Every Champions League season delivers storylines that stick with fans for decades. While the spotlight is always on clubs like Real Madrid, Bayern Munich, and Manchester City, the heart of the competition lies in its unpredictability.
Smaller or mid-market teams step onto Europe’s biggest stage without the same resources, but with passion, smart tactics, and the hunger to make history. The 2025/26 edition looks set to offer exactly that kind of drama.
Why This Season Feels Different
The Champions League format has changed, and that matters. The new 36-team league phase creates more matches, more points on the line, and more room for surprises. Smaller clubs don’t need to survive a brutal four-team group anymore. Instead, they have a better chance of building momentum over multiple games against varied opponents.
What excites me as a fan is that the balance feels less rigid. Giants are dealing with packed schedules, which stretch their squads thin. Smaller clubs, meanwhile, arrive sharper and hungrier, often thriving on unity rather than star power. This creates an opening for underdogs to turn consistency into qualification for the knockouts, something that felt much harder under the old format.
Pafos FC ─ Cyprus Steps Into the Spotlight
If there’s one true Cinderella story this season, it’s Pafos FC. They earned their place in the league phase by knocking out Red Star Belgrade in the play-offs, securing Cyprus’s first-ever club entry at this stage of the competition. That achievement alone has made headlines, but their story is only beginning.
Pafos are coached by Juan Carlos Carcedo, who has instilled a style built on intensity and flexibility. They don’t just sit deep and hope for the best. Instead, they press smartly, stay compact when needed, and break forward with purpose. For a debutant club, they look more prepared than many expect.
Fans and bettors alike are paying attention. Platforms like Mostbet PK have already seen a spike in interest around Pafos’s matches, reflecting the belief that they might produce real upsets. Underdogs don’t carry the same psychological burden as heavyweights, and that freedom often leads to fearless football.
What excites me personally about Pafos is that they play with nothing to lose. Their games will be some of the most watched by neutrals, because we all want to see how far belief can carry them.
Benfica ─ The Steady Force That People Forget
It feels strange to call Benfica a “small club,” given their history and fanbase, but in the context of today’s Champions League giants, they are not in the same financial league. That’s precisely why they belong on this list of potential surprise packages.
Benfica have quietly built a balanced squad capable of competing at the highest level. Their mix of academy graduates and smart signings means they always have depth without overspending. This consistency makes them dangerous in a new format that rewards stability.
A few things stand out about Benfica:
- They know how to manage European nights, drawing on decades of experience.
- Their tactical identity rarely wavers, making them hard to disrupt.
- They embrace the role of underdogs against richer teams, often flipping the script.
For me, Benfica are the type of side that can sneak into the latter stages almost unnoticed, only for everyone to realize how strong they actually are.
Athletic Bilbao ─ Pride, Identity, and a Fortress Called San Mamés
Athletic Bilbao’s return to the Champions League is one of the most anticipated stories of the season. It’s been over a decade since their last appearance, and the Basque club enters with momentum and renewed belief.
What makes Bilbao so compelling is their unique philosophy of only fielding Basque players. In a world dominated by transfer market frenzy, Athletic’s identity sets them apart. Their squad may not feature global stars, but it is built on cohesion, discipline, and pride.
San Mamés, their home ground, is a nightmare for visitors. On a European night, with the crowd pushing every tackle and every sprint, the atmosphere becomes suffocating for opponents. Giants will arrive expecting a routine win and leave bruised, sometimes beaten.
As someone who loves the emotional side of football, I can’t help but think Bilbao’s return could give us one of those unforgettable stories, where passion meets tactics in perfect balance.
Club Brugge ─ Belgium’s Perennial Dark Horse
Club Brugge have been here before, and that’s precisely what makes them dangerous. They are used to being written off, only to punch above their weight. Their consistency in European competitions has earned them respect, but not enough to remove their underdog tag.
Brugge’s strength lies in tactical intelligence. They play compact football but know when to release quick, incisive attacks. Against big clubs, this balance often frustrates opponents who expect dominance but instead find themselves trapped in tight, scrappy battles.
For Brugge, the challenge is not surviving but pushing further. They’ve had decent runs before, but with the new league format, they can collect enough results to make the knockouts. I believe their ability to combine physicality with sharp counterattacks could be a big factor.
Olympiacos ─ Greece’s Constant Presence
Olympiacos benefit directly from the Champions League’s rebalancing. Greece now has more opportunities, and Olympiacos have taken theirs. While they don’t have the glamour of Western Europe’s top clubs, they do have the experience to compete.
They are a familiar name in Europe, but often underestimated. What works in their favor is their tactical pragmatism and ability to adapt. They know how to make life uncomfortable for bigger teams, particularly in Piraeus, where the atmosphere is always intense.
- Home advantage in Piraeus matters. The Georgios Karaiskakis Stadium becomes a cauldron on European nights, unsettling visiting giants.
- Tactical pragmatism keeps them competitive. Olympiacos rarely try to outplay technically superior opponents, instead focusing on discipline and structure.
- Experience across decades of European competition. They have faced and frustrated nearly every top club at some point, which adds to their confidence.
- A knack for capitalizing on fine margins. In tight games where one mistake decides everything, Olympiacos often prove more composed.
Olympiacos aren’t likely to dominate possession or dazzle with big names, but they can grind results. In a tournament where fine margins matter, their stubbornness could take them further than most predict.
The Importance of Home Advantage
One thing all these clubs share is the significance of their home grounds. Whether it’s San Mamés in Bilbao, the Georgios Karaiskakis Stadium in Piraeus, or the Ghelamco Arena for Brugge, these venues become fortresses on European nights.
The Champions League is as much about psychology as tactics. Giants who thrive in comfortable conditions often look uneasy when confronted with smaller, noisier stadiums. This home advantage is a real weapon and could decide matches that look one-sided on paper.
Why Fans Should Be Excited
What makes this season feel special is not just who might win the trophy, but who might upset the balance along the way. For fans like me, it’s the surprises that make the Champions League unforgettable.
- Will Pafos continue their dream run?
- Can Benfica quietly slip into the late stages?
- Will Bilbao or Brugge deliver the kind of shock that has us talking for years?
- Could Olympiacos turn stubbornness into a winning formula?
These are the storylines that give this season its flavor.
Expect Surprises
The 25/26 Champions League is not just about big clubs fighting for another title. It’s also about the hunger of smaller teams who see opportunity in the new format. Pafos, Benfica, Athletic Bilbao, Club Brugge, and Olympiacos each bring something different to the table, but all have one thing in common: belief.
If the past has taught us anything, it’s that underdogs can and do upset the established order. This season feels like one where those shocks will be more than just isolated incidents. As a football fan, I can’t wait to see which of these clubs turns potential into reality.
