Football
Which Are the Most Successful Teams in the Champions League Round of 16? Top 10 Rankings
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Get to know Sushan Chakraborty betterPublished10 Mar 2025
The 2024-25 UEFA Champions League (UCL) season is inching towards the business end, with the Round of 16 in full swing as Europe’s best it out for a shot at immortality.
Last week, we witnessed eight fascinating UCL Round-of-16 clashes first-leg across Tuesday and Wednesday (March 4 and 5). Except for the game between Borussia Dortmund and LOSC Lille on Tuesday — which finished 1-1 — all other games ended with a result.
On day one, Aston Villa beat Club Brugge 3-1, Real Madrid defeated Atletico Madrid 2-1, and Arsenal inflicted a 7-1 defeat upon PSV. On Wednesday, Inter Milan picked up a 2-0 win over Feyenoord, Bayern Munich beat local rivals Bayer Leverkusen 3-0, 10-man Barcelona won 1-0 away at Benfica, and lastly, Liverpool beat Paris Saint-Germain 1-0 in despite not playing up to expectations.
With most of the ties finely poised, the teams will go all out this week to seal a place in the final eight. Before turning our attention to the action at hand, we will check out the most successful teams in the Champions League Round of 16 history. Here are the top 10 teams that have won the most UCL Round of 16 ties:
#10 PSG: 7 wins*
Kicking off the list is French champions Paris Saint-Germain (PSG) with seven Round of 16 victories to their name. PSG have competed in 13 Last 16 ties — including the 2024-25 season — throughout the years. Luis Enrique’s side must play their hearts out if they want to beat Liverpool and improve their record in the competition.
Les Parisiens went toe-to-toe with Spanish outfit Real Sociedad in the Champions League Round of 16 last season. They won 2-0 at home before claiming a 2-1 victory away at Sociedad. Kylian Mbappe scored three goals across both legs. Bradley Barcola was also on the scoresheet for the French side.
#9 Manchester United: 7 wins
Fallen giants Manchester United are ninth, having come out on top in seven Champions League Last 16 ties. The Red Devils, who are toiling in 14th place in the Premier League rankings, have lost five ties in this round throughout history.
The three-time European champions last qualified for the Round of 16 in the 2021-22 season. They drew 1-1 with Atletico Madrid in the first leg, with Anthony Elanga scoring the equalizer. The second leg, however, did not go according to plan, as they slipped to a 1-0 defeat at Old Trafford.
#8 Juventus: 7 wins
One of the most successful teams in Italy, Juventus have won seven Round of 16 ties in the Champions League. The Bianconeri, who are pushing to return to the competition next season, have competed in the Last 16 13 times so far, losing on six occasions.
Juventus’ last Round of 16 appearance came in the 2021-22 season. They drew 1-1 with La Liga outfit Villarreal in the first leg at La Ceramica. Dusan Vlahovic fired the visitors into the lead just 32 seconds into the game, but Daniel Parejo’s second-half strike kept Juve from stealing the win. The Old Lady shockingly collapsed in the second leg, succumbing to an embarrassing 3-0 defeat at Allianz Stadium.
#7 Atletico Madrid: 7 wins*
Two-time Champions League finalists Atletico Madrid have an excellent track record in the Round of 16. Excluding the 2024-25 season, Atleti have secured seven victories in 10 appearances. To make it eight, they will have to get the better of Real Madrid in Wednesday’s (11 March) decider at the Metropolitano Stadium.
Atletico Madrid narrowly beat Inter Milan in the Round of 16 last season. The game ended 2-2 on aggregate at the end of extra time in the second leg, pushing the game to penalties. Atletico Madrid goalkeeper Jan Oblak made two brilliant saves to help his team to the quarter-finals.
#6 Manchester City: 8 wins
Manchester City, who finally ended their Champions League drought in 2022-23, are in sixth place with eight wins in the Round of 16. The Cityzens, who crashed out of the competition this season after losing 6-3 on aggregate to Real Madrid in the play-offs, have contested in 11 Round of 16 ties.
