Another year of Champions League football is in the bag, which means it’s time for us to reveal our team of the season for 2025/26.Â
PSG feature heavily after they retained their title by beating Arsenal on penalties in the final on Saturday.
Our Champions League Team of the Season for 2025/26:Â
GK: David Raya – Arsenal
David Raya could hardly have done more to win Arsenal their first ever Champions League. He kept the most clean sheets (9), conceding just five goals in 14 games, had the highest save percentage (92.3%) and saved a penalty in the shootout against PSG. It just wasn’t to be.
RB: Federico Valverde – Real Madrid
Fede Valverde’s natural position is in midfield, but he filled in at right-back due to a serious injury to Dani Carvajal and the poor form of Trent Alexander-Arnold. The Spaniard exceeded expectations in his new role, though his attitude has been called into question after he started a training ground feud with teammate Aurelien Tchouameni.
Read –Â The managers with the most Champions League titles
CB: Willian Pacho – PSG
An ever-present in the PSG backline, Willian Pacho played every single minute of their successful Champions League campaign. The Ecuadorian put in another big shift in the final to pocket his second winner’s medal.
CB: William Saliba – Arsenal
As I alluded to in our Premier League Team of the Season, Saliba does not get enough praise for his abilities as a central defender. His intelligence, reading of the game and passing skill make him one of the best in his position in the world, and are a huge reason behind Arsenal being the best defense in football right now.
Read – Arteta: Arsenal could ‘easily’ have had a penalty against PSG
LB: Nuno Mendes – PSG
Nuno Mendes is rapidly making a strong case that he is the best left-back in the world. The rapid Portugal international is only 23, but he has already won two Champions Leagues and is about to go to his second World Cup.
RW: Michael Olise – Bayern Munich
Michael Olise’s rise to becoming an elite winger has been a sight to behold. He’s not only one of the most fun players to watch, he’s deadly, too. The former Crystal Palace man scored five goals and provided six assists, the joint-most in the competition this term.
CM: Declan Rice – Arsenal
Arsenal’s all-round midfield maestro, Declan Rice has had a super year in the Champions League, even if it didn’t end the way he would have liked.
Declan Rice’s reaction after losing the Champions League final…
He knows Arsenal will go again 👀 pic.twitter.com/pSvneAN3qJ
— Football on TNT Sports (@footballontnt) May 30, 2026
Read –Â Champions League controversy as Arsenal benefit from handball decisions
CM: Vitinha – PSG
It’s only four years since Wolves declined to activate the purchase on their loan deal with Porto for Vitinha after he struggled to get regular starts in their first team. Wolves were relegated this season and Vitinha was picking up his second Champions League winner’s medal.
The Portuguese midfielder is PSG’s metronome, but he also puts in the hard yards. Only three players made more interceptions (20) than him in the competition this term.
LW: Khvicha Kvaratskhelia – PSG
The signing of Khvicha Kvaratskhelia last January might be looked back on as the most important made by PSG in the Luis Enrique. The Georgian has been sensational in the Champions League since joining the club and has played a major role in back-to-back successes.
Kvaratskhelia got the third-most goals (10) and the joint-most assists (6) of any player in the tournament this season, and he won the penalty that sent the final to extra time.
Read – PSG ‘want more’ after winning second Champions League title
CF: Harry Kane – Bayern Munich
Another ridiculously consistent year of goalscoring from Harry Kane, who found the net an astronomical 61 times in 2025/26. 14 of those goals came in the Champions League, though they fell short at the semi-final stage where they lost to the eventual winners.
CF: Kylian Mbappe – Real Madrid
Kylian Mbappe still doesn’t have the one trophy that he yearns for the most, but he did at least top the scoring charts with 15 goals in the Champions League this season. The French superstar also scored the most open play goals (12) and was tied with Kane and Kvaratskhelia for most goal involvements (16).
Read More – PSG vs Arsenal: Past meetings and head-to-head record
See Also – Five of Arsenal’s best ever Champions League wins
