UEFA Champions League Betting & Odds Online at Stake
The UEFA Champions League is the leading club football tournament on the planet, attracting viewers from all around the world as Europe's best teams compete for the most prestigious trophy in the sport.
When it comes to UEFA Champions League betting, you have several options at Stake.com, and you can back your favourite teams and players as they compete for European glory.
The competition has changed and evolved since its formation in the 1992-93 season, but it has long been football's leading club competition. Players and coaches see the Champions League as the Holy Grail and the pinnacle of their careers, which is why games in the competition are often so competitive and memorable.
Find out everything you need to know about Champions League betting and
football betting
at
Stake online sportsbook
and how to make a profit from placing wagers on football's premier club competition.
History of the UEFA Champions League
The UEFA Champions League was launched at the start of the 1992-1993 season, but it wasn't the first inter-continental European club competition. It was established to replace the European Cup, which had been going strong since the 1955-56 season.
The legendary Alfredo Di Stefano inspired Real Madrid to a comeback win over Stade de Reims in the first-ever European Cup Final in Paris. It was a sign of things to come as Los Blancos would go on to dominate the European football scene for the next 70 years.
The establishment of the UEFA Champions League was primarily for commercial reasons in the early nineties, as broadcasters saw an opportunity to capture the imagination of football fans worldwide with sleek branding, a unique structure, and even the iconic music associated with Europe's premier football competition.
Marseille were the first winners of the new UEFA Champions League in 1992-93, and they remain the only French team to have won the prize to this day. Given their prominence, however, it's only a matter of time until Kylian Mbappe fires PSG to their first-ever Champions League title, something you can bet on at Stake.com!
Format of the UEFA Champions League
Although the Champions League has been tweaked several times since the early nineties, the format has remained essentially the same. A complex seeding and qualification process begins in the summer, based on the co-efficient of the leagues within the European continent.
The main competition begins in September of each season once all the qualification spots have been filled. Teams qualify for the Champions League based on the position in which they finish in their domestic league, but not every league is given equal weighting.
For instance, the English Premier League offers automatic Champions League qualification to the top three teams (plus a playoff spot for the fourth team). At the same time, the Scottish Premier League only has one automatic qualification spot up for grabs. Every league in Europe has a different number of qualification spots, determined by UEFA.
Once the competition gets underway, each team enters a group of four teams, playing six fixtures, three at home and three away. The top two teams progress to the competition’s knockout stage, while the teams that finish third in their groups drop down into the UEFA Europa League.
Every knockout round fixture is played over two legs – one at home and one away – until the final, which is a single game played at a neutral venue. Until recently, an away goals rule featured in the competition’s knockout stages, but this has been removed to make things easier for coaches, players, and fans alike.
Typical Schedule & Teams Involved
The UEFA Champions League group stage plays out from September until December, meaning the knockout schedule is known before the winter break across Europe.
The competition’s knockout phase runs from February until May, and the final is either at the end of May or at the very start of June – it's always the last game on the European football calendar and serves as the end-of-season showpiece.
Due to the qualification and seeding process, the Champions League is competed by the biggest teams in Europe, with teams from England, Spain, Italy, and Germany typically dominating the latter stages of the tournament.
The UEFA Champions League has only been won three times by teams outside of Europe's big four leagues – Marseille in 1992-93, Ajax in 1994-95, and Porto in 2003-04.
Before vast amounts of money flowed into the big European football leagues thanks to TV money, it was common to see lower-ranked teams compete in the latter stages of the European Cup, adding more variety to the closing proceedings. Just look at Red Star Belgrade's triumph in 1990-91 and Steaua Bucuresti's win in 1985-86 as examples of this.
While still huge clubs in their respective countries, it's unlikely that such teams will win the European Cup anytime soon, given the exorbitant budgets available to teams in the big leagues in Europe.
Champions League 2023 Fixtures & Match Schedule
Following the Group Stage matches at the end of 2022, and the Round of 16, which was held in February and March 2023, the breakdown below outlines the key dates for the knockout stages:
Quarterfinals – April 11/12 & 18/19
Manchester City FC vs FC Bayern Munich
SL Benfica vs FC Inter Milan
AC Milan vs SSC Napoli
Real Madrid vs Chelsea FC
Semifinals – May 9/10 & 16/17
When is the Champions League 2023 Final?
The 2023 UEFA Champions League final will be held on Saturday 10th June 2023 at 21:00 (Central European Time) in Istanbul, Turkey. The final match will be a match between Manchester City vs Inter Milan.
Discover the best
Champions League final odds and betting options
and place your bets before the big event!
UEFA Champions League Betting Types
When it comes to the types of bets for soccer on online betting sites, you have numerous options, including the following bet types:
Moneyline (Head to Head)
The easiest way to bet on the UEFA Champions League is to place a
moneyline bet
. Here, your only job is picking the winner of a fixture, which is a great way to get started. Don't forget that group-stage matches in the Champions League can end in a draw.
Correct score
Another Champions League betting option is correctly predicting a match’s score. For instance, you might think the home team will win 3-0 so that you can place a correct score bet accordingly.
Over/Under (Total goals)
Rather than picking a winner, you can place a
totals bet
on Champions League football. Here, you need to decide if more or fewer goals than the totals line set by Stake.com will be scored in the fixture.
Handicap
As the Champions League often pits overwhelming favourites against underdogs, a
handicap bet
is a good option. It sees the favourites start the game with a handicap, while the underdogs begin the game with a head start.
Double result (1st half/full time)
Another popular Champions League bet is a double result wager. Your job is to place a wager on whom you think will win the first and the second half of a match, hence its name – a double result bet.
Live Betting for UEFA Champions League Games
In addition to the pre-game markets introduced above, you can also place several in-play bets on the Champions League.
Live betting options include markets like the next goalscorer, the number of corners, and the number of yellow cards. Stake.com is the perfect place for UEFA Champions League live betting, offering numerous markets when the action is already underway.
Champions League Betting Odds & Payouts
When it comes to Champions League betting at Stake.com, odds are given as fractions (3/1), decimals (3.0) or in the American format (+300). You can select how to see the odds by amending the settings in your Stake.com account.
When you bet online at Stake.com, you benefit from instant deposits and withdrawals, meaning you don't have to wait long for your payout to be processed.
Why bet on UEFA Champions League at Stake.com?
Stake.com is the perfect place for UEFA Champions League betting, with so many markets available to sports fans. Check out our comprehensive offering of Champions League betting markets before placing your bets to ensure you fully understand the different betting options available.
Also be sure to learn more about how to bet online with our
elite betting tips
, and keep up to date with the latest
sports betting promotions
to get the most out of your bets. So whether you're a sports betting expert, a casual soccer fan, or simply want to bet for fun. Stake sportsbook is the ultimate online betting site for live soccer matches, including
Simulated Reality League
games!
An interesting Fact About UEFA Champions League Betting
Did you know? Although the latter stages of the Champions League are usually dominated by teams from England, Spain, Germany, and Italy, Jose Mourinho caused a huge upset when guiding FC Porto to the title in 2003-04.
Porto were 50/1 at the start of the tournament to go the distance, and their triumph is a true underdog story in European football today.