Manchester City faced Copenhagen in the pre-quarterfinals in the 2023-24 season. The English champions overwhelmed the Danish side over two legs, coming away with a 6-2 aggregate win. Kevin De Bruyne, Bernardo Silva, Phil Foden, Manuel Akanji, Julian Alvarez, and Erling Haaland all scored once for City.
#5 Liverpool: 8 wins*
Six-time European champions Liverpool have come out on top in eight Champions League Round of 16 ties. Considering that the Reds have only qualified for this round 12 times — including the 2024-25 season — their conversion rate is one of the best on the continent. Liverpool, who topped the league in the 2024-25 UCL season, are the favourites to beat Paris Saint-Germain and progress to the quarter-finals. Having won 1-0 at the Parc des Princes, the Merseysiders certainly have the experience and quality to see the game through at Anfield.
Liverpool met Real Madrid in their previous Last 16 appearance in the 2022-23 season. Los Blancos ran circles around them and came away with a thumping 6-2 aggregate win over two legs. Darwin Nunez and Mohamed Salah were the goalscorers for the English side.
#4 Chelsea: 11 wins
Premier League powerhouse Chelsea has clinched the fourth spot with an irable 11 victories in the Champions League Round of 16. The two-time European champions have reached the Round of 16 stage 17 times.
Chelsea, who have failed to quality in the last two seasons, locked horns with Borussia Dortmund in the pre-quarterfinals in the 2022-23 season. The Pensioners suffered a 1-0 defeat away at the Signal Iduna Park in the first leg. They, however, pulled their socks up for the return leg at Stamford Bridge and recorded a convincing 2-0 victory (2-1 on aggregate). Raheem Sterling and Kai Havertz found the back of the netting in the tie decider.
#3 Real Madrid: 14 wins*
The most successful team in Champions League history, 15-time winners Real Madrid have 14 Round of 16 victories to their name. They have competed in a record 22 Round of 16 ties (including the 2024-25 season), losing eight times. Only Arsenal and FC Porto have lost more UCL Round of 16 ties, with nine defeats each. Real Madrid must deliver a near-flawless second leg against Atletico Madrid to avoid levelling their score with the Gunners and the Azuis e Brancos this week.
Reigning European champions Real Madrid pulled off a slender victory over RB Leipzig the last time out. Los Merengues beat the Germans 1-0 in the first leg away from home but could only manage a 1-1 draw in the return game at the Santiago Bernabeu Stadium. Brahim Diaz and Vinicius Jr. were the two goalscorers in the 2-1 aggregate victory.
#2 Barcelona: 15 wins*
La Liga giants Barcelona have outperformed arch-rivals Real Madrid in the Round of 16, winning 15 ties over the years, losing on just four occasions. The Blaugrana will fancy themselves reaching their 16th quarter-final this season, as they have a slender 1-0 advantage over Benfica ahead of the return leg in Catalonia.
Barcelona topped their group to qualify for the Last 16 in the 2023-24 season. They drew 1-1 with Napoli in the Round of 16 first leg before turning it around in the second leg at home. Fermin Lopez, Joao Cancelo, and Robert Lewandowski scored one goal each as the Catalans came away with a 3-1 victory (4-2 on aggregate).
#1 Bayern Munich: 16 wins*
At the summit sits Bundesliga powerhouse Bayern Munich, winning 16 Champions League Round of 16 ties throughout history. The Bavarians have so far qualified for the last 16 an impressive 21 times — including the 2024-25 edition. Considering their massive advantage over Bayer Leverkusen (3-0 first-leg win), Bayern are outright favourites to qualify for the quarter-finals for a record-extending 17th time.
Bayern Munich faced Serie A Lazio in the Champions of Round of 16 last season. The German side suffered a 1-0 defeat in the first leg away at Lazio but turned it around in the return leg at the Allianz Arena. Harry Kane scored a brace and Thomas Muller found the back of the net as Bayern secured a 3-0 win (3-1 on aggregate).