2026-27 Euro Soccer: PL, UCL & LaLiga Winners Predicted
ESPN’s 2026-27 European Soccer Season Predictions: A Beginner’s Guide
Welcome to the new season! The 2026-27 European soccer calendar is kicking off, and ESPN gathered 15 expert writers and editors to predict who will win the biggest trophies, score the most goals, and surprise us all. Here’s everything you need to know — explained simply.
Premier League Predictions
Who Will Win the Title?
Our Pick: Arsenal (13 out of 15 votes)
| Team | Votes |
|---|---|
| Arsenal | 13 |
| Manchester City | 1 |
| Chelsea | 1 |
Why Arsenal?
After ending a 20-year wait for a Premier League title last season, the experts think the Gunners are the safest bet to repeat. Two big reasons:
- Smart reinforcements: They lost winger Leandro Trossard but brought in midfielder Bruno Guimarães (who matches Trossard’s output) and winger Christos Tzolis (who’s looked great early on). Their squad depth — tested last year — is now even stronger.
- Rivals in transition: Manchester City changed managers (Pep Guardiola → Enzo Maresca) AND lost three leaders: Rodri, Bernardo Silva, and John Stones. Liverpool are also rebuilding. Unless Manchester United or Chelsea surge, Arsenal looks like the clear favorite.
Key Insight: Bill Connelly notes that City’s transition period and Liverpool’s unfinished rebuild make Arsenal "by far the safest bet."
Who Finishes in the Top Four (Champions League Spots)?
Predicted Top Four:
- Arsenal (implied champions)
- Chelsea (14 votes)
- Manchester City (13 votes)
- Manchester United (10 votes)
Other teams receiving votes: Liverpool (5), Arsenal (2 — some voters put them outside top 4?!), Brighton (1)
Why Chelsea (10th last year) Could Jump to Top 4
It’s not just about new players (Morgan Rogers, Marco Palestra, teens Geovany Quenda & Estevao Willian). The real reason: Manager Xabi Alonso gets a full pre-season + no European games = time to train and implement his system. While rivals juggle Champions League midweeks, Chelsea practices.
Can Man City Still Challenge Without Guardiola?
They looked poor in the Community Shield (3-0 loss to Arsenal), but that was experimental. Reality check: They’re weaker than last year — lost the best manager ever, best defensive midfielder (Rodri), and a legend (Bernardo Silva). They’re "comfortably short of the Gunners" right now. — Sam Tighe
Why Man United Over Liverpool for 4th Place?
- Momentum: Under Michael Carrick (since Jan), United won 71% of games (2.3 pts/game).
- Stability: Kept key players, added Youri Tielemans (huge coup) and Andrey Santos. Marcus Rashford is back.
- Liverpool: New manager, new style, no momentum, squad not ready yet. — Julien Laurens
Golden Boot (Top Scorer)
Unanimous Pick: Erling Haaland (15/15 votes)
No one else received a single vote.
But wait — Guardiola’s gone. Will Haaland suffer?
He had only 7 touches in 53 mins vs Arsenal in the Community Shield. Yet he still got 2 shots (1 on target). The verdict: City will have growing pains under Maresca, but Haaland scoring goals is "one of the few guarantees in sport." He was superb at the World Cup and hits the ground running. Rivals like Alexander Isak, Hugo Ekitike, João Pedro, Viktor Gyökeres will push him — but Haaland wins. — Tom Hamilton
First Manager to Get Sacked?
Top Pick: Oliver Glasner (Nottingham Forest) — 4 votes
| Manager (Club) | Votes |
|---|---|
| Oliver Glasner (Forest) | 4 |
| Matthias Jaissle (Newcastle) | 3 |
| Álvaro Arbeloa (Fulham) | 3 |
| Gary O’Neil (Ipswich) | 3 |
| Pierre Sage (Crystal Palace) | 2 |
Why Glasner?
He’s a great coach (won European trophies at Frankfurt & Palace). But Forest’s owner, Evangelos Marinakis, has zero patience — went through 4 managers last season alone (Nuno, Postecoglou, Dyche, Pereira). If Forest start slow (tough early fixtures: Leeds, Liverpool, Spurs, Villa), Marinakis may pull the trigger. — Sam Marsden
Surprise Top-4 Contender?
