How does betting on the Champions League work?

A bet on the Champions League is a stake on the outcome of a match or on an event within the tournament. You choose a match, choose a market and decide yourself how much to stake. You see the odds of that market, and with a correct outcome you get the payout that belongs to those odds.

There are two kinds of bets. Match markets are about one match, for example who wins or how many goals are scored. Outright markets are about the whole tournament, for example who wins the Champions League or who becomes top scorer. A match market is settled after the match, an outright market only after the final.

In the league phase the Champions League has several matches at the same time on matchdays, on Tuesday and Wednesday, each time at 18:45 and at 21:00. That means there is a large selection on a single matchday. You can find the full selection for the Champions League on the Champions League page of Napoleon Sports.

Between choosing the match and the settlement there are three steps. First you choose the market. Then you decide the stake, where a spending limit helps you not to stake more than you agreed with yourself beforehand. Finally comes the settlement, after the outcome is officially confirmed.

Every bet remains a game of chance with a risk of losing. Anyone who places bets sets a spending limit and sticks to it.

The main markets explained

The available markets can include 1X2, double chance and goal markets, among others. Below is what the common markets mean.

With 1X2 it is about the result after regular time of 90 minutes, plus stoppage time: 1 is a home win, X is a draw and 2 is an away win. Extra time and penalties do not count in this market. With double chance you take two of the three outcomes at once, for example a home win or a draw.

An over/under market is about the number of goals in the match. The market names a line, such as 2.5 goals, and you bet on over or under that line. With both teams to score it is about whether both sides score at least once. With a handicap, a team is given a virtual head start or deficit beforehand, to take account of an uneven balance of strength.

An example with two fictional teams, A and B: if the match ends 2-1 to A, the 1X2 outcome is 1. With over/under 2.5 goals, over is correct, because three goals were scored. With both teams to score, yes is correct. With double chance A or draw, the outcome is also correct. With a handicap of minus 1 for A, the score for settlement would be 1-1, so a draw.

It is important to read for each market exactly what is settled. A market can cover only the first half, only the second half or the match as a whole. The terms of the market state which period counts.

These are not recommendations. Which markets are available depends on the match and can differ per matchday. For each match, always check the current list and read the terms of the market before you place a bet.

How do you read odds and payout?

Odds are a number that shows what the payout is for a correct outcome. In Belgium, odds are usually shown as decimal odds. The formula is simple: stake times odds is the total payout for a correct outcome. The part above the stake is the profit.

Say you place a stake X on an outcome with odds Y. With a correct outcome you receive X times Y. Your profit is then X times Y minus X. With a wrong outcome you lose the stake X. In this example there are letters instead of amounts, because the odds differ per match and per moment.

Odds also say something about the estimated probability. The lower the odds, the greater the chance that the provider gives to the outcome, and the other way round. That reflects the offer and is not a guarantee of the result. Odds can change until the match starts, because of line-ups, injuries and the volume of bets, among other things.

A bet can also be placed during the match. The odds then change constantly with the state of play. You can read more about live betting on the live football page. Check which format is used for the market and check the odds at the moment you place each bet.

Winner, top scorer and other outright markets

On the Champions League there are also markets that cover the whole tournament, alongside match markets. The winner market is about which club wins the tournament. The top scorer market is about which player scores the most goals. There can also be markets on the round a club reaches, for example the top 8 or the knockout phase.

An outright market is only settled when the outcome is known. That means the stake stays open for a long time, until the final on 5 June 2027 if it is about the winner. If the chosen club is eliminated earlier, the stake is lost, even though the tournament carries on. A spending limit helps you judge how much you stake over such a long period. Meanwhile the odds change, because every matchday changes the situation. In a winner market, the result of the final counts, which is played in Madrid on 5 June 2027.

Such markets are linked to the format of the tournament. The league phase has 36 clubs that each play eight matches. The top 8 of the table go straight to the round of 16, places 9 to 24 play a play-off and the rest are eliminated. You can read exactly how that works on the page about how the Champions League works.

It is important to know that the available markets can differ and that no statistic predicts the outcome of a tournament.

Accumulators and bet builder

With an accumulator you combine several selections on one ticket. The odds of the selections are multiplied by each other. That gives a higher possible payout, but all selections must be correct. If one selection is wrong, the whole ticket is lost.

An accumulator is clearly different from separate stakes. If you place three separate bets, each bet is settled on its own. An accumulator of the same three selections is settled as one whole. That is the main difference and it explains why the risk is different. The terms of an accumulator also say what happens if a match is postponed or cancelled. If two of the three selections in an accumulator are right and one is wrong, the ticket is lost, whereas with three separate bets two of them would still be paid out.

A bet builder works a little differently. You put together several selections within one match yourself, for example a result and a number of goals. The system calculates the combined odds. Not every combination is possible, because some selections influence each other.

Both forms increase the risk per ticket, because more conditions have to be met at the same time. They are an extension of the offer, not a better or safer way of betting. You can see an example of what this looks like at the multi bet builder on Napoleon Sports.

Only place a bet if you have read the terms and understand what you are staking. A spending limit helps you keep control of how much you stake in total.

How does the stage of the tournament change the offer?

The Champions League runs in three stages and each stage has its own character. In the league phase every club plays eight matches against eight different opponents, and the table after each matchday changes what a club needs. A club on the cut-off line is in a different situation from a club that is already sure of a place.

In the play-offs each side plays two matches, home and away. Then the total of both matches counts. The play-offs take place on 16 and 17 February and 23 and 24 February 2027. The round of 16 follows on 9 and 10 March and 16 and 17 March 2027. The final is on 5 June 2027.

In the markets, something changes in the knockout phase. With two legs, a market can cover one match or the round as a whole. So for each market, read exactly what is settled: regular time, extra time or the whole round. There is no extra time in the league phase. If the sides are level after two legs in a knockout round, extra time and penalties can follow. Whether those count is stated in the terms of the market. You can read more about the play-offs and the knockout phase on the page about the knockout phase.

You can read more about the tournament on the hub with everything about the Champions League, the page about the draw, the qualification, the winners and records and where to watch the Champions League.

Frequently asked questions

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