Champions League 2026: How English clubs are getting smart to dominate the league stage this season

Spain, which like England has secured one of the two European performance spots for the season, have not fared well so far.

Only Barcelona is guaranteed to qualify for the round of 16, with Atletico Madrid and Real Madrid in the playoffs. Athletic Club and Villarreal were eliminated.

While Spanish clubs are accustomed to dominating Europe – with Real Madrid winning the tournament twice in the past four seasons – this time around they have lost all but one of their 10 matches against Premier League sides in the group stage. The La Liga clubs failed to score in seven matches and lost 21-5 on aggregate.

BBC Sport columnist Guillem Balago describes it as a “near-perfect storm” that was driven by “collective wealth, elite off-field decision-making, as well as a league environment that forces constant tactical evolution”.

There are six Premier League teams in the top 10 of the Deloitte Financial Football League, externalwhile 50% of the top 30 teams come from the English Premier League.

“The Premier League has the biggest budgets, but also the professional structures – recruitment departments, data analysis, coaching teams and sporting directors – all operate at a level that allows clubs to select better profiles of players and managers,” Balage added.

“There is an advantage even before the ball is kicked.”

Balage believes that only Paris Saint-Germain and Bayern Munich are able to match English clubs in all four areas of “organized attack, organized defence, offensive transition, and defensive transition.”

Balage says English clubs are now fully attuned to the European style.

“Instead of imposing something radically different, they are adapting to what Europe now requires,” he explained.

“Defensive composure, winning duels, compressing space and time, controlling transitions and clarity in crucial moments have become more important than controlling possession. All of this has been prepared in training by senior managers and coaches.”

Balaj pointed out that success in the league stage does not mean anything. The competition only really begins in the knockout rounds “where English dominance has been far less evident”.

But Balaj added: “In any case, it seems almost impossible to stop the dominance of a league that every year brings in double or more income than other competitions.”