Champions League Betting: A Thorough Overview

Welcome to our guide to Champions League betting, where we have you covered with up-to-date recommendations for the best Champions League bookies on the market today. In addition, we share all of the top betting markets that you can sink your teeth into this season. Fill your boots here!

Written by: Luke Andrews

Updated on: 10.10.2024

The Best Champions League Betting Sites

• 🥇 Ladbrokes ✪ Our Top Champions League Betting Site
• 🥈 888sport Widest Champions League Market Selection
• 🥉 10bet Superb Livestreaming Platform
• ✪ Unibet ✪ Great Football Betting Odds
• ✪ William Hill ✪ Best for Champions League In-play Markets

Our team of industry insiders has tested the current Champions League betting market to find the top bookmakers that you can sign up to today. Take a look at their selections above and keep in mind that their recommendations are based on several key criteria, meaning you can find mutliple bookies that all offer something a little different.

We think you are bound to find a Champions League bookmaker from the recommendations above that meets your expectations. Would you be interested in knowing exactly how we came to our conclusions? Allow us to oblige! Simply stick with this guide and read on to learn all about our stringent testing criteria – and you can use it yourself in the future.

The Criteria for Choosing the Best Champions League Betting Sites

When it comes to making our decision on the best operators, a number of integral factors have to be analysed. So, below are 4 key targets that each bookie should excel in. Of course, there is more to it, but these are a good starting point when it comes to evaluating the best.

Our top bookmakers meet the following criteria:

• A high level of payouts and the potential for profits.
• Good promotions dedicated to the Champions League.
• The live betting platform and streaming on offer.
• The number of markets on offer.

Yes, we all know that everyone looks for bookies with the highest payouts or bet builder betting sites, but as you see, other factors such as the number of markets, promotions on offer, the live platform and more, can also significantly impact your playing experience. Now let’s go into a bit more detail.

The Importance of Payouts

The importance of high payouts is pretty self-explanatory. The return you receive after winning a placed bet on football should be as high as possible. It’s always a good sign if a bookie offers a high payout. The table below shows the percentage that our top 5 bookies payout. How did we calculate this? You can see the process in our guide to the best UK betting companies.

Best Champions League Betting Offers

There’s nothing better than getting a free bet. So, when you come to choosing a bookmaker Champions League style, surely you want a good offer to come with it? Luckily, many of the bookies will have promotions leading up to big games. Whether it be a sign-up offer, enhanced odds, money-back guarantee or more there are always Champions League betting offers to be found. What’s more, the offers you find on our betting sign up offers can also be used. So, you’ll have to plenty to go with.

Live Betting and Streaming

Another important ranking factor is the way a bookie offers its live betting platform. It is imperative that you can easily place bets, whilst having a good offer of markets, and information readily available. All of what we discussed on our live page was scrupulously tested. What’s more, an added bonus was given if live games were streamed, as there is nothing better than watching games progress and making your decision to play a bet based on the flow of the match.

Number of Markets Available

The number of markets found on Champions League betting sites is also very important. If you were just limited to guessing the final result of the match, things would get pretty boring, pretty fast. As such, you want to have the most choice available to you, and that is understandable. That’s why in our review of the best operators we chose the ones with plenty of options both before and in-game, so you won’t be left wanting.

The Type of Markets for Champions League Betting

We’d say the same type of markets you’d find on Premier League betting sites, will also be found here. Of course, there might be some variated depending on the match, but we’d say this was a good starting point. So below you’ll find the facts and stats on what is on offer, something you can use when deciding how to bet.

Bet on Single Games

Up until this point we have focused on the best online bookmakers for the Champions League, now we’ll go into more detail on the type of bets you’d expect to find. First, we’ll start with betting on single games. There are many options to choose from here, and it must be noted these aren’t the only options! Furthermore, check our best bookie below.

Betting on the Full-Time Result (1×2) and Associated Stats

This is the most popular and easy type of Champions League betting wager. Basically, you are choosing the final result of the match. 1 is a home team win, X is a draw, and 2 is away win. As you see below, last season, in the knockout stages, teams won only 44.8% home games, still a majority, but not as much as in leagues like La Liga. Draws occurred 20.8% of the time, and away wins 34.4%. So next time you have a punt keeps these stats in mind.

