The UEFA Champions League Final is one of the biggest matches of the year, with plenty of money to be made for savvy football (and betting) fans. But what does 22/25 mean in football betting? And which is the best odds for you to back?
What Is The Maximum Possible Score In UEFA Champions League Football?
The short answer is 4–2–0 – or 4 for the home team, 2 for the away team, and 0 for either team if it ends in a draw. If you’re feeling adventurous, you could go for 5–1–0 or 5–2–0 – although you’d be taking a big risk. The longer answer is a bit more complicated. The maximum possible score in UEFA Champions League football has actually changed a lot this year – so it’s worth looking at how the rules of the game have evolved over the past decade. In the below image, you can see how the maximum possible score has changed over the years:
From 4–1–0 in 2004/05, to 5–2–0 in 2018/19 – a massive rise. But what is the reason for this? The simple answer is that there has been more open football, with more goals and more open matches. But why is more openness good for football? Let’s have a look:
More Openness, More Goals
As the game has become more open, with more players allowed to participate and more goals being scored, the maximum possible score in a match has risen dramatically – and that means big money for those who back the correct score. In the image below, you can see how the match-up between Manchester United and Liverpool for the 2018/19 UEFA Champions League Final was one of the highest-scoring games in history:
Both teams scored five goals, so the correct score would be 10–5. However, this wouldn’t be enough for a win since United won 9–8 on Penalties. So, in terms of pure point-scoring ability, this was one of the most exciting games ever. (Note: the image doesn’t do justice to either of these games – you’d need an HD television to see all the intricate details in a match like this!) But there’s more to openness than just scoring goals. In the below quote, Fuelling the Emotion explains how more openness in football can help create more of a community:
“The most exciting thing about football is being a part of it. You feel like you belong, like you’re at home. There’s something about walking out onto the pitch that makes you feel like you could play in paradise. Of course, the game is also a lot of fun, but you feel like you’re experiencing something that not too many people get to experience in their lifetime.”
Just like in real life, when things change for the better in football, the results can be incredible. The 2022 World Cup in Qatar was the first major event in the country since the country decided to host the Cup. It was also the first World Cup to be held in the Middle East, and one of the most historic events in the game’s history. In the below image, you can see just how much the country has changed since then:
The image is from the opening ceremony of the 2022 World Cup, when the Qatari royal family opened the tournament by hosting thousands of fans from around the world. You’d think that, since the World Cup is over, the country would want to put the celebrations on hold. But that’s not the case – the country is actually embracing football, with fans dressed in fancy dress and participating in flag-raising ceremonies. It truly is a sight to behold!
We can’t talk about openness and more goals in football without mentioning Belgium. The tiny country, which doesn’t even qualify for European competitions, managed to pull off one of the most incredible sporting events in history when it hosted and won the 2012 UEFA European Football Championship. The Belgian fans really embraced their country’s victory, with a lot of fans dressing as their favourite players from that tournament and parading around the streets of Brussels in their replica shirts. It was one of the biggest partying countries during and after the tournament as well, due to all the winning!
More Exciting Matches, More Interest For Fans
Let’s face it, if you’re reading this, you’re either a football fan or you know one. So, it stands to reason that you’ll be more interested in following the game than the average person. But why is that good? Well, for starters, you’ll know more about the game and the rules than the average person. More importantly, being an interested fan means you’ll have a better chance of predicting the outcome of a game. The more you know, the easier it is to back your favourite team. Let’s have a look at how this works in practice. (Below, we’ll assume you’re a fan of Liverpool.)
In the below example, you can see two bookmakers offer odds on the Liverpool v Manchester United UEFA Champions League Final. As a fan of Liverpool, you know that the Reds usually play in red, so you’ll see ‘Red’ next to each of their matches. Based on that, you could make a reasonable guess that Liverpool will beat Manchester United and the odds will reflect that (1.92 – average team would be 2.05, minimal team would be 2.25, huge team would be 3.45):
As you can see, there’s a lot more money to be won if you can predict the outcome of a game. But why play in the Champions League if you’re not going to bet on it? One of the best things that could happen to football would be for more people to play in the UEFA Europa League. It currently has a secondary place in the football world after the Champions League, with most teams playing in the Europa League to gain experience for the following season. But it’s under-rated and there’s a lot of money to be made. In 2019 alone, there were over 100 million euros in bets placed on the Europa League games alone – and that’s only on UEFA.com.
Newest UEFA Competition, More International Matches
One of the key benefits of being involved in football is the opportunity to see the best players in the world at the same time. The Champions League gives you that chance each year, with the final stage bringing together the best of the best from all over Europe. In the below image, you can see how the competition has evolved over the years – with more games being played between professional clubs and featuring higher-quality football:
In the early 2000s, the Champions League was mostly for the big European clubs – those with a large fan base back home. But over the last decade, it has become much more open – with lower-league clubs involved and more games being streamed online. In 2022, there will be over 600 matches to be played in the UEFA Champions League. (By comparison, the Europa League will have under 400 matches in 2022.) And as the competition has grown, so has the number of teams qualifying for it. In the below image, you can see how the number of European teams in the Champions League increased from 4 in 2006 to 12 by 2010 – and since then it’s increased annually, with the number of teams qualifying for the competition soaring in the last decade:
As the competition has evolved, so has the way you can bet on it. While you could previously place a bet on the overall winner, there are now lots of markets available for fans – including individual player match-ups and correct score games (where you predict the final score of a game). In the last decade, the UEFA Champions League has become a lot more accessible and interesting for bettors. If you’re a fan of one of the participating teams, then this is the place to be – with lots of money to be made.