England's Worst Champions League Efforts After Disastrous 2026 Round of 16
Published on 16 Mar 2026 | Last updated on 16 Mar 2026 | Reading time: 4 minutes
Arsenal’s Emirates Stadium - Source: Unsplash
The recent UEFA Champions League Round of 16 first legs were absolutely disastrous for English Premier League teams. Tottenham, Chelsea, and Manchester City were all beaten by three goals and have mountains to climb if they are to reach the semifinals. Liverpool also lost 1-0 to Galatasaray, while the best that Arsenal and Newcastle could manage were 1-1 draws. As such, there is a very real possibility that all six English clubs could suffer shocking exits.
With that being said, online betting sites are still optimistic about Arsenal's chances. The Gunners are the runaway league leaders domestically, and their 1-1 draw away at Bayer Leverkusen leaves them well positioned ahead of the home leg at the Emirates. The bookies clearly feel that way, installing them as the short-priced 5/2 favorite to win the trophy for the first time ever this term.
That 5/2 price is exactly where an expected value calculator earns its keep. By entering Arsenal's current odds alongside your own assessed probability of them going all the way, the tool will tell you instantly whether the market is offering fair value or simply reflecting the feel-good factor around Mikel Arteta's side.
Given the turbulence surrounding every other English club in this competition, that calculation is worth doing before you commit to a bet. But what were the worst years for Premier League clubs on the continental stage over the years? Let's take a look.
2012/13 - Not a Single Quarterfinalist
Heading into the 2012/13 season, English clubs had a huge presence in the Champions League. Chelsea were the defending champions after their miraculous run to the title in Munich, while the Premier League had a representative in seven of the last eight finals. However, this time around, that run came to a screeching halt.
The reigning champion Blues were eliminated in the group stage, as were Premier League holders Manchester City, who didn't win a single game en route to finishing bottom of their group. Arsenal and Manchester United did make it to the round of 16, but both suffered early exits. The Gunners were beaten by Bayern Munich across two legs, losing on away goals despite a 2-0 away victory in the Allianz Arena. The Red Devils, meanwhile, lost to Cristiano Ronaldo's Real Madrid, with a controversial Nani red card ultimately swinging the contest in Los Blancos' favor.
Bayern would go on to win the whole thing. They beat compatriots Borussia Dortmund in an all-German final at Wembley, with Arjen Robben's last-gasp winner enough to see off Jurgen Klopp's Schwarzgelben.
2014/15 - A Similar Story
Two seasons later, English clubs endured a similar story. Liverpool returned to the tournament after five years away, but their run ended in the group stage after suffering losses home and away to Real Madrid, as well as being beaten by Basel on the road. The remaining Premier League sides would all follow the Reds on the runway shortly thereafter.
Arsenal were shockingly beaten by underdogs Monaco, with the Ligue 1 outfit winning 3-1 at the Emirates to secure progression. Chelsea fell at the hands of Paris Saint-Germain, with goals at the end of the normal time and extra time from David Luiz and Thiago Silva securing the French champions' spot in the quarterfinals.
Manchester City harbored genuine hopes when they faced Barcelona, but those hopes were extinguished barely 30 minutes into the first leg after a brace from Luis Suarez. The Blaugrana would eventually triumph 3-1 on aggregate before going on to win the tournament, beating Juventus by the same scoreline in the final in Berlin. 11 years on, that triumph remains the Catalonians' most recent Champions League success.
2016/17: Leicester City Fly the Flag
Leicester City's miraculous 5000/1 run to the 2015/16 Premier League title is arguably the greatest sporting upset of all time. Led by the exploits of Jamie Vardy and Riyad Mahrez, Claudio Ranieri's Foxes swept all before them as they shockingly romped to a first-ever English top-flight crown. And the club was rewarded for their heroics with a first-ever campaign in the UEFA Champions League the following season.
Despite the miracle run of the year before, many expected the Foxes' continental campaign to be short-lived. Instead, though, the Foxes would once again upset the odds. They surprisingly topped Group G ahead of FC Porto, before mounting a stunning comeback in the Round of 16 to knock off Sevilla. Their run would come to an end with a spirited display in their quarterfinal defeat to eventual finalists Atletico Madrid, but they could take pride in the fact that they mounted the deepest run of any English team in the tournament.
Tottenham were eliminated at the group stage after finishing behind both Monaco and Bayer Leverkusen, and the Ligue 1 side would then go on to shockingly dump out Pep Guardiola's Manchester City in the Round of 16 after stunning displays from a teenage Kylian Mbappe. But Arsenal endured arguably the most embarrassing exit. They were beaten 5-1 home and away by Bayern Munich, resulting in a disastrous 10-2 aggregate defeat.
