is inevitable: will there be a new king, or will PSG achieve a historic treble?

Luis Enrique's side arrive as two-time champions, having defeated Arsenal on penalties in the Budapest final last May. And although their start to the Ligue 1 season has been lackluster, in Paris they are confident that the experience of the last two years will outweigh their poor start to the campaign.

PSG, with the treble in mind

No team other than Real Madrid has ever won the European Cup three times in a row. PSG will try to become the first to do so, and Luis Enrique has bolstered their formidable attack with Ferran Torres, Mika Godts, and Maghnes Akliouche.

However, their current form isn't great: the champions are winless in their first three Ligue 1 matches and also lost the Trophée des Champions to Lens. Even so, as they've shown before, how you finish matters more than how you start.

The favorites who want to dethrone him

Barcelona, ​​Bayern Munich, Arsenal, and Manchester City are all in the hunt . Barcelona hasn't lifted the Champions League trophy in eleven years, but the arrival of Rodri could change their midfield balance, and for many, they are the best-prepared team to stop PSG.

Bayern Munich retained Kane and Olise and maintain a formidable attack with Luis Díaz. Arsenal, runners-up in May, are building on their perfect league form from last year, although they lacked a top-class striker. And Maresca's City are on a roll after three league wins.

Also looming are Real Madrid with Mourinho back on the bench, Liverpool with Iraola and a recovered Isak, Atlético with Álvarez and Romero, and Gasperini's Roma , who started Serie A with three wins.

The 12 “condemned” and the usual surprises

The new 24-team format leaves out a dozen teams with virtually no chance of qualifying: AEK Athens, Bodø/Glimt, Club Brugge, Feyenoord, LASK, Lens, Sabah, Shakhtar Donetsk, Slavia Prague, Slovan Bratislava, Viking, and Villarreal.

But be warned, in football you never know: Bodo/Glimt eliminated Manchester City, Atletico Madrid and Inter Milan last year until the round of 16, and Yaya Touré's Slovan promises to put on a show as the first African coach in Champions League history.

Newcomers, comebacks and a heart-stopping March

Among the stories of the start are the return of Fenerbahçe (who had not played in the group stage since 2008-09) with Lukaku, Greenwood and Ake, and the debut of Fábregas' Como , who three years ago were not even in the First Division.

Arsenal vs Barcelona, ​​the match that defines the phase

Arsenal is the only club to face Barcelona and Real Madrid in the league stage, a demanding schedule for a team aiming to replicate last year's perfect record. A successful run will only intensify their hunger for the Champions League trophy.

If the recent Champions League season taught us anything, it's that easy schedules don't guarantee anything : Stuttgart has the easiest fixture list according to Opta, but they'll have to prove it on the pitch. The same goes for Inter and their second easiest schedule.

The margin for error is minimal: with packed schedules and top-tier teams making significant investments, each matchday will reshape the European landscape. And on March 11th, when the knockout rounds begin, we'll see who withstood the pressure among the 24 best.

The ball starts rolling this Tuesday and history wants to know if PSG can achieve the treble that no one outside of Concha Espina has ever managed.