Number of appearances in the Champions League quarter-finals: Real Madrid, Barcelona, and Bayern Munich lead significantly, Manchester United ranks fourth, Arsenal tied for ninth.

The Champions League quarter-finals for the 2025-26 season have concluded, and the eight teams advancing have been determined: three from La Liga, two from the Premier League, and one each from the Bundesliga, Ligue 1, and the Portuguese Primeira Liga. In response, Transfermarkt compiled a list showing how many times each club has reached the Champions League quarter-finals since the 1994-95 season. The results reveal that the three elite giants—Real Madrid, Barcelona, and Bayern Munich—are far ahead. Manchester United, historically the richest among them, surprisingly ranks fourth, while Arsenal is tied for ninth place.

Top 11 list of appearances in the Champions League quarter-finals:

• First: Bayern Munich / Bundesliga, 24 times.
• Second: Real Madrid / La Liga, 22 times.
• Third: Barcelona / La Liga, 21 times.
• Fourth: Manchester United / Premier League, 14 times.
• Fifth: Chelsea / Premier League, 12 times.
• Tied for fifth: Juventus / Serie A, 12 times.
• Seventh: Paris Saint-Germain / Ligue 1, 10 times.
• Tied for seventh: Liverpool / Premier League, 10 times.
• Ninth: Borussia Dortmund / Bundesliga, 9 times.
• Tied for ninth: Arsenal / Premier League, 9 times.
• Tied for ninth: Atlético Madrid / La Liga, 9 times.

Manchester City is completely absent from this list. Chelsea ranks as the second Premier League team, highlighting how underwhelming Pep Guardiola's Manchester City has been in the Champions League—buying stars every year, being a favorite every year, yet exiting early every year. Guardiola only excels when managing wealthy squads, and even then, he struggles in the Champions League. Throughout his coaching career, he won two Champions League titles at Barcelona with Lionel Messi, one at Manchester City with Kevin De Bruyne, and none at Bayern Munich. Therefore, at the Champions League level, Guardiola hardly qualifies as a top-tier manager.