champions league table: ESPN top 10 and the round-of-16 places
ESPN’s 2025-26 UEFA Champions League standings put Arsenal first, with Bayern Munich second, Liverpool third and Tottenham Hotspur fourth. Barcelona are fifth, Chelsea sixth, Sporting CP seventh, Manchester City eighth, Real Madrid ninth and Internazionale tenth.
ESPN states that positions 1 through 8 qualify for the round of 16, so Manchester City hold the last automatic place while Real Madrid and Internazionale sit outside the cutoff.
| Position | Team | Status |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Arsenal | Round of 16 place |
| 2 | Bayern Munich | Round of 16 place |
| 3 | Liverpool | Round of 16 place |
| 4 | Tottenham Hotspur | Round of 16 place |
| 5 | Barcelona | Round of 16 place |
| 6 | Chelsea | Round of 16 place |
| 7 | Sporting CP | Round of 16 place |
| 8 | Manchester City | Round of 16 place |
| 9 | Real Madrid | Outside top eight |
| 10 | Internazionale | Outside top eight |
That top-eight line is the key story in ESPN’s champions league table. Arsenal, Liverpool, Tottenham Hotspur, Chelsea and Manchester City give England five clubs inside the qualification places, while Real Madrid and Internazionale are just outside them.
Lower-table rows from ESPN’s standings
| Team | Matches Played | Wins | Draws | Losses | Goals For | Goals Against | Goal Difference | Points |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| team name not shown in verified snippet | 8 | 2 | 2 | 4 | 9 | 15 | -6 | 8 |
| team name not shown in verified snippet | 8 | 2 | 2 | 4 | 12 | 21 | -9 | 8 |
| team name not shown in verified snippet | 8 | 2 | 0 | 6 | 8 | 21 | -13 | 6 |
| team name not shown in verified snippet | 8 | 1 | 1 | 6 | 10 | 21 | -11 | 4 |
| team name not shown in verified snippet | 8 | 0 | 3 | 5 | 5 | 19 | -14 | 3 |
| team name not shown in verified snippet | 8 | 0 | 1 | 7 | 5 | 18 | -13 | 1 |
| team name not shown in verified snippet | 8 | 0 | 1 | 7 | 7 | 22 | -15 | 1 |
These verified rows show two unnamed clubs level on eight points but separated by goal difference at -6 and -9. After that, the listed sides fall to six, four, three, one and one point from eight matches, which is the clearest lower-table context around the cutoff.
The Guardian’s final Premier League 2025-26 table adds context
The Guardian’s final Premier League 2025-26 table shows Arsenal first on 85 points with a +44 goal difference and Manchester City second on 78 with a +42 goal difference. That helps explain why Arsenal top ESPN’s European standings while City still scrape into eighth.
| Premier League Position | Team | Points | Goal Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1st | Arsenal | 85 | +44 |
| 2nd | Manchester City | 78 | +42 |
| 3rd | Manchester United | 71 | +27 |
| 4th | Aston Villa | 65 | +19 |
Manchester United finished third on 71 points and Aston Villa fourth on 65, but the Champions League cutoff remains the main point. In this ESPN snapshot, the headline is simple — Arsenal finish first, but the line that matters most runs between Manchester City in eighth and Real Madrid in ninth.