Pick: Tottenham Hotspur (6 votes)
Others: Brighton (3), Newcastle (2), Forest (2), Bournemouth (1), Fulham (1)
How can Spurs go from near-relegation to Champions League?
- Massive summer rebuild: Added Andy Robertson (LB), Jan Paul van Hecke (CB), Sandro Tonali (midfield, up to $133M!).
- Key returns: James Maddison (from ACL), Mohammed Kudus & Dejan Kulusevski (back from injury).
- No European football = De Zerbi gets full weeks to train his high-energy system.
- Rivals in flux = perfect window to strike. — Beth Lindop
Team That Will Struggle Unexpectedly?
Pick: Sunderland (4 votes)
Others: Man United (3), Newcastle (3), Aston Villa (3), Liverpool (2)
Why Sunderland?
They’re living a fairy tale: playoffs → Premier League → Europa League in ~15 months. But:
- Thursday/Sunday grind is brutal for a thin squad.
- Stats say they overperformed last year (no team beat expected points by more).
- Manager Régis Le Bris will have to rotate and prioritize — league form will drop. — Sam Tighe
Major European League Predictions
UEFA Champions League Winner
Pick: Barcelona (5 votes)
| Team | Votes |
|---|---|
| Barcelona | 5 |
| Bayern Munich | 3 |
| Paris Saint-Germain | 3 |
| Arsenal | 2 |
| Man City | 1 |
| Real Madrid | 1 |
Why Barcelona?
PSG won the last two, but three-peats are nearly impossible (only Real Madrid 2016-18 did it this century). Barca looks best positioned to dethrone them:
- Rodri (£65M from City) = world-class midfield anchor.
- Pau Cubarsí = World Cup best young player; Aymeric Laporte may join him.
- Attack: Lamine Yamal (best young player alive?) + Karim Adeyemi + Anthony Gordon.
- Hunger: Squad full of new World Cup winners. — Beth Lindop
Why not PSG three-peat?
They’re still Europe’s best collective, but:
- Relies on individual brilliance (Kvaratskhelia, Dembélé, Doué, Vitinha, Hakimi, Nuno Mendes) — can they all deliver again?
- Marquinhos (32) and GK Matvey Safonov are question marks.
- History: sustaining CL dominance is "bloody hard." — Julien Laurens
LaLiga Winner
Pick: Real Madrid (8 votes) — edged Barcelona (7)
Key Factor: José Mourinho.
Back at the Bernabéu 13 years later. He brings authority to fix last year’s dressing-room chaos (which doomed Xabi Alonso & Álvaro Arbeloa).
Signings (6): Yan Diomande, Marc Cucurella, Ibrahima Konaté, Bernardo Silva, Denzel Dumfries, Carlos Espí.
Big miss: Rodri went to Barca.
Challenge: Fitting Mbappé, Vinícius, Bellingham, Diomande into one XI. Cucurella helps; Silva helps midfield — but replacing Kroos & Modrić is a tall order. — Alex Kirkland
Serie A Winner
Pick: Inter Milan (13 votes)
Others: Como (1), AS Roma (1)
Why Inter?
- Deepest squad in Italy.
- Aleksandar Stanković returns = legs/quality in midfield (only weak spot).
- GK Josep Martínez can’t be worse than last year’s Yann Sommer.
- Rivals uncertain: Milan (Amorim unproven), Napoli (Allegri?), Juventus (Spalletti 1st full season, still shopping). Roma (Santiago Castro + Gasperini magic) is the dark horse. — Gab Marcotti
Note: Serie A clubs shop late — early predictions are risky!
Bundesliga Winner
Unanimous Pick: Bayern Munich (15/15 votes)
Anyone close?
Short answer: No.
Long answer: Bayern built a "terrifying squad" while rivals rebuild:
- Stars: Michael Olise, Harry Kane, Luis Díaz + many more.
- Best additions: Ismael Saibari (attacking mid), Nathaniel Brown (LB).
