AI Has Predicted Every Champions League Winner Until 2040
- AI predicts Real Madrid will win their record-extending 16th UEFA Champions League title this season as part of its forecast of the next 15 winners
- Traditional European giants including Manchester City, Bayern Munich, Barcelona and Liverpool dominate the AI’s long-term predictions
- Newcastle United emerge as the biggest surprise, with AI predicting they will win their first-ever Champions League title in 2040
Artificial intelligence (AI) has predicted the next 15 winners of the UEFA Champions League, and one unexpected team appears on the list.
The round of 16 stage of the UEFA Champions League for the 2025/26 season begins this week, with all 16 remaining teams set to play their first-leg matches between Tuesday and Wednesday.
Source: Twitter
Defending champions Paris Saint-Germain will host Chelsea in the first leg of what many expect to be one of the standout ties of the round. Meanwhile, 2023/24 winners Real Madrid face a difficult challenge after being drawn against Manchester City.
Over the past 15 years, PSG, Chelsea and City are the only clubs to have won the Champions League for the first time. Chelsea secured their maiden title in 2012, while Manchester City followed by lifting the trophy for the first time in 2023.
Looking ahead, several clubs will hope to achieve their own historic breakthrough over the next decade and a half.
Teams such as Arsenal, Atletico Madrid, Bayer Leverkusen and Newcastle United are among those currently viewed as strong candidates, particularly as they remain involved in this season’s competition.
AI's next 15 Champions League winners
SportBIBLE asked ChatGPT to predict which teams might win the Champions League between now and 2040. While the early selections largely followed established European powerhouses, a few unexpected choices appeared toward the end of the prediction.
According to the AI forecast, Real Madrid will win their record-extending 16th Champions League title this season.
The following year, Manchester City are predicted to lift the trophy again in 2027, although it remains unclear whether manager Pep Guardiola will still be in charge at that point.
The projected winners then continue with Bayern Munich in 2028, Paris Saint-Germain in 2029, and Real Madrid once more in 2030.
After that, Barcelona are predicted to end what would by then be a 16-year wait for a European title by winning the 2031 edition.
Manchester City are tipped to claim their third Champions League crown in 2032 before Arsenal become the first new winners since 2025 by lifting the trophy in 2033.
The following four seasons see Bayern Munich predicted to win in 2034, Liverpool in 2035, Real Madrid again in 2036, and Chelsea in 2037.
Things then become more intriguing toward the end of the list. Inter Milan are forecast to win the Champions League in 2038, which would mark their first European title in 28 years and suggests a more positive outlook for Italian football in the coming seasons.
That prediction comes despite Inter being eliminated from this year’s competition in the play-off round by Norwegian side Bodo/Glimt. Of the four Serie A clubs involved in the tournament, only Atalanta managed to reach the round of 16.
ChatGPT’s projections then see Paris Saint-Germain returning to the summit in 2039, a decade after their second triumph.
The biggest surprise arrives in 2040, when Newcastle United are predicted to win their first-ever Champions League title.
Managed by Eddie Howe, Newcastle progressed through the play-off stage this season after thrashing Qarabag 9-3 on aggregate. They now face Barcelona over two legs in the round of 16.
Source: YEN.com.gh