Both Teams to Score Betting and Stats

Time for a fan favorite: another popular bet is the both teams to score bet. In essence, you either back that they both will (yes) or they won’t (no). It’s pretty simple, and in the 2021/22 season only 47.75% of games games finished with yes. Compared to other leagues, this is a relatively low figure, and might be worth keeping in mind.

Over/Under Betting and Stats

Another favoured punt is the Over/Under bet. Here you have to choose whether the game will finish above or under a certain amount of goals, usually set at 2.5. As you can see from the stats in 2017/18 an absolutely astounding 57.30% of games finished over 2.5 goals. This could mean the odds for the over a relatively low, so maybe it would be better to go for the 3.5 line or higher. Even so, it stands as a testament to Champions League football and the free-flowing attacking football that comes with it.

Outright Betting on Champions League

A great type of bet is the ante-post bet. It’s more of a long-term investment and you have to do some research beforehand, but it can pay off. An ante-post bet, or outright bet, is based on the final outcomes at the end of the tournament. You usually place them before it begins, or as it progresses with shorter odds, as more info and form of teams/players becomes available.

Outright Winner Bets

This bet is simply predicting the champion. After a run of predictable results with Barcelona and Real Madrid taking home five titles between them, things have opened up again. In the last three years, the champions have been Chelsea, Bayern Munich and most recently, Real Madrid.

Finalist Without the Champion Bet

A pretty interesting type of bet is predicting the runner up. In the 2021/22 season, this title went to Liverpool. The team, seemingly bound to lose the final, is Juventus. Who in nine finals have lost seven! Yes, seven! It is incredible to think about it really. We’ll see if the departure of CR7 can alter that trend going forward, or if Juventus is bound to failure. Elsewhere, Manchester City is another club worth considering, given how dominant they’ve been in the Premier League compared with their lack of European success.

Stage of Elimination Bets

A very unique bet, as it can only be placed in a tournament format. You choose which round teams will be eliminated in. Whether it be ground stages, the last 16 and so on. This would be a good bet if you are confident stronger teams will progress, whilst others flounder. Manchester City, for example, only made it to the finals one time since rising to dominance in the English league, when they finished second to Chelsea in 2020/21. It could also be worth seeing which side of the draw teams will land it, in order to track potential opponents.

Top Scorer Bets

This ante-post bet is different to the others, in that it does not apply to teams, but individual players instead. It’s a fascinating bet, as clubs are filled with stars and only the top players play in the competition. Even so, for almost a decade the award had only been shared between the two rivals Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi (Neymar shared it in 2014/15 with them both).

All the Info You Need to Know About the Champions League

Champions League information

Name	UEFA Champions League
Headquarters	Nyon, Switzerland
Year of foundatio	1955 (rebranded in 1992)
Sponsor	Heineken
Website	www.uefa.com
Number of teams	80
Group places	32
Knockout phases	16

If you want to know more about Champions League betting, then you should know more about the history of the tournament itself. The competition was introduced in Europe in 1955 as the European Cup and was invite-only. It was initially met with opposition from English clubs that did not participate in the first one. Previously the competition was a straight knockout form until it was rebranded in 1992.

The current format starts with a group stage of, 32 teams making 8 groups. They play a double round-robin system, and the 8 group winners and 8 runners up go through to the knock out rounds all the way to the final. The teams finishing in third in the group progress to the UEFA Europa League competition.

The competition is UEFA and Europe’s elite tournament. There is much prize money involved, with the winner getting nearly £20 million, and clubs can earn upwards of £80 million overall by progressing to the final. It is also seen as a marker from clubs from each of the big European leagues to compare themselves and see who is the best.

The tournament takes place throughout the regular season beginning in June with the qualifying rounds and culminating with the final always taking place in May. Before the tournament begins, clubs have to register a squad of 25 players, with 8 places for locally trained players. They can also register three new players before the round of 16, following UEFA’s rules, and provided they haven’t already appeared in the competition. Check out the handy table for a quick overview.

