Champions League power rankings: Every team from 1-36

The new UEFA Champions League season got underway on Tuesday, Sept. 8, with 36 teams across Europe battling on the long road to lift one of sports' most prestigious trophies.

Paris Saint-Germain, which defeated Arsenal on penalty kicks in last season's final, has won back-to-back titles. Only one team has won three in a row in the past 50 years, when Real Madrid did it from 2016 - 2018.

Other top contenders this year include some of the usual favorites, such as Bayern Munich, Barcelona, 15-time champion Real Madrid and Manchester City.

In the current Champions League format, 36 teams compete in one "league," with each club playing eight matches. The top eight (three points for a win, one for draw) advance directly to the round of 16. The clubs

who finish 9th-24th compete in the playoff round to earn their spots in the last 16.

Here's how every team in this year's league phase ranks:

UEFA Champions League power rankings

1. Paris Saint-Germain 🇫🇷

• Three in a row? It's only been done four times: Real Madrid in 1956-1960 and 2016-2018; Ajax from 1971-1973; and Bayern Munich from 1974-1976.

2. Bayern Munich 🇩🇪

• Harry Kane has still yet to achieve European glory. Can the England star make the most of his incredible form?

3. Arsenal 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁥󠁮󠁧󠁿

• Went unbeaten in 13 Champions League matches before losing the final on penalties last season.

4. Barcelona 🇪🇸

• Last won the Champions League in 2015.

5. Real Madrid 🇪🇸

• Second Jose Mourinho era begins.

6. Manchester City 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁥󠁮󠁧󠁿

• Struggled in Europe last year, Pep Guardiola's final season in charge.

7. Liverpool 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁥󠁮󠁧󠁿

• Andoni Iraola takes over just a year removed from Premier League title.

8. Atletico Madrid 🇪🇸

• The Julian Alvarez transfer saga is going to define this team.

9. Borussia Dortmund 🇩🇪

• Keep an eye on Jobe Bellingham as he pushes for an England call-up.

10. Inter 🇮🇹

• Defending Italian champions add Manchester City veteran John Stones on a free transfer.

11. Villarreal 🇪🇸

• USMNT World Cup sensation Alex Freeman joined the Spanish club in January.

12. Manchester United 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁥󠁮󠁧󠁿

• Back competing in the Champions League, Manchester United may be stretched thin this fall.

13. Roma 🇮🇹

• Making its first Champions League appearance in eight years.

14. RB Leipzig 🇩🇪

• Didn't play in the Champions League last season after qualifying the previous six years.

15. Napoli 🇮🇹

• Massimiliano Allegri begins his tenure as Napoli boss.

16. Real Betis 🇪🇸

• A bust for Manchester United, Antony has 23 goals in 74 matches with Real Betis.

17. Como 🇮🇹

Making the club's Champions League debut thanks to manager Cesc Fabregas.

18. Stuttgart 🇩🇪

• Second Champions League appearance since earning promotion back to Bundesliga in 2020.

19. Sporting CP 🇵🇹

• Lost out on the Portuguese title to FC Porto after back-to-back championships.

20. FC Porto 🇵🇹

• Captained by Portugal goalkeeper Diogo Costa.

21. PSV 🇳🇱

• Major USMNT representation with Sergino Dest and Ricardo Pepi both regulars for the Dutch giants.

22. Lille 🇫🇷

• France legend Olivier Giroud still scoring goals at age 39.

23. Lens 🇫🇷

• Thorgan Hazard returns to his boyhood club after following his brother to Chelsea in 2012.

24. Fenerbahce 🇹🇷

• In the Champions League proper for the first time in 18 years, this squad features a number of big names, highlighted by new signing Romelo Lukaku.

25. Aston Villa 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁥󠁮󠁧󠁿

• Basically an entirely new team after selling most of the main characters from last year's Europa League-winning squad.

26. Galatasaray 🇹🇷

• Victor Oshimen has 63 games in 76 games for the Istanbul club.

27. Feyenoord 🇳🇱

• Giovanni van Bronckhorst is club's new manager after Robin van Persie was fired.

28. Bodo/Glimt 🇳🇴

• Last year's darlings notched shocking wins over Manchester City, Atletico Madrid and two against Inter en route to the round of 16.

29. Club Brugge 🇧🇪

• Last year's Belgian champions sold talisman Christos Tzolis to Arsenal this summer.

30. Slavia Prague 🇨🇿

• Finished 34th in last year's league phase.

31. Shakhtar Donetsk 🇺🇦

• Ukrainian champions will play their Champions League home games at Stamford Bridge, Chelsea's stadium in London.

32. AEK Athens 🇬🇷

• Reached the quarterfinals of last season's UEFA Conference League.

33. Viking 🇳🇴

• Two Norwegian clubs in the Champions League proper for the first time in 27 years.

34. Slovan Bratislava 🇸🇰

• Coached by ex-Man City star Yaya Touré, Slovan Bratislava is an eight-time defending champion in Slovakia.

35. LASK 🇦🇹

• Coming off the club's first Austrian league title since 1965.

36. Sabah FK 🇦🇿

• Founded in 2017, the Azerbaijani club is the youngest to ever quality for Champions League proper.

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Champions League power rankings: Every team from 1-36