- Dortmund & Leverkusen have exciting young cores (Karetsas, Gadou, Beier, Jobe Bellingham / Tillman, Maza, Kofane, Gutierrez).
- Stuttgart kept continuity.
- But Bayern’s ceiling is just higher. "Particularly hard to pick against them this year." — Bill Connelly
One Bold Prediction from Each Expert
| Expert | Bold Prediction |
|---|---|
| Bill Connelly | Sunderland pull a "Tottenham": deep Europa League run + 17th-place league finish. |
| Rob Dawson | Tottenham in the title race at Christmas. |
| Alex Kirkland | Diego Simeone leaves Atlético Madrid at season’s end. |
| Julien Laurens | Gianni Infantino re-elected FIFA president in March 2027. |
| Beth Lindop | Michael Carrick sacked by Man United before season ends. |
| Gab Marcotti | New FIFA president after March election. |
| Sam Marsden | Como to win Serie A. (Feeling it!) |
| Mark Ogden | Eddie Howe managing Leeds or Everton by Christmas. |
| James Olley | Man City’s Premier League legal case concludes — causing chaos. |
| Sam Tighe | Brentford’s new midfielder Mamadou Sangaré sold for £80M+ in summer 2027. |
(5 other panelists: Tom Hamilton, Austin Lindberg, Beth Lindop, Roberto Rojas, Nicholas Som, Sam Marsden, James Tyler — predictions not listed in source)
Summary: The Big Picture
| Competition | Favorite | Why? |
|---|---|---|
| Premier League | Arsenal | Best squad stability; rivals in transition. |
| PL Top 4 | Arsenal, Chelsea, Man City, Man United | Chelsea’s "no Europe" advantage; United’s momentum. |
| Golden Boot | Erling Haaland (unanimous) | Goals are inevitable regardless of manager. |
| First Sacking | Oliver Glasner (Forest) | Impatient owner + tough start = short leash. |
| Surprise Package | Tottenham | Big signings, key returns, no Europe, great coach. |
| Disappointment | Sunderland | Europa League grind + statistical regression. |
| Champions League | Barcelona | Rodri + youth + World Cup winners = perfect storm. |
| LaLiga | Real Madrid (narrowly) | Mourinho’s authority + 6 signings. |
| Serie A | Inter Milan | Deepest squad; rivals unproven. |
| Bundesliga | Bayern Munich (unanimous) | Superteam vs. rebuilding league. |
FAQ: Your Questions Answered
Q1: Why does everyone pick Arsenal to win the Premier League again?
A: They kept their core, added quality (Guimarães, Tzolis), and have proven depth. Meanwhile, Man City lost their manager and three leaders (Rodri, Bernardo, Stones), and Liverpool are still rebuilding. Stability wins.
Q2: Is Erling Haaland really a lock for Golden Boot with a new manager?
A: Yes — 15/15 experts agree. Haaland’s goal-scoring is system-proof. Even in a bad City game, he creates chances. He was World Cup-class this summer and starts fresh.
Q3: Can PSG really win a third straight Champions League?
A: History says no — only Real Madrid (2016-18) did it this century. PSG are still favorites per game, but sustaining perfection across a whole knockout tournament three years running is incredibly unlikely.
Q4: Why is Nottingham Forest’s manager the favorite to be fired first?
A: Not because he’s bad — he’s won European trophies! But owner Evangelos Marinakis has fired 4 managers in one season before. If Forest start slow (tough schedule), he won’t wait.
Q5: Which prediction is the wildest?
A: Sam Marsden picking Como to win Serie A. They got 1 vote in the main poll — he’s going way out on a limb. Also: Bill Connelly’s "Sunderland do a Tottenham" (Europa run + near-relegation) is delightfully chaotic.
Final Thought: The 2026-27 season is shaped by transition — new managers at City, United, Liverpool, Spurs, Madrid, Milan, Napoli… Stability (Arsenal, Bayern, Inter, PSG) is rare. That’s why the "safe" picks dominate. But soccer loves chaos — and the bold predictions remind us: expect the unexpected.