The Teams of the Champions League

In this review of betting on Champions League football, we will now dedicate some time to discuss the most prestigious and winning teams of the competition. Who are the most successful? Who is the best supported? We’ll discuss this and more. Read on to find out!

Team Records

We thought we’d now delve into some tasty team records. In the boxes below we’ll go into the team with the most consecutive wins, longest unbeaten streak, most goals scored, and best defence. Check them out below and see if there are any surprises.

Return to the Best Champions League Betting Sites

The Best Players in CL History: Past and Present

The Champions League is a competition steeped in history. As a result, numerous footballing icons and legends have taken part. Many have made their name and performed heroics to bring the trophy home. In the following paragraphs, we’ll highlight some of these players.

Individual Player Records

If you like trivia, or just want more roundabout knowledge about the Champions League, these boxes are for you. You’ll find some of the best individual player records below, like most appearances, most clean sheets, most goals, assists, and to round it of the worst discipline! Dig in and see what you can find.

History of Betting on Champions League

The Champions League is the best and most well-known competition in the world. As a result, English fans love a punt on the competition, and it is a massive market to bet on. Every bookie worth its salt will invest in providing a top experience.

It all started in 1955 with the first competition, when international pools were part of the betting makeup. Then in 2002 the British government allowed more types of bets to be developed with individual games now allowed to be bet on, which meant the market began to exponentially grow.

Champions League quickly became a favourite for the average punter, due to the competition’s overall popularity. Online bookmakers seized onto this and started offering many promotions and deals associated. In the final in 2014, there was a record-breaking £100m + wagered on the event, and it is still growing from strength to strength today.

Discover the Best Champions League Bookmakers

Betting on Champions League: Useful Strategies

Throughout this review, we have given lots of advice on how to judge Champions League betting sites. So, it is now perhaps useful to give you some hints on when to place bets, and how to go about it.

First of all, it’s imperative you do your homework. This is a competition with teams from many nations, and their form could differ. Yes, you might be swayed by old names and history, but it doesn’t pay to just go off that alone. Just look at A.C. Milan’s form in Europe recently.

It is fair to say that the competition is an attacking one, and many teams go for all or nothing in the knockout stages. So, it may pay to go towards Over betting markets. All in all, it is an attractive tournament to take part in, and if you do your research it can pay well.

Which Champions League Betting Sites Should You Avoid?

When using Champions League betting sites it is of utmost importance that you use safe and secure ones. Those ending in .com or .co.uk are the only ones you should consider using. Furthermore, any website featured on our page is trustworthy and fully regulated by the UK Gambling Commission. This is something that is very important, as there’s no reason in using a site if they’ll never give you the winnings! Rest assured, if you bet with anyone featured with us here, you’ll be secure.

Facts and Anecdotes

Everyone has heard of that person that turned a £1 acca into thousands, but do you ever believe them? Below, we give you some very lucky, and other not so lucky, anecdotes about bets that have been placed on the CL.

Surprising results are possible. Concentration is a decisive factor.

Carlo Ancelotti A.C. Milan Icon

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FAQ

After all that, we doubt we have left any stone unturned. But if we have, and you want to ask us a question, send us an email at info@bestbettingsites.com and we’ll get back to you as soon as possible.

🏅 What are the best Champions League betting sites?

🤩 Are there any promotions for the Champions League?

The Champions League is one of the best betting option for promotions. Bookmakers offer several bonuses throughout the season for both newcomers and existing members. You can find first-time deposit bonuses, risk-free bets, and accumulator boosts for the top tier of European cup football at almost every betting site in the United Kingdom.

✅ I already opened an account to bet on another league, can I use that one?

Yes, it’s possible, as long as they offer the Champions League market. However, if you have read our pages, you will know that every bookie has its own pros and cons, so we only recommend, the ones we have featured to get the best experience.

⚽ Is it possible to bet on the winner after the Champions League has started?

Yes, you can make an antepost bet after the start of the competition. However, the odds will be reduced, as now you will have a better feeling of who will win, especially if you get into the later rounds.